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
| 06 Nov 26 |
Italy: Qair starts construction of the 24.2 MWp Castellammare solar project in Italy Renewable energy company Qair announces the construction start of the Castellammare solar project, a 24.2 MWp photovoltaic plant located in Sicily, Italy. This initiative marks a new milestone in Qair’s development in one of its key European markets. |
| 03 Nov 26 |
Italy: Independent Valuation of Zenith Energy's Italian solar development pipeline rises to EUR 85.6 million Zenith Energy has received an updated independent valuation of EUR 85.6 million for its Italian solar development pipeline. The valuation reflects a diversified Development Pipeline spanning the permitting phase through to Ready-to-Build and construction readiness. |
| 02 Nov 26 |
Italy: RWE commissions 47.2 megawatt wind farm in Italy Less than one year after construction start, RWE has commissioned its Serra Palino onshore wind farm in the Apulia region of southern Italy. With a total installed capacity of 47.2 megawatts (MW), the wind farm comprises eight wind turbines of 5.9 MW each and is capable of generating enough green electricity to supply approximately 40,000 Italian households. |
| 30 Oct 26 |
Italy: Zenith Energy announces new 5 MWp PV Development Project in Puglia Zenith Energy, the international energy production and development company, has announced the addition of a new ground-mounted photovoltaic development project with an anticipated installed capacity of approximately 5 MWp, located in the Province of Foggia, in the Puglia region of Italy. |
| 29 Oct 26 |
Eni Award 2026: outstanding achievements in energy and environmental research honoured today in the presence of the President of the Italian Republic Now in its eighteenth edition, the Eni Award is internationally recognised in the research community for its focus on energy and environment, two areas in which greater collaboration across the scientific community is becoming increasingly important. The award reflects the value Eni places on research and technological innovation, as well as the company's commitment to promoting sustainability and access to energy, in line with the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). |
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
