The issue of bills remains at the top of the priorities. Despite the drop in gas tariffs decided by the Energy Authority, the energy crisis is not over, 2023 will still be a difficult year: the government knows this and for this reason it has decided to set up the work for the next aid decree. and then for the maneuver in the name of “great prudence”.
Giorgetti: risk of a new surge in energy prices in winter
«Although energy prices have recently decreased – reads the introduction to the Update of the Economic and Financial Document – they remain at very high levels and there is the risk of a new surge during the winter months. Furthermore – adds Giorgetti – the supply of gas to Italy is mainly based on import flows subject to risks of various kinds in the current geopolitical context ». This is why, continues the head of the Mef, “the Government has decided to confirm the deficit target for 2022 of the Def equal to 5.6 per cent of GDP and to use a majority share of the resulting budget space, which can be quantified in little more of nine billion, to cover new measures to mitigate the cost of energy, such as the re-proposal of tax credits in favor of companies and the cut in excise duties on fuels until 31 December ». Not only. “The trend in energy prices and their impact on businesses and households – explained Giorgetti – will be monitored on an ongoing basis in the first months of 2023. At the latest when the next Def is prepared, it will be assessed whether there is a need for further interventions to control bills and aid to businesses and families, and the methods of financing these interventions will be defined ”.
The Arera warns: “Let’s not let our guard down”
As envisaged by the “Bis Aid” decree, for the entire fourth quarter Arera, the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment, eliminated general system charges for the gas sector as well, also confirming the application of the negative UG2 component to advantage of gas consumption up to 5,000 cubic meters / year. Interventions which, together with the confirmation of the 5% VAT reduction on gas, support the generality of gas users.
“Let’s not let our guard down”, is the message launched by President Stefano Besseghini. “The cost of gas for October recorded a drop compared to the previous quarter,” he stressed. This was possible thanks to the decision of the Arera to use the average of the effective prices of the Italian PSV market as a reference, instead of the TTF, and to carry out this operation on a monthly basis. At the same time, Besseghini added that “the percentages must not be misleading. The values remain very high compared to the past and, if it is true that they had a modest impact for families in the summer period, they will determine more demanding bills with the increase in consumption in the winter season, with prices that are expected to rise due to greater demand. of the cold months. The invitation therefore remains to pay attention to savings and energy efficiency ».
The knot of the end of the protected market
The focus is on the imminent end of the protected market: on January 1, 2023, the protection for gas supplies of households, which will switch to the free market, will end. The end of the greater protection for electricity (families and a piece of micro-enterprises that have not yet migrated), on the other hand, will start on January 10, 2024. The Arera has proposed to align gas with electricity.