On the one hand the revolution of renewables ever expanding; on the other, increasingly accelerated programs for the development ofelectric car; and now also the attacks on pipelines and the rise of lawlessness in the form of smuggling and tax evasion. Oil and tankers Am I under attack? “We are aware that the demand for petroleum products is destined to contract but we are equally convinced that even if with a lower incidence, these will remain essential in mobility at least for the next 20-30 years. Our concern is that this evolution is not clear enough to public opinion”. These are the words that the president of the Unione Petrolifera, Claudius Spinaci, he pronounced a few days ago when presenting the annual meeting of the association which will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 22 June in Rome. And here he will repeat them because it is on these issues that the Up intends to beat this year and for this very reason it has decided to replace the usual assembly ritual with some workshops on the hot topics that agitate the sector. “We are an essential part of the country's industrial system, with companies among the best in the world for reliability, safety and respect for the environment. But if we ask to avoid unnecessarily punitive measures against us, such as the elimination of the Robin Tax, we cry out for the gift to the oil companies!”.
Encirclement Syndrome? The UP's fear is that at this rate the oil industry will become less and less sustainable. The numbers indicate that the sector total turnover 100 billion – are given Up – and contributes 40 billion to state revenue between excise duties and VAT. There are 20.000 employees and another 130.000 in related industries. Over 100 million liters of fuel are distributed throughout the country every day to make cars, buses, trucks, trucks travel with 21 thousand points of sale (even too many, according to the oilmen themselves), 600 depots and approximately 3.000 km of pipelines.
But here comes the sore point. The economic crisis brought the cskyrocketing smuggling (+231% in 4 years), le fraud discovered by the Guardia di Finanza went from 50-70 thousand tons in 2010 to 100 thousand tons in 2013 which then came to touch 190 thousand tons in 2014. An exponential growth generated (but not only) by theescalation of thefts from pipelines: until a few years ago there were about ten a year, in 2015 there were 157 attacks. The most looted products are diesel and kerosene which is then diluted and passed off as diesel with devastating effects on engines. Growing thefts also to fuel distributors: 165 in 2015 against 54 in the previous year. clandestine refineries (71 cases surveyed by the GdF from 1 January 2015 to 20 April last) but the clandestine distributors (one was found in Palermo). From Albania and Slovenia we report the arrival of trucks or tank trains full of low quality products which are in turn remixed and put on sale.
In short, illegality has grown and has been spreading like a leopard throughout the country. “We are forced to face growing phenomena of illegality – Claudio Spinaci says again – which, in addition to generating significant environmental costs, introduce very serious anti-competitive factors with wild dumping on the final price of the products”.
The Petroleum Union is convinced, on the basis of many international estimates, that fossil fuels, which today cover 90-95% of energy demand in transport, may be reduced in 2050 but will remain at 70-75% of the total and will continue to represent the primary source of supply for the mobility of people and goods in Europe.
Too optimistic estimates? Automakers are accelerating, and a lot. Volkswagen, also to revive its image after Dieselgate, has announced that it plans to produce 2-3 million electric cars a year in 2025, in less than ten years, with the promise of launching 30 electric models by that date. Tesla in the US is pushing hard with its Model 3, Enel has recently signed a commercial agreement with Mercedes and Nissan. Renewables are growing strongly, the German government has returned to granting substantial incentives for electric mobility, the Netherlands is holding on to the project to ban petrol cars but it is not known for how long. The signs of an acceleration of green mobility are all there. We just have to wait to see which estimates will prove to be the most realistic.
