Enel has received the final authorization from the Ministry for the Ecological Transition to definitively terminate operations at the Eugenio Montale coal-fired thermoelectric power plant in La Spezia.
The closure of the La Spezia plant is a further step forward in Enel’s commitment to the energy transition to an increasingly sustainable model, the aim of which is to progressively phase out the use of fossil fuels in electricity production in order to achieve climate neutrality worldwide. In Italy, Enel has already closed coal-fired power stations in Genoa and in Bastardo and, at the end of 2020, closed Group 2 of the Federico II plant in Brindisi. With the authorization to close the La Spezia plant and with those for groups 1 and 2 of the Andrea Palladio plant in Fusina already confirmed, this year will see the decommissioning of a further 870 MW.
“The go-ahead for the closure of the coal-fired group at the La Spezia power plant,” comments Nicola Lanzetta, Enel’s Head of Country Italy, “is an important step forward in our commitment to the energy transition. Overall, with these additional authorizations, we will have decommissioned a total of around 1,900 MW of coal-fired capacity in Italy by the end of 2021.”
Globally, Enel’s installed capacity from renewable sources exceeded its capacity from thermoelectric sources for the first time in 2019. This trend is now irreversible, in line with the Group’s aims to achieve zero-emission electricity production.