- Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a shortage of gas supply in Europe
- Italy’s consumption of Russian gas is now down to 10% since Rome turned to Liquified Natural Gas.
Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has led to a gas supply shortage in Europe. As a result, Italy will place some restrictions on central heating this winter. Before the invasion, Italy’s import of Russian gas made up 40% of its total consumption, making Italy the second largest importer of Russian gas in the European Union. However, Italy’s consumption of Russian gas is now down to 10% since Rome turned to Liquified Natural Gas.
Following a new government decree, Italians will turn the heating down by 1 degree and off for an extra hour daily. As a result, buildings will face an extra fifteen days without central heating. This decree will, however, exempt nurseries and hospitals.
This decision across Europe’s governments is to help reduce demand and save energy for winter. Also, there are restrictions on central heating in warm months, with regulations placed regionally. In addition, many states have introduced National price caps on consumers’ energy units. Other measures to handle the crises include a levy on excess profit on non-gas electricity producers and a windfall tax on surplus profits by fossil fuel companies.