Italy could ration energy in May if Russia stops supplies

By Alvise Armellini

ROME (AA) - Italy is ready to ration energy supplies in the likely scenario that it stops receiving Russian gas starting next month, the head of the country’s energy authority told a local daily on Thursday.

Russian supplies could end if the European Commission decrees that paying for gas in rubles, as demanded by Moscow, would breach the sanctions regime the EU adopted against Russia after its war on Ukraine.

“This is kind of what everybody is expecting, I think that in fact it could happen in May,” Stefano Besseghini told the Corriere della Sera newspaper.

Italy is already looking to replace Russian gas supplies with deals with several African countries – including Algeria, Egypt and Angola – but they are not expected to have an immediate effect.

“In that case we will almost certainly enter into an emergency scenario,” triggering a “protocol” foreseeing some disconnections and an order of priority between users, Besseghini said. “The details are confidential, we will see,” he added.

Meanwhile, several Italian newspapers have reported about plans for an energy-saving “operation thermostat”, whereby this summer air conditioning in public buildings would not go below 25 degrees Celsius, except for hospitals and clinics.

Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani struck a more optimistic tone in another interview with La Stampa newspaper, suggesting that Italy could wean itself off Russian gas within 18 months.

“By the second half of next year we could really start to have a near complete independence” from Moscow, he said.

Last year, Italy imported 95% of its gas needs, and Russia was its largest supplier, with 38% of the total, or 29 billion cubic meters. Cingolani said deals could be struck to secure “two-thirds” of what is needed to replace Russian gas “already in the coming weeks.”