«Gas imports from Russia have increased both in absolute value and as a percentage of consumption, from about 20 billion cm (25 per cent of consumption) in 2011 to 29 billion cubic meters in 2021 (38 per cent of consumption). This is our current dependence on Russia ». This was underlined by the Minister of Ecological Transition, Roberto Cingolani, during the briefing in the Senate on the recent further increases in the cost of energy and on the Government’s measures to counteract their effects. However, the minister explained that “our gas supply and transport system is quite resilient, fueled mainly with gas produced abroad and imported or transported by sea as liquefied natural gas (LNG) and unloaded at regasification terminals” thanks to the infrastructures based on five gas pipelines and three regasifiers.
The minister clarified that “in the last two decades, the national production of natural gas has decreased, partly due to the natural decline of the fields and the fact that no new investments have been made in research and production”. With the result that «in 2001 there were 15 billion cubic meters against 3 today. We have gone from 20 per cent of national production to the current situation for which we depend on 95 per cent of natural gas ».
Yet, in such a critical phase, with the war in Ukraine, “at this moment the flow of gas from Russia is the highest ever recorded: Europe is continuing to buy gas from Russia, which leads to payments of approximately one billion euros per day. At a time like this it has implications beyond the energy sector. It is an important reflection at this moment ». Especially in view of the coming seasons. For this reason, Cingolani explained that «in the long term, starting next winter, it would be necessary to completely replace 30 bcm of Russian gas with other sources. Although this is possible in a minimum of 3 years, through structural measures, for at least the next two winters it would be complex to ensure all supplies to the Italian system ».
The problem, however, is above all of costs, rather than quantity, especially as regards the effects on gasoline: “If I need 15 billion euros to store 10 billion cubic meters of gas today, a year ago these days, when the gas was a little less than 30 cents per cubic meter, they would have required me an advance of 3 billion. All things being equal, it is not justified that the storage of 3 billion in advance reaches 15 billion, this was my somewhat harsh statement, perhaps I have not expressed myself in legally correct terms, but it is not possible that it will cost me five times more if the matter is the same ». And explaining the point further, Cingolani reiterated: «If the material is the same, it cannot cost me five times more because we are bringing the operators to their knees. Of course, there is no one in Italy who is doing a wrong thing, the problem is with these hubs that do not work on the material produced but by exchanging certificates. It’s just a big speculation on the part of certain hubs ». For Cingolani, this “is a very serious problem that is not only bringing Italy to its knees but all European countries”, because “for the same gas today I pay half a euro per cubic meter while a year ago 30 cents, and this is bringing everyone to their knees. ” In this scenario, the minister announced that the Government “could also intervene with measures to restrict demand and accelerate energy efficiency”: in particular, “flexibility measures on gas consumption are conceivable (for example the interruption in the industrial sector, which however can act for short weekly periods in the event of peaks in demand) and on gas consumption in the thermoelectric sector (where there are also measures to reduce the load in a controlled manner) and measures to contain consumption in the other sectors “. Furthermore, continued Cingolani, “there could be an increase in imports of electricity from Northern Europe, to reduce the gas consumption of the Italian thermoelectric park”.
On the Tap, then, «there is the possibility of a doubling of its capacity. In particular, it is possible to increase imports via Tap for approximately 10 billion cubic meters / year. To do this, it takes about 45 months to increase the first 2 billion cubic meters (through interventions in Albania) and about 65 months to increase an additional 8 billion cubic meters (further interventions in Albania and Greece and some interventions on the Italian network). Obviously a prerequisite is a long-term gas supply agreement with the Azerbaijani government ”. Thus the Minister of the ecological transition Roberto Cingolani, in the information to the Senate on the recent further increases in the cost of energy and on the Government’s measures to counteract their effects.