No easy task: Italy turns to LNG as it pursues gas independence from Russia

[1]

The war in Ukraine has forced Europe’s gas markets to rethink their heavy dependence on imports from Russia. Among the countries now speeding up their process of diversifying away from Russian gas, while exploring alternative sources of energy supply, is Italy, the continent’s third biggest gas consumer. 

Rome’s energy diversification strategy will likely hinge on more renewables, increasing pipeline gas imports from Algeria, Libya and Azerbaijan, maximising existing LNG import contracts, as well as on boosting capacity utilisation of existing LNG terminals. However, with Asian competition for cargoes unlikely to diminish any time soon, sourcing more LNG will be no easy task – and a costly one to boot.