Sardinia is resisting a wave of wind and solar development driven by Italy's EU renewable energy targets, with over 210,000 residents signing a petition that triggered an 18-month construction moratorium. The opposition is rooted in centuries of exploitation by outside powers — from Roman conquest to 20th-century industrial abandonment — making many Sardinians view renewable developers as the latest in a long line of colonizers extracting value from the island. Despite a Constitutional Court ruling overturning the regional ban, protests, vandalism, and political resistance continue. Potential paths forward include building on abandoned industrial sites, community-owned energy projects, and the new Tyrrhenian Link HVDC submarine cable connecting Sardinia to Sicily and the Italian mainland.
Table of contents
Why is Sardinia resisting renewable energy?Sardinia’s History Shapes its IdentityEnergy Colonialism in SardiniaPratobello 2024 and Anti-Wind ProtestsSardinia’s Renewable Energy ConflictIndustrial Sites Host Energy StorageSort: