Almost three months were not enough for Councilor Balboni to live up to his declared desire to survey the air quality in Villanova, before the construction of the mega-power plant for the production of biomethane of the ApisFe1 agricultural company. It seemed to have been done already in March, it was just necessary to find a suitable connection point to the electricity grid and the citizens would have been satisfied. It didn’t happen that way. The councilor let this possibility fall on deaf ears along with the observations and requests for further information to the responses received which continue to have great importance for us residents, because it would mean having a concrete signal of the choices made by the municipal administration to protect this territory and the people who live there.
Instead it reveals itself the desire on the part of the mayor Fabbri and the councilors Lodi and Balboni to avoid or minimize environmental, health and quality of life problems is increasingly evident and incontestable of people, going from a negative opinion on the project to a public statement of support for the project itself. This aspect is not secondary also because the time elapsed since the authorization was issued seems to legitimize every step and every decision taken while further investigations are increasingly necessary.
We have delivered precise requests to Arpae, the Municipality and the Province regarding the obligation for the ApisFe1 Company to present a reconversion or modernization programme demonstrating the need, justified by its nature as an agricultural company, to obtain the permit to build the plant in derogation which must be issued by the Municipality and on which the municipal council has never expressed its opinion. This document would make all the data that in our opinion still need to be verified relating to the provision of biomass ascertainable and clearto the identification of land for spreading the digestate, to the evaluation of traffic which, in addition to being underestimated, did not take into account the actual routes that the vehicles will make.
The Municipality did not respond to our request, the Province did not accept the discussion, delegating the answers to Arpae. We are waiting for the necessary clarifications to be given to us.
To date, however, one thing is clear about ApisFe1è the only approved project of the 10 presented in various provinces and regions by Alvus, acquired by the German company Vornbioenergy srl in April 2024.
ApisFe1, which had already been included in the ranking of the second call for tenders Energy Services Manager for financing with Pnrr funds, has now renounced this position to participate in the third tender which, providing for an adjustment to the higher costs due to inflation, guaranteed it a loan of around 15 million of euros and the possibility of move forward the deadlines for the construction of the plant.
The mayor and the council will undoubtedly have relationships with these economic operatorsgiven the importance of the investment with the top management of Vornbioenergy, and with them they will be discussing compensation measures, as was anticipated by councilor Balboni, maintaining the now explicit choice of not wanting to involve all residents, of wanting to privilege the interests of individuals over the protection of general interests, of not wanting to consider this territory worthy of real valorization but simply an area of sacrifice in which it will be increasingly difficult to counteract the foreseeable degradation.
NobiometaNo sheets have reappeared in Villanova to continue to give a signal that the problem is still open. Vornbionergy, which has not been able to manage relations with the territory, waits in silence from afar thanks to the authorization and secure funding, the mayor and councilors make fun of the citizens
It’s not a good situation
Group of citizens of Villanova No Biomethane
