Italy to cut gas consumption by 7%

Government of Italy plans reduce gas consumption by 7% in the next few months. According to the authorities, the goal can be achieved by increasing coal consumption, as well as reducing energy consumption in general.

According to the plan, by March next year, Italy intends to reduce gas consumption by 8.2 billion cubic meters as part of the goals set by the EU to reduce dependence on natural gas by 15%. According to the Italian government, from the beginning of August this year until the end of March 2023, the total volume of gas consumed will be about 55 billion cubic meters. However, the actual reduction in gas consumption in Italy until March 2023 will be 7%, or 3.6 billion cubic meters – in accordance with the agreement with the European Commission, which took into account the volume of gas contained in Italian gas storage facilities.

Against the backdrop of a sharp reduction in Russian gas purchases due to the military conflict in Ukraine, many European countries accept various measures to minimize negative consequences for their consumers and energy systems. Italy’s finance ministry has calculated that the country could spend up to €100 billion this year on energy imports from other sources, twice as much as a year earlier.

Read more about the situation with gas in Europe in the material “Winter Announced”.

Evgeniy Khvostik