Italy plans to phase out coal by 2025

Italy is planning to phase out electricity generation from coal power by 2025, following plans from other EU countries including Portugal, the Netherlands and the UK to do the same. The move was announced by the country’s Industry Minister Carlo Calenda as part of a new energy strategy for Italy that would also see the country aim to source 27% of its total energy consumption from renewables by 2030. Calenda said the Italian government had asked the country’s grid operator Terna to identify the infrastructure needed to shift away from the fuel.

The announcement follows reports of the country’s biggest utility Enel stating it would not invest in new coalfired power plants, and utilities from 26 EU countries pledging to not construct new coal plants from 2020 onwards (see Energy World May). At the start of November a collective of civil society groups across 28 European nations joined forces to create an initiative to end all coal use in Europe by 2030. The Europe Beyond Coal initiative has collected coal data and allows users on its website to view visualisations of coal plant locations, and climate impact and health impact data of Europe’s coal plants.

Subsequently, the former mayor of New York and UN special envoy on climate change Michael Bloomberg extended a campaign to cut coal use in the US across to Europe, with plans to push this worldwide. The $50mn plan will support grassroots campaigns, research on coal and legal action against coal plants.