Italy’s Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto
Italy’s Minister of Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto, has signed a decree establishing a new system for managing available capacity on the country’s electricity transmission grid, with the aim of addressing the so-called “virtual saturation” caused by connection requests for renewable energy and storage projects.
Under the new rules, grid operator Terna will be required to publish and update every three months the maximum additional capacity available for connecting new renewable energy plants and energy storage systems for each section of the transmission network. Marine energy plants are excluded from the measure.
The decree follows an opinion from Italy’s energy regulator ARERA and implements provisions established under the so-called Bollette Decree (Decree No. 21/2026).
Addressing ‘virtual saturation’
The measure targets a situation in which a high number of connection requests can effectively occupy available grid capacity even when the projects behind those requests do not ultimately obtain the necessary authorisations or prove viable.
According to the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, the new system is intended to free up capacity currently tied to connection requests that are no longer compatible with viable projects, making it available for concrete initiatives.
The ministry said the new approach will make available grid capacity public and subject to regular updates, with the aim of increasing transparency and facilitating more efficient connections for projects that can actually move forward.
Quarterly capacity updates
Terna will therefore have to provide information on the maximum additional capacity available for new renewable and storage connections for each section of the transmission grid and update that information on a quarterly basis.
Pichetto described the decree as part of a broader process to simplify and strengthen Italy’s authorisation system.
“We are leaving behind a model that has held back the development of renewables and introducing a transparent, dynamic and measurable mechanism,” the minister said. He added that grid capacity would be made public, updated quarterly and managed according to objective and non-discriminatory criteria.
The minister described the measure as a structural reform aimed at restoring confidence in the connection system and providing greater certainty to operators planning to invest in Italy.