Mediterranean Action Plan

ITALY - National Study Report
As for the Kyoto flexibility mechanisms, Italy so far has contributed to the Italian Carbon Fund
with 108 million USD, to the Community Development Carbon Fund with 7 millions USD and
to the BioCarbonFund with 2.5 million USD
Several Capacity Building activities have also been financed, in particular in the
Mediterranean Region, Eastern European Countries and China.
The Italian government has also been active in promoting education and training
programmes regarding energy efficiency and rational use of energy, both nationally and
internationally, as well as research programmes on climate change and energy sustainability.
As for the Mediterranean Region, Italy is further committed in increasing neighbourhood
cooperation to improve regional energy infrastructures, such as the electrical
interconnections North-South, that are crucial means to improve security in the electrical
system.
As for the awareness-raising in the field of sustainable energy, several activities and
programmes, such as the “National System on Environmental Information, Training and
Education (INFEA)” have been implemented at national and local level.
Among the most recent initiatives in this field, the Italian Ministry for the Environment Land
and Sea is associated to the European Commission for the implementation of the
Sustainable Energy Europe (SEE) Campaign in Italy. The aim is to raise public awareness
and promote sustainable energy production and use among individuals and organisations,
private companies and public authorities, professional and energy agencies, industry
associations and NGOs across Europe.
2. Rational energy use and renewable energies: policies, tools, progress,
resulting effects, case studies
2.1 RUE and RE policies
Socio-economic development is associated directly or indirectly with the energy use, but the
energy availability, considering the non-renewable sources, is limited. Furthermore, energy
related activities have a great impact on the environment. Such a situation requires more
responsibility in the treatment of energy questions, through the implementation of appropriate
policies.
In Italy, the political institutions began to legislate on renewable energy sources after the
energy crises of 1973 and 1978 with the efficiency and renewable energy sources Law
308/82. Since the Kyoto Protocol was ratified, in June 2002, the government has been
adopting various policies and measures, such as energy efficiency obligations for electricity
and gas distributors and a portfolio obligation of renewable energy in the electricity sector.
2.1.1 Rational energy use (RUE) policies
In order to comply with the commitment taken at the EU level and in order to stimulate the
use of energetically efficient technologies, Italy presented on 24 April 2001 two ministerial
decrees (then replaced on 20 July 2004 - see par. 2.2.1 Tools and measures in favour of
rational energy use), that introduced the obligation to electricity and gas distributors, with
more than 100.000 clients, to achieve annual fixed objectives of energy savings for the fiveyear
period 2005/09 through technological interventions to reduce end use energy
consumption.
Such objectives may be fulfilled either directly by distributors or by means of controlled
societies; alternatively, distributors can buy “Energy Efficiency Certificates” emitted by the
Italian Manager of the Electric Market (GME) to the Energy Service Companies (ESCO). The
aim of the two decrees is to achieve by the end of the five-year period a total energy saving
of 2.9 million tep, representing the annual increase in energy consumption registered in the
period 1999-2001.
The different typologies of intervention for the industrial and civil sectors are annexed to the
decrees. The listed interventions relating to renewable energies are the following:
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