Roofed by the price of gas, Cingolani admits the flop: “Methane is there, the problem is the cost”

The problem is no longer quantity, but price. To get results on that front, however, will take time. And the possibility of obtaining a ceiling on the price of gas in Europe has already disappeared. We will work on something similar, but achieving the goal is far from obvious. While the country is already facing the worst effects of expensive gas, energy transition minister Roberto Cingolani is once again forced to play the role of a simple “messenger”.

It reveals the state of the art of the crisis, but is still not able to indicate a light at the end of the tunnel. “It is necessary to distinguish between economic-inflationary fears due to costs and fears about the quantities of gas – he explains half an hour more -. In Italy, when we export, we have a positive situation, thanks to diversification. Today there are more than 40 million cubic meters of gas for storage and between 18 and 20 million are exported. The situation in terms of quantity is not complex, that of costs is ».

In short, the gas is there. The warehouses have reached 90% of their capacity and the winter, barring unforeseen circumstances, is covered. To the point that Italy is even exporting methane (“at what price?”, asks the exponent of the Osvaldo Napoli Action. About the maximum price, we clarify some ambiguities with Germany, which is more concerned with the lack of gas than with the price For the other 26 states this is not the case, and we found a mechanism that seems reasonable: today we are paying impossible bills because gas prices are set by the Dutch stock exchange which is not linked to gas supply and demand. and more stable than Amsterdam, and the hypothesis is to index the price of gas by hooking it “in the next 2-3 days we will send to Brussels dozens of lines agreed with other countries and await the decision of the Commission”, he added. admitting the difficulties, in short, considering that in the previous months the Commission never went in the directions desired by Italy, even when these were supported by at least ten other member countries. In short, the negotiation will be a long one.

“We have been talking about price caps and decoupling for a year. The decoupling was approved. On gas we go ahead. It doesn’t surprise me that it takes a year, it’s a very long journey,” says Cingolani. Dodging, however, a detail: the stocks have already been filled at a very expensive price. Even if a gas price cap is achieved tomorrow, the next few months for consumers will be just as difficult. Alleviating them will be up to the next executive. “I have already warned those who come after the Draghi government of any international development in which I am participating, and there is little ideology about it, management is obligated”, explains the minister, confirming contacts with Giorgia Meloni.

For the rest, the news of the day is the summons by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian ambassador Sergey Razov. For Cingolani, the initiative is not only about the conflict in Ukraine, but also “to clarify the situation of the sabotage of the North Stream”. Inevitable, there is also talk of the interruption of the gas supply that was supposed to arrive from Austria to Italy but stopped in Vienna. All due to “contractual disagreements” between Moscow and the Austrian government. Meanwhile, for 48 hours, for the first time since the beginning of the conflict, no more Russian gas enters Italy. At the moment, Cingolani points out, this is not a cause for concern. But the long term remains elusive.