In recent years, Italy has been an exponential increase in requests (over 100 in the last two years) for new licenses to explore for geothermal production of electricity, estimated at several hundred megawatts of new capacity, by companies Italian and foreign, for the installation.

"The production potential associated with these initiatives may even exceed in just 10 years the provisions of the Italian Action Plan for renewable energy (Pan)."

This was stated by Gianvito Graziano, president of the National Council of geologists, speaking at the 'Geotherm Expo' of Ferrara.

"Estimates,even the most cautious, note that in the geothermal sector could be triggered investments of around one billion euro over the next decade," says Graziano.

But be careful because

"you can not utilize the potential linked to these resources without a clear and defined rules - continues Graziano- and without exceeding the critical current, represented by the definition of incentive schemes, simplified authorization procedures, dall'accettabilità social facilities connected with the reduction of the mining risk".

Unfortunately our country

"hard to plan and undertake political avant-garde, in the energy sector - said the geologist - even in industrial restructuring (the recent cases of Carbosulcis and Alcoa are examples of non-programming), environmental restoration, enhancement raw materials as well as secondary raw material, which make it possible to stop sending to landfill huge amount of raw materials."

As the world

"starts somewhere else, Italy seems to engage the reverse gear, still focusing mainly on oil - said Graziano - continuing to offer our sea and royalties not just to fellow oil."