Most exposed: Italy braces for difficult winter in bid to shed Russian gas reliance

[1]

Italy’s government is confident that by the start of this coming winter, the country will be “almost independent” of Russian gas supply, with total independence achieved by 2023. In late July, Roberto Cingolani, Italy’s Minister of Ecological Transition, told the EU’s Energy Council in Brussels that the country had, in the months since Russia invaded Ukraine, sourced “25 Bcm from various suppliers, which have replaced about 30 Bcm from Russia,” with half of these new volumes coming in the form of LNG. But while Italy has been anxious to replace its Russian volumes ahead of winter, conscious efforts are being made to not lose sight of the country’s energy transition drive.