To offer up to 2 billion cubic meters of nationally produced gas to gas-consuming companies at controlled prices, the government is ready to guarantee, as early as January and until 2024, a first slice of additional supplies (75% of potential volumes) . And he intends to open a crack, albeit minimal, to extractions in the Upper Adriatic, banned for 30 years, allowing operators to move in a very small portion – which corresponds to the southernmost end (between the 45th parallel and the parallel passing through the mouth of the Goro branch of the river Po) -, beyond 9 miles from the coast and for fields with a potential above 500 million cubic meters, while the area in front of Venice continues to be prohibited.
All this on condition that the concession holders submit precise analyzes and monitoring that exclude the risk of subsidence (the sinking of the soil). And cultivation will also be reactivated in the waters of the gulfs of Naples, Salerno and the Egadi islands, for the useful life of the field and only on condition that the absence of risks for the territory is demonstrated.
The exceptions to the Pitesai
This is the most important novelty contained in the articulated scheme on the release of drills, whose general structure had already been prepared by the former minister Roberto Cingolani and which yesterday was approved by the CDM, following the refinement work carried out by the new owner of the Environment and energy security, Gilberto Pichetto. “According to our estimates, the 2 billion cubic meters should cover a large part of the needs of gas-intensive companies”, explained, in the press conference following the CDM, the Prime Minister, Giorgia Meloni, not before observing “that the price of gas is falling ”, but“ it won’t last long if there are no serious and concrete signals from the EU ”. While Minister Pichetto remarked “that potentially 15 billion cubic meters are estimated to be exploitable over 10 years by dealers”.
Returning to the norm (“gas release”), which will become an amendment to the Aid ter decree and which is required to implement article 16 of the Bill Bill (17 of 2022), there are two other important innovations, even partially derogation from Pitesai, the regulatory plan that governs the extraction of hydrocarbons in Italy: the release, throughout the peninsula, of the release of new concessions in areas between 9 and 12 miles (also here only for fields with potential above 500 million cubic meters). With the result that it will be possible to expand existing activities on existing permits (starting with Eni’s Argo and Cassiopea fields). In addition, the reopening of activities (including research ones) is envisaged in all those protected areas that do not yet exist but are to be established according to the line dictated by Pitesai.
Priority to large gas eaters
The controlled gas will go to large consumers of methane (according to the EU classification) who will have consumed at least 1 gigawatt hour per year in 2021 and who will also be able to act in aggregate form. The award procedures and criteria will be defined with a decree signed by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security (the former Mite), in agreement with Mef and Enterprises (formerly Mise). And the rights will be assigned pro rata by the GSE through auctions and with the stipulation of financial contracts for difference. Subjected to “coupon” on January 31 of each year on the basis of the actual production of the previous year.