Italy's offshore wind push grinds to a halt, industry lobby complains

On paper, offshore wind offers “considerable potential” for Italy, a Mediterranean peninsula with limited land for solar or onshore turbines, yet the country lags far behind European peers. Britain boasts over 15 GW of offshore capacity, bolstered by mature auctions and subsidies. Germany follows with about 9 GW, driven by aggressive North Sea projects.

Italy, by contrast, operates just one small 30 megawatt farm. On the other hand, this also means it has so far avoided joining its peers in committing billions of euros in taxpayer subsidies just to prop up offshore wind projects.

(Reporting by Gavin Jones, editing by Susan Fenton)