The Aspen – CESI webinar, President Bortoni’ speech

Our President, Guido Bortoni spoke yesterday at the Aspenia Talk “Italy between Energy Security and Ecological Transition,” organized by Aspen Institute Italia and CESI to discuss the energy situation, which was also attended by the Minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin, and the Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Chamber of Deputies, Giulio Tremonti.

In his speech, the President addressed the issue of decarbonization, which for several years-until the energy crisis dictated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine-had been the primary goal set by the European Union for the continent’s energy sector. With the Russian-Ukrainian war, however, it was realized that the situation in Europe is far more complex.

The focus then shifted to Italy, “which is doing well by securing more gas supplies from different countries, taking advantage of existing infrastructure.” On renewables, whose target was further raised to 45 percent in last May’s REPowerEU Bortoni explains how the recent Ukraine crisis, with the consequent need to accelerate on energy independence, has certainly helped. In fact, “2022 was a very good year for renewables, which covered 24 percent of European electricity demand. Suffice it to say that in the European Union in 2022 alone 15 GW of new wind farms and 41 GW of photovoltaics were installed“, the president recounted.

In conclusion, Bortoni argued how “security and transition can go hand in hand, without excesses or tears to the economic and social fabric of Italy. It is up to policy and the market to find, not so much ambitious goals, but credible and achievable paths“.