Energy & Climate Report for EIA

The report by ClientEarth, WWF Italy, and ECCO think tank opposes Enel's plan to convert the Federico II plant in Brindisi from coal to gas. It argues that the project is not needed for security of supply, risks creating stranded assets and overcapacity in Southern Italy, and causes adverse climate impacts through CO2 and methane emissions. The authors contend that the project contradicts EU and national decarbonisation goals and should be rejected by the Ministry for Ecological Transition.

• The proposed conversion of the Federico II plant to a gas-fired facility with a nominal capacity of 1680 MWe is not necessary for the security of energy supply, as coal plants in Italy are already experiencing a market-driven decline in production and load factor.
• There is a significant risk of thermoelectric overcapacity in Southern Italy; while Terna's 2019 Adequacy Report estimated a need for 1500 MWe of new gas-fired power, pending EIA procedures for multiple plants in the region would total approximately 4741 MWe if Federico II is included.
• The report claims that Terna's energy demand forecasts are overestimated, noting that actual Italian electricity demand in 2020 was 17 TWh lower than in 2019 and remains below 2014 levels.
• The project risks 'carbon lock-in' and the creation of stranded assets because the Italian capacity market provides 15 years of remuneration for new gas plants, which may undermine investments in demand response, batteries, and distributed generation.
• The construction of a new 6.7 km underground methane pipeline for the plant may expose workers to chemical risks due to soil contamination (including metals like Arsenic and Mercury) and will cause permanent negative changes to agricultural land and biodiversity.
• The project's climate impact is underestimated because Enel focused only on CO2 emissions until 2030, ignoring methane (CH4) emissions from upstream and midstream processes, which are 83 times more potent than CO2 over a 20-year period.
• The project contradicts the European Climate Law's target of reducing GHG emissions by at least 55% by 2030 and the IEA's Net Zero by 2050 scenario, which states that no new oil and natural gas fields are required beyond those approved in 2021.

APA

Ember (2021). Energy & Climate Report for EIA. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/12/Energy-and-Climate-Report_EIA_Federico-II_WWF-Italy_ECCO_ClientEarth_01102021_ENGLISH.pdf

Chicago

Ember. Energy & Climate Report for EIA. 2021. https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/12/Energy-and-Climate-Report_EIA_Federico-II_WWF-Italy_ECCO_ClientEarth_01102021_ENGLISH.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Ember |title=Energy & Climate Report for EIA |date=September 2021 |url=https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/12/Energy-and-Climate-Report_EIA_Federico-II_WWF-Italy_ECCO_ClientEarth_01102021_ENGLISH.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{ember2021energy, author = {{Ember}}, title = {{Energy \& Climate Report for EIA}}, institution = {Ember}, year = {2021}, month = sep, url = {https://ember-energy.org/app/uploads/2024/12/Energy-and-Climate-Report_EIA_Federico-II_WWF-Italy_ECCO_ClientEarth_01102021_ENGLISH.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }