Italy Furious Over Wind Turbines Four Times Taller Than Iconic Cathedral

Italian movement is underway over the Wind Turbines, 200 meters (656 feet) tall amid the olive groves, vineyards, and forests of Umbria, which would be four times the height of the 13th-century Duomo in Orvieto.

The Cathedral of Orvieto, Photo: iStock

Wind power has set a significant precedent in the clean energy industry, but unfortunately, the truth is that this revolution faces significant opposition. It happened in Italy, the campaign against windmills. Amid the olive groves, vineyards, and forests of Umbria, a nationwide movement is underway over the proposed construction of giant wind turbines.

From ordinary citizens to experts protested on the streets. 100 intellectuals, filmmakers, actors, environmentalists, and local protest groups - including botanists, poets, and writers - including actress Isabella Rossellini, directors Alice Rohrwacher and Claudia Cardinale have signed a petition addressed to Italian President Sergio Mattarella. They argue that the turbines will destroy an intact countryside that stretches across the Umbria and Lazio regions.

The proposed turbines, 200 meters (656 feet) tall, would be four times the height of the 13th-century Duomo in Orvieto, a medieval hilltop cathedral near the planned wind farm site. German company RWE plans to build seven turbines in the countryside between Orvieto and Lake Bolsena, an area famous for its wine, olive oil, extinct volcanoes, and historical landmarks. A turbine will be installed just 500 yards from an ancient Etruscan necropolis.

Campaigners have raised concerns that a turbine tower would be built merely 500 yards from an ancient Etruscan necropolis, threatening to destroy an intact countryside that stretches across the Umbria and Lazio regions. This violates a law that requires a distance of at least three kilometers between a wind turbine tower and a cultural heritage site or monument. Moreover, the machines will be visible, for example, from the famous village of Civita di Bagnoreggio which sits on a crumbling ledge of tufa rock and can only be reached by a footbridge. They argue that RWE's plans will have a "devastating impact on the landscape, threatening tourism and the regional economy."

Considered one of the finest examples of Gothic architecture in Italy, Orvieto's Duomo is so magnificent that a pope once declared that it would ascend to heaven on Judgment Day, carried away by its beauty.

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With a successful history of 125 years, RWE is a leading global renewables supplier for wind farms, solar power, and battery storage facilities in many countries. They have built two major onshore wind farms in Italy with 21 new generation turbines, once commissioned, Mondonuvo and San Severo are expected to provide green electricity to 110,000 homes annually. They hope it will help to reach their ambitious climate goal of net zero by 2040 and support 2030 Italian ambitions for energy transition and security.

By:  Nick Squires in Rome • 26 September 2024 • https://shorturl.at/Po088