The Italian government is prepared to restart the nation’s coal-fired power plants as a contingency measure. They will be put into action if natural gas prices surge to €70 per megawatt hour, Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin announced on Monday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the “Holy Grail of Energy” summit in Milan, Pichetto Fratin clarified that while coal remains a “residual solution,” the state must maintain readiness for an emergency energy scenario.
The €70 Threshold
The Minister noted that the current market price for gas sits at approximately €40 per megawatt hour. Triggering the coal fallback would require a significant price hike, nearly doubling the current rates.
“We are talking about an emergency scenario, not business as usual,” Pichetto Fratin told reporters. “It is a high figure, but we must be ready if necessary.”
Italy currently maintains four primary coal-fired plants in varying states of activity:
- Active: Two plants located in Sardinia remain in service.
- Standby: Two major plants in Civitavecchia and Brindisi have been powered down but remain fully intact.
Should the €70 threshold be breached, the government indicated that the Civitavecchia and Brindisi facilities could be brought back online following a series of standardised technical and administrative procedures.
The announcement follows a significant pivot in Italy’s long-term energy strategy. Last month, the government officially postponed the permanent decommissioning of its coal-powered fleet by 13 years, moving the target date from 2025 to 2038.
In March, Meloni went to Algeria and among the items on the agenda was the gas supply.
