Natural gas industry in Italy - statistics & facts

Natural gas plays a large role in Italy’s energy sector. Though domestic production is low compared to the world's largest-producing countries, natural gas is the main contributor to the energy mix and electricity mix of the country. Unlike other countries in Europe, Italy has no operational nuclear power plants following an exit in 1990 in the wake of the 1986 Chernobyl disaster. This has resulted in greater investments in natural gas, especially after high-efficiency gas plants were included in the European green taxonomy.

Domestic production output and leading suppliers

In 2022, natural gas production in Italy stood at 3.2 billion cubic meters, a decrease of more than 60 percent since 2007. Extraction is largely achieved through offshore rigs, while Basilicata is the greatest natural gas-producing region on land. The industry is dominated by Eni and Edison, the leading natural gas firms in Italy, each having sold around eight billion cubic meters of gas in 2022. Eni was founded in 1953 and is among only a handful of European oil and gas majors. It is involved in hydrocarbon production and owns multiple fuel stations across the country. Nevertheless, local production alone has been unable to meet Italy's substantial energy demand, making the country reliant on gas purchases from abroad.

Natural gas trading and impact of Russia-Ukraine war

The majority of the natural gas supplied to Italy in 2021 originated in Russia and was transported via pipelines through Ukraine. After the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, Russian gas shipments decreased considerably, and Algeria became the largest natural gas importing country to Italy. The European gas crunch caused an increase in natural gas prices for household consumers in Italy. In the past decade, average prices fluctuated between 4.4 euro cents and 6.45 euro cents per kilowatt-hour depending on the season, but they hiked up to almost 14 euro cents per kilowatt-hour in 2022. The Italian government relieved the domestic consumers of natural gas from system charges and caused a decrease in the gas bill for households in the regulated energy market until April 2023. Natural gas prices for non-household consumers were lower but also rocketed to 11 euro cents per kilowatt-hour in 2022.
This text provides general information. Statista assumes no liability for the information given being complete or correct. Due to varying update cycles, statistics can display more up-to-date data than referenced in the text.
Published by Statista Research Department, Jan 31, 2024

Key insights

Natural gas production in Italy 2022
3.2bn m3
Natural gas storage capacity in Italy 2022
12.5m m3
Main natural gas supplier to Italy
Algeria
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Editor’s Picks Current statistics on this topic

Natural gas production in Italy from 2007 to 2022 (in billion cubic meters)

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Natural gas production in Italy 2007-2022

Natural gas consumption in Italy from 2005 to 2022 (in billion cubic meters)

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Natural gas consumption in Italy 2005-2022

Market share of the leading natural gas selling companies in Italy in 2022

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Market share of the leading natural gas sellers in Italy 2022

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