The National Energy Strategy is underway with the main objectives being the reduction of energy costs and the protection of the environment. In fact, today, having completed the consultation phase on the document, the ministers for economic development, Corrado Passera, and for the environment, Corrado Clini, presented the Plan after having approved it by inter-ministerial decree.
More generally, the document aims at four objectives: reduction of energy costs, full achievement and overcoming of all European environmental objectives, greater security of supply and industrial development of the energy sector.
By 2020, the Plan calls for a significant reduction in energy costs and the progressive alignment of wholesale prices to European levels, with possible savings of around 9 billion euros a year on the national electricity and gas bill. In addition, it is expected that all European environmental objectives will be exceeded, with a 21% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions, a 24% reduction in primary consumption and the achievement of the 19-20% incidence of renewable energy on consumption gross finals.
A lower dependence on supplies, with a reduction in the foreign energy bill of about 14 billion a year and a drop from 84% to 67% of dependence on foreign countries. This is equivalent to about 1% of additional GDP.
A boost to economic growth. thanks to approximately 170-180 billion euros of investments between now and 2020, both in the green and white economy and in traditional sectors. These investments will be totally private and only partially supported by incentives.
”It was a commitment we had made – commented Passera -. Italy had been waiting for these guidelines for decades. The objectives are very clear and concrete. Energy was one of the items on the growth agenda. We are completing all the commitments we had made".
“Let's leave an integrated work model to the new Parliament and the next Government – added Clini -. In this way, environmental policies, which have represented the starting point of European policies, are a driving force for growth, not a negative constraint”.
