An eco-monster in the name of business powered by Aeolus, god of wind and… money. Once again, a project designed for the economic fortune of a few and for the misfortune of entire communities and other postcard-perfect Tuscan views that would be irremediably disfigured with very serious consequences for tourist attraction potential, for the livability of resident families, and for the economic and employment stability of the numerous businesses in the area.
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There are those who, taking advantage of the regulatory chaos that continues to float between the strategic lines of the national plan for ecological transition and the need to protect the environment, would like to threaten the Pisan hills and, consequently, the protection of the landscape, which represents, as is known, an interest constitutionally protected by Article 9 of our beloved Charter. There are those who say they are ready to build a wind farm consisting of 13 wind turbines over two hundred meters high and capable of reaching a total power of 93 megawatts.
The nightmare project has already been presented and bears the seal of a company with a name that recalls a part of the Pisan area but without the involvement of Pisan or Tuscan entrepreneurs. It is called “Santa Luce srl” (whose prevalent activity registered with the Chamber of Commerce is the design of electricity production plants from renewable sources), has been active since December 4, 2024, has a subscribed share capital of 10 thousand euros, and has its registered office in Milan.
«In reality – say those from the Pisan Hills Committee – “Santa Luce srl” is only the visible part of a maxi matryoshka made of companies, whose structure seems to lead to a Dutch multinational».
The hilly ridge on which the wind turbines would impact, with all connected infrastructures, would be vast, involving as many as four municipalities: Santa Luce, Orciano Pisano, Crespina Lorenzana, and Fauglia. All territories that in the past have already contributed much to the “green energy” cause, having been affected by some renewable energy production plants (solar, wind, and biomass).
In half of the province of Pisa, the alarm has understandably been raised. The population is mobilizing, asking, first and foremost, their mayors to join them in supporting the “no” to the new mega plant. From the municipalities, the holders of the tricolor sashes have not held back and have immediately coalesced. Giamila Carli for Santa Luce, Enrico Grechi for Orciano Pisano, Carlo Carli for Fauglia, and David Bacci for Crespina Lorenzana raise their voices to the Tuscany Region, asking it to block the project and send back the proposals of “Santa Luce srl”. In fact, a few days ago, a letter was sent to the administration of President Eugenio Giani and signed by the four mayors. The opposition to the wind farm is clear and well explained in eight pages.
«Our dissent – the mayors note in the first lines – does not derive from a prejudicially hostile position towards renewable energy sources, which represent a fundamental tool for energy transition and the reduction of climate-altering emissions, but from the specificity of the territorial context concerned and the need to protect environmental, landscape, agricultural, and socio-economic values of strategic importance. The presence of wind towers, electrical connection works, access roads, assembly pads, and other planned infrastructures entails a profound alteration of panoramic views and the unitary perception of the hilly landscape, permanently modifying the historical relationship between the villages, the surrounding agricultural system, and the natural elements that constitute its identity. The same regional strategic guidelines identify the protection of landscape identity and the enhancement of territorial peculiarities as fundamental elements for the sustainable development and competitiveness of these territories».
In short, the contradiction related to a project of this type “imposed” on certain territories emerges in all its gravity: on the one hand, the municipalities of Santa Luce, Orciano Pisano, Crespina Lorenzana, and Fauglia are part of the so-called “internal areas,” identified by national and regional policies as areas to be supported and enhanced to combat depopulation and marginalization (precisely through the preservation of the landscape and its enhancement thanks to the promotion of slow tourism); on the other hand, the concentration of large energy infrastructures risks instead accentuating the processes of marginalization and reducing the ability to develop economic models consistent with their identity.
Finally, one cannot fail to note the proximity of the Special Area of Conservation of Lake Santa Luce, included in the Natura 2000 Network and characterized by the presence of the oasis managed by Lipu.
«The area – the four mayors emphasize in the letter to the Region – constitutes one of the main sites of naturalistic interest in coastal Tuscany and represents a fundamental habitat for numerous species of migratory and resident avifauna. The wind farm would directly and indirectly impact the Special Area of Conservation and the Natura 2000 site, as the power line would cross the naturalistic area itself». The Tuscany Region, at this point, will have to take note and also put its authoritative stamp on the “no” to yet another desecration.
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