With constant threats from Moscow to slash and cut gas supplies to Europe, including Italy, the idea of focusing on new drilling in the Adriatic is returning to the government’s strategy, which Minister Roberto Cingolani also hopes will change the increase current withdrawals . It is one of the axes of the emergency energy plan that the executive branch was already working on before Russia’s February 24 invasion of Ukraine, but which is now experiencing an inevitable acceleration. Six years after the failed referendum against drilling in the Adriatic Sea, Cingolani is challenging environmentalists’ protests by urging an increase in the national gas to free himself from supplies from Moscow. As reported by Repubblica, the drill program is one of the medium term, with a revision of the Pitesai, the map mapping areas considered suitable for drilling. A work that would be carried out with “serious and detailed techniques”, but also with a certain hurry, since Croatia has been exploiting important deposits in the same waters for some time now.
The Return of Coal
In recent months, several agreements have been reached with new suppliers to fill reductions in Russian flows from Algeria to Azerbaijan, and the government plan does not rule out the use of coal-fired power plants either. A contingency that could materialize in the event of a ban on Russian imports, which would allow for a replacement 5 billion cubic meters of gas of the six plants still in operation in Italy, in Venice, Monfalcone, Civitavecchia, Brindisi and two in Sardinia. The facilities are expected to close by 2025, but operators have been warned in advance of a possible extension.
The borders in the houses
Apart from the Kremlin’s decisions on whether or not to cut gas supplies, the government would continue to seek a structural reduction in consumption, with more drastic measures in the event of an immediate halt from Moscow. The measures inevitably concern the next winter season, in which the limitation of heating in homes and offices is foreseen, setting a maximum temperature together with the number of hours for switching on during the day. The limit values also apply to public lighting, both in the city and along the extra-urban network.
New Bonus Calculations
The reductions in supplies to Europe already initiated by Gazprom have already led to a significant increase in gas prices and consequently electricity bills. Gasoline is no exception considering the drop in imports due to sanctions against Russia. Grains for families and businesses against which the government is preparing a new aid package, beginning with a decree to renew the rebates on their third-quarter bills. A further reduction in excise duties on fuel is also envisaged, with the aim Increase the current discount by 30 cents per liter.
