2nd Local Stakeholder Meeting of LE2C

The 2nd Local Stakeholder Meeting in Lombardy was held on February 17th, 2025, via Zoom. The focus of the meeting was on the Repower Industries project within the Interreg Europe framework, with a particular emphasis on the findings from the market analysis.

The meeting was initiated at the request of the Lombardy Region, following a recent gathering of the Technical Secretariat of the Development Pact. Director Nardo from the Directorate General for Local Authorities, who is responsible for regional energy resources, also attended. He highlighted the significance of energy issues for the Region, stressing several key points currently under examination by regional policy and authorities:

• The current shortfall in energy production, which is unable to meet both present and future demand, exacerbated by the growing energy needs of data centers.

• The challenge of balancing the Region's agricultural heritage with the target to increase renewable energy capacity (FER) by 8 GW by 2030. A draft law on suitable areas is currently under political review and is expected to be approved by the end of the month.

Key topics discussed included rising energy prices, the need for more photovoltaic installations, nuclear energy as a potential long-term solution, and concerns about the high energy consumption of data centers. The meeting also emphasized the need to streamline approval processes for renewable energy projects, promote industrial Energy Communities, and support the installation of solar power in decommissioned areas.

Overall, the meeting highlighted the urgent need to expand renewable energy capacity and tackle the rising costs of energy.