Italy may be forced to ration gas supplies due to the country’s reliance on supplies from Russia, which could lead to businesses and households not being allowed to use air conditioning this summer.
The ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine has had a big impact on Italy, which uses gas for half of its energy needs and imports half of that gas from Russia. Now, some fear that the country may be forced to ration the supply of gas as prices continue to surge.
Sergio Andreis, the director of the Kyoto Club, an Italian association that pushes for renewable energy and looks to combat greenhouse gas emissions, told Swedish broadcaster SVT that the Mayor of Rome, Roberto Gualtieri, had already hinted at rationing gas.
Over the course of the summer, according to the broadcaster, it could mean that offices and homes may be unable to use air conditioning.
Temperatures in Italy can reach as high as 90°F in the south of the country on average, with the island of Sicily reaching a record 119.8°F in August of last year.
Prime Minister Mario Draghi, who is a supporter of sanctions against Russia, told the Italian parliament that Italy may reopen coal-fired powerplants in an attempt to lessen the strains caused by a gas shortage.
Others, like Marco Antonelli of the 3Emme factory in Fabriano, are also concerned about how the lack of gas will affect their businesses.
“If there are no gas supplies, we will have to close. We are very worried, prices have also increased so much,” Antonelli said.
Last week, Ecological Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani stated that it could take as long as three years for Italy to be able to decouple itself from Russian gas supplies and replace it with other energy sources.
In an effort to reduce the burden of higher prices on fuel, the Italian government enacted a decree to reduce the cost of petrol by 25 cents until the end of April by implementing a new tax on energy companies.