Italy could shut down its coal-fired power utilities in 2024, a year earlier than planned, if gas prices remain at current low levels, Environment Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said on June 5.
Italy, which had to seek an alternative for the gas it used to import Russia following the Russia-Ukraine conflict, raised coal-fired power generation to 7.5% in 2022, from 4.6% in 2021.
"The intention is to abandon coal by 2025 or even earlier. I hope to succeed by 2024, if gas prices hold at the current (low) levels," Pichetto Fratin said at an event organised by La Repubblica newspaper.
The government targets an exit from coal by 2025 under its current plan for energy and climate (PNIEC), which is under review.
Natural gas is regard as the lest polluting fossil fuel, and will be Italy's transition energy source until 2050, said the minister. The country will gradually escalate its power generation capacity from renewables.
The environment ministry's updated energy and climate strategy, which is scheduled to go public by late June, aims to increase power generation from renewables to two-thirds of the total by 2023 from the current one-third, the minister said.
The minister also noted the government is considering whether to re-utilize nuclear energy. "Analysts are saying that renewables sources will not be enough without nuclear energy," Pichetto Fratin said, adding that the current administration had only allowed research and tests for this energy source.
(Writing by Rebecca Liu Editing by Harry Huo)
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