It was presented today at European Parliament the seventh "MED & Italian Energy Report”, research work entitled this year “Energy security in the Mediterranean transition: electrification, critical raw materials and technologies”, the result of the scientific synergy between SRM (Study Centre linked to the Intesa Sanpaolo Group) and the ESL@energycenter Lab of Polytechnic of Turin, and created in collaboration with the Foundation Matching Energies.
The EU relies on energy imports for 57%. Italy relies on 74% of its energy, but with 49% of its electricity mix, it is above the European average.
The report shows that theEuropean Union remains strongly dependent on energy imports with a percentage of 56,9% of total consumption. China is at 24% while the Usa they are self-sufficient and the balance is played out on these balances global competition.
Particularly Italy he has one energy dependence higher than the European average but slightly improving: it drops by one point from 75% to 74%. France thanks to nuclear power it has a lower dependence than the European average (40,1%) while the Germany has a positioning, like theItaly, above average and growing to 66.8%.
In any case the Europe's electricity mix is changing. From 2000 to today, the use of coal has dropped from 32% to 11%; while the share of natural gas has increased from 12% to 15%. The use of coal is growing strongly. renewable energy, which increased from 15% to 47%, helping to reduce Europe's dependence on renewables. All European countries have improved the share of renewables in electricity generation: Italy with 49% of the electric mix is above the European average.
Euro-Mediterranean dialogue on renewables is essential
The report underlines the importance of a dialogue Euro-Mediterranean on renewables, indispensable for accelerate the reduction of European energy dependence. Renewable energy production in the North Africa and its import into Europe They act as a “green bridge” to achieve sustainability objectives, strengthening the energy competitiveness of the entire Area.
Although the southern shore of the Mediterranean the highest intensities are present solar and wind, it hosts only 1,2% of the electricity generation capacity from photovoltaic and wind sources (9 GW out of 770 GW); there is therefore ample margin for growth and investment.
Oil remains an important component
Il Petroleum However, it remains an important, albeit declining, component of the European electricity mix with 23% of the total. The role of Venezuela which holds 17,5% of the world's proven oil reserves (ahead of Saudi Arabia, which has 17,2%) but is not among the world's top 10 producers by total production as of 2024; and therefore, its possible return to the global oil market could have significant repercussions.
The Iran It owns 9,1% of the world's proven oil reserves and controls 5,2% of the production market share. It also has 17,1% of the world's gas reserves (right after the Russia with 19,9%) but falls to third place in terms of production level with 6,4% of the world total gas extraction.
Here are the energy bottlenecks in the world
The report then identifies the so-called global energy chokepoints, the bottlenecks that stifle trade: it turns out that Hormuz, Malacca and Suez They are the global energy chokepoints through which 50% of the world's maritime oil and gas traffic passes.
Il Suez passage, in particular, represents a strategic route; transit traffic is recovering, and today 7,6% of global refined petroleum product flows and 2,2% of LNG transit through the Canal, up from 5,3% and 1,2% of maritime flows, respectively, in 2024. Much of this traffic is directed towards Europe, for which the Canal is even more important.
It also grows Strait of Gibraltar especially in LNG transit which went from 6,4% to 10% of the total. Re-routing from Cape of Good Hope and the increase in imports from the US.
Soaring demand for critical raw materials
The diffusion of renewable energy and green technologies has led to an unprecedented growth in the demand for critical raw materials. Minerals such as lithium, nickel, cobalt, graphite, copper and rare earths are essential for electric vehicles, batteries, networks and green technologiesThe Report provides a detailed analysis of the production, refining, and trade of key strategic raw materials.
It emerges that the China It is the main demand hub for most critical raw materials including bauxite, nickel, manganese, copper and cobalt. Beijing also has the increased refining capacity for various materials, including cobalt, graphite and rare earths.
The Report also examines the market of uranium mining and processing, whose natural reserves are extremely concentrated (84% of the total is distributed among eight countries). Ninety-two percent of global uranium production is controlled by just seven countries through their respective mining companies; Russia alone holds 40% of the industrial capacity in the nuclear sector.
Of the six fission reactor technologies currently in operation, pressurized water reactors (PWRs) account for 78% of global installed capacity (294 GW out of 376 GW). In the Mediterranean Basin, 65 reactors are active (71 GW overall), 57 of which are in France (63 GW), seven in Spain (7 GW), and one in Slovenia (1 GW). A 4.8 GW plant is currently under construction in Turkey and Egypt, and is expected to enter into operation by 2030.
As with energy, strategic raw materials are also transported mainly by seaThe Report contains a detailed analysis of the maritime flows of main bulks (main raw materials transported by ship) from which important data emerge. Between 2000 and 2025, the tonnes of nickel (used in batteries, a key component of alloys used in the automotive industry) moved by sea increased from 5,7 million tonnes in 2000 to 58,5 million tonnes at the end of 2025 globally.
Bauxite (the main source of aluminum production) has grown from 30,6 million tons in 2000 to 236,4 million tons in 2025. Significant growth has also been seen for manganese (used in batteries and as a key element for special steels), which has grown from 7,1 million tons in 2000 to 45,2 million tons in 2025; and copper (used in electronic components, batteries, and vehicles), whose trade has grown from 10,2 million tons in 2000 to 40,4 million tons in 2025.
By geographical area, over 90% of seaborne bauxite comes from Guinea and Australia, destined almost entirely for China. The Philippines—with 84% of the total—dominates nickel exports, while South Africa accounts for 55% of manganese exports.
Copper flows are predominant on the Chile-China and Peru-China routes. For cobalt, the Democratic Republic of the Congo accounts for over 80% of global exports. Intermediate hubs such as Belgium and Finland play a key role in refining and re-export.
Italy: Total solid bulk traffic reached nearly 50 million tonnes in 2024, and 30 million in the first half of 2025.
Dry bulk (raw materials) traffic is also strategic for Italy; total Italian dry bulk traffic, which also includes metal components, reached nearly 50 million tonnes in 2024 and 30 million in the first half of 2025.
Italian shipping also plays a key role in oil and gas transport: total liquid bulk traffic reached nearly 170 million tons in 2024 and exceeded 80 million tons in the first half of 2025, accounting for 34% of the country's freight traffic. Italy also has Europe's second-largest tanker fleet and Europe's fourth-largest bulk carrier fleet, both of which represent a strategic strength for the country.
