Italy is one of the largest energy consumers across Europe, accounting for 5.86 exajoules of primary energy in 2020. The primary energy consumption in Italy is dominated by oil and natural gas contributing 77.99% in the same year.
More than one-third of the electricity produced in Italy is derived from green sources such as, hydroelectric power, followed by bioenergy, wind power, solar photovoltaic, and geothermal. In addition, the country’s Integrated National Plan for Energy and Climate (PNIEC) highlights the national strategy from 2021 to 2030, concerning decarbonization, self-consumption vs. distributed generation, energy efficiency, , and energy security. Furthermore, te plan also aims to bring renewables’ share of final gross energy consumption to 30% by the year 2030, establishing ambitious objectives in terms of generating power from renewable sources.
Since LNG is highly flammable and major exporting takes place by the sea, many regulations are to be followed by the industry players. Key regulatory authorities that govern the LNG industry in the country are the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks, and Environment (ARERA) and the Ministry of Economic Development (MiSE - Italy).
Key LNG companies in the country are Eni S.p.A., Snam S.p.A, Exxon Mobil, Edison S.p.A., Enel S.p.A, etc.