The 2030 Plan for renewable and smart energy: the opportunities for the Italian supply chain

February 8, 2023

The increase of renewable generation capacity needed to meet the EU decarbonization and energy independence 2030 targets, along with a robust reinforcement/enhancement of the Italian supply chain can bring economic benefits of up to 361 billion € and create up to 540.000 new jobs.

Italy already relies on a valuable national supply chain of successful businesses operating in this sector, with remarkable growth potential that can be unlocked taking advantage of the opportunities of the transition and leveraging on the innovation potential of Italian areas of excellence in technology and know-how.

These are the main conclusions of the study "The 2030 Plan for renewable and smart energy: benefits for the Italian supply chain" carried out by Enel Foundation in collaboration with Elettricità Futura and Althesys presented in an event in Rome on February 8, in the presence of:

Gilberto Picchetto Fratin, Ministry of Environment and Energy Security

Adolfo Urso, Ministry of Enterprises and Made in Italy. 

Agostino Re Rebaudengo, President of Elettricità Futura

Francesco Starace, Enel CEO and Enel Foundation Chairman

Alessandro Marangoni, CEO Althesys

Towards 2030: Italy’s renewable and smart energy technology supply chain

Considering different development scenarios, the study assesses the economic and occupational benefits connected to the growth of the supply chain itself and to the deployment of the renewable generation capacity needed to achieve the 2030 decarbonization objectives.

The study estimates that at least 790 companies attributable to the renewable and smart energy supply chain are in operations in Italy today. Out of these, almost 400 are specialized on this sector. Overall, the value of the production of these companies accounts for 12.4 billion € accruing for 0,7% of Italian GDP, guaranteeing a reliable, high quality supply of power network technologies, components for power generation, geothermal, heat pumps, but still a limited one on basic elements of the energy transition like PV modules, wind turbines and batteries.

Scenarios leading up to 2030: matching renewable capacity growth and supply chain expansion can deliver the highest benefits

In the most ambitious scenario, 85 GW of additional renewable capacity is installed, matching it with a robust growth of the capability of the Italian supply chain to meet the internal demand with “Made in Italy” technology: this will allow to achieving up to 361 € billion of economic benefit and at up to 540.000 additional jobs. To achieve the maximum benefits from the investments to be deployed in the next 7 years, Italy must rapidly implement a clear, concrete national strategy aimed at boosting the installation of additional renewable generation power and at creating the conditions for the development of a competitive industrial capacity.  In conclusion, what lies ahead is not simply the possibility of encouraging growth of a specific sector or incentivising the development of a few companies, but the possibility of jump-starting a whole new industrial segment that will ensure environmental sustainability and energy independence for Italy.

Here are the main findings of the study and here is the full report.