Sicilia, termovalorizzatori: c’è l’ok della Cts

Sicily is advancing towards the approval of two waste incineration plants in Palermo and Catania. The Technical Specialized Commission for Environmental Permits has given a favorable opinion on the projects, with conditions to be met in the executive design. This marks a crucial step in the public investment aimed at changing waste management on the island, though the authorization phase remains open.

The body, chaired by Maria Chiara Tomasino, has concluded its investigation after reviewing the drafts, technical meetings, and site visits. The opinion concerns the environmental impact assessment of the two plants: next week, as announced by the Region, a services conference will be convened in the context of the single regional authorization procedure, the Paur.

To close the path, all opinions and objections of the involved entities, as well as the Integrated Environmental Authorization from the regional Water and Waste department, will be needed. "We are taking another important step forward, from a technical point of view, towards the realization of the incinerators," says Sicily's President Renato Schifani, who also holds the office of extraordinary commissioner for the waste cycle.

The goal, he adds, is to reach the Paur and launch the competitions for design, construction, and management. The Regional Assessor for Territory and Environment Giusi Savarino ties the advancement of the projects to the reduction of waste disposal costs. "Work proceeds to free Sicily from excessive costs in waste management - says Giusi Savarino - thanks to new disposal plants in line with the latest technologies already used in the largest European cities."

On the financial side, the Cohesion Agreement signed in May 2024 has allocated 800 million euros to the two incinerators: the regional communication accompanying the delivery of the projects indicated a total investment of about one billion euros. These figures correspond to the resources assigned in the agreement and the estimate announced by the Region, whose alignment remains to be clarified in the economic framework of the works.