A Reuters report says that in Milan,
The country wants to keep an eye on fuel poverty as part of larger efforts to restructure the energy sector and keep consumer prices stable, according to a government order.
An Energy Transition ministry national observatory for fuel poverty would be established 90 days after the order went into force, according to the proposal, which was given to parliament for a non-binding opinion.
In order to place consumers at the center of energy markets, the decree, which still requires government approval, will be transposed into national law.
As retail electricity prices have risen, conflicts over the EU’s energy transition have grown, with some claiming that new green regulations would raise consumer costs.
As a result of skyrocketing gas costs, the city of Rome put aside almost 3 billion euros ($3.5 billion) in September.
Longer-term solutions are being developed to decrease what are known as systems expenses in bills, potentially by incorporating them into the general tax system.
Around 20% of Italian customer bills are made up of system charges like nuclear decommissioning expenses and renewable energy subsidies.
When Italy’s energy markets are fully liberalized in 2023, providers will be required to give electricity to customers who are judged vulnerable at a price that reflects wholesale market rates, among other things.
End customers will be informed by ARERA publishing monthly wholesale pricing reference data until at least the end of 2025, according to the energy regulator.
Customers in the non-liberalized retail sector (approximately a third of all customers) pay ARERA’s fixed electricity pricing.
Governments throughout Europe are under increasing pressure to reduce energy costs for households and small companies as economies recover from the epidemic.
According to reports, Brussels is looking at ways to reduce the impact of rising gas prices, including the possibility of countries pooling their resources to buy the fuel.
