In Italy as in all of Europe, the second half of 2022 was characterized by strong concerns about i continuous increases in the cost of electricity and gas. The uncontrolled increase of price of electricity and heating bills has brought millions of families and thousands of businesses to their knees, with one exorbitant growth in overall spending compared to the same period in 2021.
After a long phase of apprehension about the very uncertain prospects for the short-term future, only in the last weeks of the year the value of gas and electricity has fallen again, albeit in a much smaller way than the increments. Meanwhile, the government led by Giorgia Meloni – not even two months after his official inauguration – he had to allocate expensive bills to the bills 21 of the 35 billion euros inserted into his first budget law.
New regasification terminals in Italy: Minister Pichetto Fratin reassures citizens about the cost of bills
In an attempt to reassure Italians in view of a 2023 that is expected to be somewhat complicated, the minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin – holder of the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security – took stock of the moves that the executive intends to put in place to prevent a new economic and social crisis rage across the country. For a few weeks now, Italy, like all the other member states, has been able to count on the new agreement for the introduction of the price capwhich fixes a ceiling on the price of natural gas imports from abroad.
“We fought hard to achieve this fundamental goal – Pichetto Fratin specified in a recent interview – despite the contrary opinion of many of our allies in Europe. We have ‘cut the nails to the speculation‘, even if we are only at the beginning of a process that will involve the Italian government throughout 2023, in line with the goals already achieved by the previous executive”.
The first problem on the minister’s table will be that relating to new increases in the price of gas planned for the first few weeks of the year. “At the moment the situation is positive, because we have returned to the costs prior to the outbreak of war in Ukraine. This means that we will give priority to the historical problems of our country, that is infrastructure and availability of supplies“.
New regasification terminals in Italy in 2023: where they will be and how much gas they will produce
As regards this second point, the urgency of open new trade routes through which to import liquefied natural gas was (in part) eradicated by the agreements signed in the summer by the government of Mario Draghi with Tunisia and Qatar. In this way ours has greatly decreased dependence on Russiawhich until the beginning of the year represented the most important partner not only for Italy, but also for other great powers of the Old Continent, one above all Germany.
Now, however, in the sights of the government majority is the realization of four new regasification terminals on our territory, in order to increase the national production of combustible material as soon as possible. “The Piombino platform and the Ravenna platform are indispensable – explained the minister – and they will allow us to face the winter of 2024 and the following ones with more serenity. Let’s talk about 5 billion cubic meters for each regasification terminala mass of which we cannot do without”.
Yet, everyone in the Council of Ministers knows that this is not enough. We need to find new solutions and quickly. “We have different paths” concluded Pichetto Fratin, underlining how “the regasification terminals of Gioia Tauro and Porto Empedocle can be implemented in a short time. We also plan to double the Tap and strengthen the Adriatic line”.
4 new regasification terminals in Italy in 2023: where they will be built