December 28, 2010
Italy

Italy wind farm seized by prosecutors

by Staff Writers Milan (AFP), Wind Daily, www.winddaily.com 22 December 2010

Italian prosecutors on Wednesday seized a 27.5-megawatt wind farm in the southern Calabria region over a series of alleged planning irregularities, Italian news agencies reported.

The Serre wind farm close to the village of Girifalco was located too close to residential housing and in an earthquake-prone area, the reports said, adding that local permits for the installation were falsified.

Three people are being investigated including Gianluigi Montorsi, head of Brulli Energia power company, the project manager and a former local official.

Brulli Energia said in a statement that it was confident the inquiry would show the company had acted “with the utmost transparency, professionalism, fairness and good faith throughout the conduct of this work.”

The company also pointed out that it owned only a 25-percent share in the project “and the wind farm itself was created as a joint venture with a leading international energy operator listed on the London Stock Exchange.”

Sources said the company was London-based International Power.

There have been several investigations into the booming wind farm business in Italy in recent months including over massive mafia infiltration.

URL to article:  https://www.wind-watch.org/news/2010/12/28/italy-wind-farm-seized-by-prosecutors/