Gas crisis forces Italy to raid gas reserves
AFP
ROME
Petroleumworld.com 02 15 06
Italy will dip into national gas reserves Wednesday owing to cold
weather and a shortfall in deliveries of gas from Russia, Ansa
news agency said, quoting industry sources.
Italy, which is heavily dependent on foreign sources of energy
and imports about 35.0 percent of its natural gas from Russia,
has suffered repeated shortages in Russian gas deliveries during
the past month.
In a radio interview, energy regulator Alessandro Ortis said Tuesday
the government was studying further measures to compensate for
diminished Russian imports, adding that in any case priority would
be given to supplying households.
The drop in delivieries has coincided with unseasonable cold weather
across Italy which pushed up demand for gas and electrical heating.
The energy group Eni estimated daily shortfall at nine million
cubic meters (315 million cubic feet), just over 12 percent of
total orders of 74 million.
The difference represents 2.4 percent of daily consumption in
Italy, where demand shot up by 22.2 percent on Tuesday as a cold
wave swept the country.
Of a total 85.0 billion cubic meters of gas consumed in 2005,
Italy produced 12 billion and imported the rest.
According to Italian media, national strategic reserves of natural
gas amount to about 5.1 billion cubic meters.
In January, Italian authorities lowered the temperature in official
buildings by one degree Celsius and cut heating by an hour per
day, and encouraged the public to do likewise.
They have now planned additional measures, such as a temporary
suspension of electricity exports from gas-powered generators
or halts in gas deliveries to major national consumers, which
could occur without further notice.
AFP
02/14/06
Copyright
© 2006 AFP. All rights reserved
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