Lombardy, crucial aspect of the Regional Environment and Energy Plan

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The Region of Lombardy has approved the new Regional Environment and Energy Plan (REEP). We ask Councilor in charge of the Environment, Energy and Sustainable Development, Claudia Maria Terzi about some specific aspects of the plan, and above all: what are the cornerstones of that document?

REEP is based on the assumption that reaching the unique main objective of energy saving may lead to attain a series of goals that are strictly related and equally crucial for the sustainable development of Lombardy: the target of Renewable Energy Sources, imposed by the national Burden Sharing and the reduction of greenhouse gases are part of the European Climate Package 20-20-20.

Along with those objectives, in Lombardy it is important to work on the improvement of air quality and reboot the region’s economy.

As for the latter issue, what sectors do you consider strategic?

From the Green Economy standpoint, we think that recovery of one of the most important industrial sectors, that is that of construction, must absolutely undergo the energy upgrading of our cities through investment in the industrial production chains that may give substance to the “green economy.” Indeed, most of the energy is consumed in the housing sector (residential and tertiary). That is why, activities in the scope of rehabilitation of the existing building heritage is essential.

Lombardy has numerous companies operating in the field of energy efficiency and renewable sources. We want to offer them the opportunity to grow and have a market of 10 million inhabitants that is open and optimized for the investments.

Could you please briefly describe how REEP wants to reach the pre-established goals?

REEP operates in four fields of: the legal/regulatory leverage, the administrative simplification leverage, the financial leverage, the assistance and support leverage. Each field will have to provide a fundamental contribution.

I would like to point out that entering into force of the regulations on construction, introducing earlier the regulation on NZEBs in the entire Italy has been put forward to 2016.

Another important regulatory matter is the determination of the areas illegible for installation of renewable energy sources. That section of REEP will provide crucial help to the operators of the sector that will know where it is better to plan the installation of a plant, avoiding long and complex time horizons.

When it comes to the assessment, the Region will continue to make available to everybody the important information resources by means of the open data. This is how we are going to share with the sector’s operators, companies, professionals and inhabitants a great deal of data collected every day, which helps us describe the energy as well as social and economic system of our region. An important role in reaching these targets play the financial resources disbursed both by the EU, through ERDF (175 M euros) and RDP – Rural Development Plan (50 M) until 2020.

What opportunities does the EU offer to the Regions, especially to Lombardy and what are the possibilities of financing?

The European funds assigned to Lombardy are managed by means of the Regional Operational Programme (ROP). In Lombardy, we had decided that ROP and REEP should be fully coherent and integration and thus we drew them up almost at the same time. ROP provides for around 200 million euros for the actions related to energy. They are broken down into three main issues of the energy upgrading in public buildings, the creation of networks of smart public lightning (multi services) and the development of electric mobility. In the upcoming months tenders dedicated to the local entities will regard those subjects.

 

 

 

 

 

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Un team di professionisti curioso e attento alle mutazioni economiche e sociali portate dalla sfida climatica.