The government has in mind to go for wind energy in a big way. It would not be a bad idea but the costs projected are not within our reach.
There are less costly projects that could provide electricity, namely geothermal energy. We do not have hot rocks very near the surface. However, not far from us, Mount Etna has enough hot rocks very near the surface to provide energy for the whole of Sicily and Malta, if not more.
I have had occasion to mention some months ago in this very same paper that in Landau, Germany, a commercial company dug a three kilometre shaft and poured water on the hot rocks below which came up as steam to turn the turbines at the power house built purposely. This produces 22 gigawatts per year which is far more than the wind farms projected. The cost amounted to €60 million.
If we were to contact the Sicilian regional government or the Italian government for that matter, we could come to an agreement to build such a transnational project together.
The cost would be far smaller than those of the German project because the borehole to be dug would be far shallower since the volcano's heat is there for the asking at relatively shallow levels. The €300 million mentioned in the wind farms case would more than cover the cost even of the cables needed to transfer power.
The Italian government is projecting to build four nuclear energy plants. Italy, from Pozzallo to Friuli, is a very seismically active area. Nowhere in Italy is safe from earth tremors. The dangers of one such nuclear plant being destroyed by some strong tremor are there. The radiation emissions from such an exploding plant would be too big to calculate.
If one such plant were to be built in Sicily, where would we stand? The Sicilians are not happy that the government may construct such a nuclear plant on their island.
The safest solution is via geothermal energy by utilising the heat of the volcano. The technology exists and is there for the picking. Since Italy and Malta are members of the European Union we would get strong backing from the Commission. Dare we give it a try?