Italy: electricity, coal and climate change

Italy: electricity, coal and climate change
Introduction
Italy is a net energy importer, presently consuming about six times more energy than it
produces. Having scarce domestic energy resources, Italy relies on imports for almost
all of its crude oil, natural gas and coal. Oil provided 47 per cent of Italy’s primary
energy consumption in 2004. Natural gas was the second largest contributor to energy
supply meeting 35 per cent of the country’s primary energy consumption, followed by
minor contributions from coal (8 per cent), hydroelectricity (5 per cent), and other
renewables (2 per cent).
Coal and the electricity sector
Italy was one of the first European countries to completely end domestic coal
production. Its last facility closed in 2001. However, efforts are underway to reopen at
least one coal mine in the south of Sardinia, near the city of Carbonia. Coal reserves at
this location are of very low quality, meaning that combustion would yield a high ratio of
pollution compared to useful energy. Italy currently imports coal from a variety of
countries including South Africa, Colombia and the United States.
Electricity Generation by Fuel, 2005
Source: IEA Energy Statistics
Italy is ranked as the twelfth largest electricity consumer in the world, and fourth in the
EU, accounting for about 2 per cent of global annual electricity consumption. Over the
past decade, Italy’s demand for electricity has outstripped supply, resulting in an
increased shared of electricity imports as a percentage of total consumption. Electricity
demand is now nearly 30 per cent higher than it was a decade ago. The country
presently imports more than 17 per cent of the electricity it consumes, relying primarily
on imports from France and Switzerland.
Presently, coal supplies 14-15 per cent of the power produced in Italy. ENEL, the
former state utility now partially privatised, is planning to convert several old large oilfired power stations to coal, in order to have a “better” energy mix. The first of these,
already under construction, is a 2000 MW power station in Civitavecchia, near Rome,
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which is expected to come on line by 2011. A second 2000 MW station is planned in
Porto Tolle, in the River Po delta: online in 2016. These two plants will emit an
additional 20 million tonnes of carbon dioxide (Mt CO2) per year. By comparison, coalfired power stations throughout the whole of Italy emitted 41 Mt CO2 in 2005.
Total emissions from coal fired power stations in Italy, 2005 (Mt CO2)
CO2 Emissions
Power Station
Utility Company
(Mt CO2)
Brindisi Sud
Fusina
Fiumesanto
Vado Ligure
La Spezia
Monfalcone
Genova
Sulcis
Marghera
Brindisi Nord
Bastardo
ENEL
ENEL
Endesa
Tirreno Power
ENEL
ENdesa
ENEL
ENEL
ENEL
ENEL
Edipower
TOTAL
15.3
5.6
4.1
3.7
3.2
2.7
2
1.5
1
1
0.9
41.0
Energy Efficiency
Investing in coal-fired power stations undermines Italy meeting its targets for reducing
greenhouse gas emissions to help protect the climate. Instead of continuing to invest in
dirty energy, the country should invest in its domestic renewable energy potential
improve energy efficiency.
La rivoluzione dell’efficienza, a report prepared for Greenpeace by eERG, a group
focused on end-use energy efficiency, together with Politecnico di Milano, shows that
promoting and disseminating efficient technologies from now until 2020 would allow
approximate savings of 100 terawatt per year (TWh/year) in electrical energy
consumption. This confirms estimates from EU documents (for example its Energy
Efficiency Action plan) which identify a cost-effective energy-saving potential for Italy of
roughly 20 per cent of energy use. Deploying only those measures which are already
cost-effective could deliver a cumulative economic benefit (net of investments) of €65
billion (in real terms 2007), and energy savings growing year-by-year up to 83
TWh/year. The related reduction in CO2 emissions, amounting to around 50 million
tonnes per year in 2020, could be achieved at zero cost and would represent a net
economic benefit for society.
To highlight one example, banning conventional energy-wasting incandescent light
bulbs in Italy, and replacing them with much more efficient compact fluorescents, could
avoid CO2 emissions of up 3 million tonnes per year and realise energy savings for
consumers valued at up to €1 billion each year.
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