Italy wind power up 30 pct in 2009

Wind generators are seen on a farm in the countryside near the Sicilian town of Trapani, southern Italy, September 29, 2009.

MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's installed wind power capacity rose more than 30 percent last year to 4,850 megawatts, boosted by record installation, industry associations said on Friday.

Installation in 2009 was 1,114 megawatts, in line with that of previous years, they said in a joint statement. Wind power production was a record of about 6.7 terawatt hours, or 2.1 percent of internal consumption.

The growth came "despite the financial crisis that overran the national and international economies in 2009," said the statement from the National Wind Energy Association (ANEV), the Board for New Technology (ENEA), the Renewable Energy Producers Association (APER) and the Italian unit of the International Solar Energy Society.

Italy is third in Europe and sixth in the world in wind power production despite lacking overall rules for the sector, it said.

Swift action by the government on that issue would allow Italy to reach its potential wind power capacity of more than 16,000 megawatts, the statement said.

(Reporting by Ian Simpson)