Europe / Caspian / CIS
Country profile: Italy
| Location: | Southern Europe, a peninsula extending into the central Mediterranean Sea, northeast of Tunisia |
| Climate: | predominantly Mediterranean; Alpine in far north; hot, dry in south |
| Terrain: | mostly rugged and mountainous; some plains, coastal lowlands |
| Size: | 301230 sq. km total (Land area: 294020 sq. km Water area: 7210 sq.km) |
| Population: | 58,145,321 (July 2008 est.) |
| Languages: | Italian (official), German (parts of Trentino-Alto Adige region are predominantly German speaking), French (small French-speaking minority in Valle d'Aosta region), Slovene (Slovene-speaking minority in the Trieste-Gorizia area) |
| Government: | republic |
| Capital city: | Rome |
| Legal system: | based on civil law system; appeals treated as new trials; judicial review under certain conditions in Constitutional Court; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction |
| Currency: | euro (EUR) |
| Licensing: |
Country profile
With limited domestic energy sources, Italy is highly dependent on imports to meet its consumption needs. In absolute terms, oil consumption has remained relatively static since 1970, but oil's share of Italy’s primary energy mix has decreased significantly, steadily replaced by natural gas. A pressing issue affecting Italy has been the country's electricity supply. Over the past decade, Italy’s installed electricity generation has not been able to keep up with demand, resulting in an increased share of electricity imports as a percent of total consumption.
Oil is the largest source of Italy’s energy consumption, representing 47 percent of primary energy consumption in 2004. Natural gas is the second-largest with 35 percent of primary energy consumption, followed by minor contributions from coal (8 percent), hydroelectricity (5 percent), and other renewables (2 percent). Unlike many other OECD countries, Italy still relies upon oil for a sizable portion of electricity generation: preliminary International Energy Agency (IEA) data for 2005 shows that Italy relied upon oil for 16 percent of its electricity generation, versus 5 percent for the OECD as a whole.
Energy production and consumption
| Oil | Gas | |
| Production: | 164,800 bbl/day (2005 est.) | 11 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Consumption: | 1 million bbl/day (2005 est.) | 82 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Exports: | 521,400 bbl/day (2004 est.) | 379 million cu m (2005 est.) |
| Imports: | 2 million bbl/day (2004 est.) | 70 billion cu m (2005 est.) |
| Reserves: | 621 million bbl/day (2006 est.) | 217 billion cu m (1 January 2006 est.) |
| Major fields: |
Italy - recent news
| 17 Jun 26 |
Italy: Octopus Energy Generation and ZE Energy plug into one of Italy’s biggest battery projects Octopus Energy Generation, one of Europe’s largest specialist renewables investors, and ZE Energy, have struck a deal to back one of Italy’s biggest battery projects, giving a major jolt to the country’s clean energy ambitions. |
| 16 Jun 26 |
Italy: Eni and Hera: the Environmental Hub is established in Ravenna in the Ca’ Ponticelle area The Ravenna environmental hub, a center dedicated to the circular economy and industrial waste management, is now a reality. The project by Eni and Hera, and in particular their subsidiaries Eni Rewind and Herambiente, represents a model based on industrial regeneration and ecological transition. |
| 12 Jun 26 |
Italy: European Commission approves €23 billion Italian renewable energy support scheme Zenith Energy, the international energy production and development company, notes the European Commission's approval, announced on June 8, 2026, of a €23 billion Italian State aid scheme to support electricity production from renewable energy sources, a development the Company believes carries significant positive implications for its 188.5 MWp Italian solar development portfolio, held through its wholly-owned Italian solar subsidiary, WESOLAR. |
| 08 Jun 26 |
Italy: Zenith Energy announces acquisition of PV development project in Rome Zenith Energy, the international energy production and development company, has announced the acquisition of an additional 5 MWp ground-mounted photovoltaic development project located within the Metropolitan City of Rome in the Lazio region of Italy. |
| 21 May 26 |
Italy: RWE starts construction of 42-megawatt onshore wind farm in Italy RWE has started construction of the Serra Giannina onshore wind farm, which is located in the municipality of Potenza, in the Basilicata region. The project, which was awarded in last year’s FER-X auction, will have an installed capacity of 42 megawatts (MW). |
Italy - more news
Other countries in this region
- Afghanistan,
- Albania,
- Armenia,
- Austria,
- Azerbaijan,
- Belarus,
- Belgium,
- Bosnia and Herzegovina,
- Bulgaria,
- Croatia,
- Cyprus,
- Czech Republic,
- Denmark,
- Estonia,
- Faroe Islands,
- Finland,
- France,
- Georgia,
- Germany,
- Greece,
- Greenland,
- Hungary,
- Iceland,
- Ireland,
- Kazakhstan,
- Kyrgyzstan,
- Latvia,
- Lithuania,
- Luxembourg,
- Malta,
- Moldova,
- Montenegro,
- Netherlands,
- Norway,
- Poland,
- Portugal,
- Romania,
- Russia,
- Serbia,
- Slovakia,
- Slovenia,
- Spain,
- Sweden,
- Switzerland,
- Tajikistan,
- Tatarstan,
- Turkey,
- Turkmenistan,
- Ukraine,
- United Kingdom,
- Uzbekistan
