IRENA Welcomes Luigi Di Maio, Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, to Headquarters

IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera emphasises socio-economic benefits of energy transition

Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, 16 April 2019 – The Director-General of the International Renewable Energy Agency (IRENA) Francesco La Camera received Luigi Di Maio, Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, and Minister of Economic Development, Labour and Social Policies at the IRENA headquarters in Abu Dhabi today.

Deputy Prime Minister Di Maio, who was accompanied by a large trade delegation, and Mr. La Camera exchanged views on the global energy transition, particularly the socio-economic benefits that it brings, such as new opportunities for sustainable growth, trade and jobs.

Mr. La Camera expressed his gratitude to the Government of Italy for its longstanding support to IRENA and noted the country’s progress on renewable energy deployment as well as its global leadership in renewable technologies. He also provided an overview of the Agency’s engagement with the private sector.

Between 2008 and 2018, Italy’s installed renewable energy capacity doubled to around 53 gigawatts (GW). The country is on-track to meet its ambitious plans of 30 per cent renewables in gross final energy consumption by 2030. This translates into 50 GW of solar photovoltaic and over 18 GW of wind energy.

“Italy has made good progress on renewable energy over the last decade showing leadership on energy transition within Europe and worldwide,” said IRENA Director-General Francesco La Camera. “The path towards a low-carbon economy will not only help create a climate-safe future, but will also support economic growth and job creation, while enhancing energy security. We welcome the continuation of our strong partnership with Italy in support of energy transition.”

“We are committed to a low-carbon energy future,” said the Deputy Prime Minister of Italy, Luigi Di Maio. “The energy transformation presents a positive opportunity to promote and share our expertise in energy to advance the global deployment of renewables whilst boosting domestic business and economic activity. IRENA’s role in advancing the energy transformation is central, and Italy will remain a close partner of the Agency as we pursue national objectives and contribute to global goals.”