Pietraferrazzana, Lago Bomba © Steve Barber
The villages of Lago di Bomba need our help. An enormous black cloud hangs over the area with the threat once again of drilling for gas in a seismic area, this time by Ln Energy, an American company with UK investors. A 20-year plan to extract gas has been put forward. The extracted gas is unlikely to stay in Italy, it will be shipped to the highest bidder. Even if it did remain it would supply half a day of gas per year to the nation. In addition, the company wants to build a CO2 carbon storage plant here, a costly exercise for a company with no prior experience in ever doing this. Similar plants have caused earthquakes, they require monitoring 24/7 for eternity which requires enormous costs.
The land is fragile, the roads are small. The area is already seismic and there is a lot of subsidence and landslides. They could not build the Bomba dam in cement in the 1950s as they feared it would collapse, so they ended up using dirt and sloped at 45 degrees.
Bomba, Lago di Bomba © Steve Barber
In June 2023, The Extractive Industries and Society published a report that found property devalued between 9.9-16.5% once gas plants had been built in the vicinity due to worries about groundwater contamination and the lingering smell of sulphur and rotten eggs. This would cause economic havoc in an area already suffering the serious effects of depopulation.
Do the residents of the area deserve this? Many families lost their livelihoods in the 1950s when their farms were flooded to create the dam and green hydroelectricity. Good did arise from this small lake, today it produces an incredible 5% of Italy’s hydroelectric power! Why is there even a discussion about turning the clock back and extracting fossil fuels in the area?
Photos of the valley circa 1950, prior to the dam and once work had begun
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- Looking up the valley to Pietraferrazzana. Villa Santa Maria is in the distance on the right (without the huge bridge for carrying the superstrada). Photographer Unknown
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- Looking down the valley. Monte Tutoglio is immediately on the left with the white rock face. to where the dam was constructed. Photographer Unknown
Currently, Abruzzo’s rollout and production of clean energy (solar and wind) is 0.8 GW (1 GW/1.3 million inhabitants), a similar ratio to that of California which is 1.2 GW (47 GW/ 40 million inhabitants). Germany came out on top at 2 GW (170 GW / 83 million inhabitants). Abruzzo could do better and match wind and solar energy results to its hydroelectric generation, even smaller and poorer neighbour Molise has better rankings!
How to Help
If you want to help stop this, you can write to the Minister by the end of the 27th March 2024. The steps require patience, the template is done for you, and as long as you have an SPID and a PEC email address, you can petition this!
Step 1
Download the letter template here, add in any comments or remarks.
Decide whether to send the letter with
or
Whatever the text customise and name the file you have just downloaded OSS_Bomb24_COGNOME.docx using your surname.
Step 2A SPIE/CID option
If you have the SPIE/CID click here and continue.
Step 2B PEC option
Alternatively, fill in the Ministry Form with the information marked in red. The other information has already been entered.
The undersigned (in red, page 1)
Place and date (in red, page 2)
The declarant (in red, page 2)
Personal data (Attachment 1, page 3)
Place and date (in red, page 4)
The declarant (in red, page 4)
Step 3.
Please attach a photo of your identity document.
Step 4.
Create a single .pdf with these 3 files
(Minsitero form from Step 2; Photo ID from Step 3; Personalised remarks from Step 1;)
Step 5.
Send everything with your PEC email address to va@pec.mite.gov.it
Or you can use your SPID/CIE
If you don’t have your PEC or SPID/CIE or you want help, write to, mrdorsogna CHIOCCIOLA gmail.com and she will get them to Rome as best as she can.
Step 6.
If you wish, send a copy to Maria, to keep for future testimony; mrdorsogna CHIOCCIOLA gmail.com
Thank you!
With grateful thanks to Steve Barber for use of his photos and detective work in tracking down photos of the valley before it was flooded!
Author: Sam Dunham
Sam is a very lucky midlife 'mamma' to A who is 12 and juggles her work as a self-employed freelance SEO food and travel copywriter and EFL teacher. She is the founder of the Life In Abruzzo Cultural Association, co-founder of Let's Blog Abruzzo. she is the founder of the 'English in the Woods' initiative, teaching English outdoors in a forest style school.
