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
05 Dec 24 |
Italy: RWE successful with two projects in Italian advanced Agri-PV auction RWE was successful in the Italian Resilience and Recovery Plan auction, awarding contract for difference tariff and up to 40% return on investment for advanced Agri-PV. The 9.8 megawatt (MWac) Morcone and 9,3 MWac Acquafredda advanced Agri-PV plants, located in the province of Benevento in the Campania region, were awarded. |
04 Dec 24 |
Italy: ABL completes scope on FSRU Toscana Project Energy and marine consultancy ABL has completed its scope of work as marine warranty surveyor (MWS) to support the successful transport and re-installation of the floating storage and regasification unit (FSRU) Toscana, off the coast of Livorno, Italy. |
03 Dec 24 |
Italy: Enilive and easyJet sign two agreements for supply of sustainable aviation fuel (SAF) in Italy Enilive, a company dedicated to mobility services and products, has announced a new agreement with easyJet, Europe's leading airline, to supply a number of flights from Milan Malpensa Airport with Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF). |
27 Nov 24 |
Italy: Neoen and Equinix sign their first PPA in Italy supporting decarbonization of the local grid Neoen and Equinix sign their first power purchase agreement (PPA) in Italy, securing 53 MW of solar energy for a duration of 10 years. PPA includes seven projects in Northern Italy, close to Equinix data centers in Milan and Genoa. |
31 Oct 24 |
Italy: Prospex Energy provides update on the Selva Malvezzi production concession in Italy Prospex Energy, the AIM quoted investment company focused on European gas and power projects, has provided an update on the Selva Malvezzi production concession in Italy. |
Italy - more news
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