by InTrieste
Italy’s major energy companies are extending a government-backed effort to limit rising energy costs from fuel stations to household electricity and gas bills.
ENI said Tuesday that its retail arm, Plenitude, would offer a two-year fixed-price electricity and gas plan at a 30 percent discount compared with its main fixed-rate offer. The company estimates savings of about €100 a year on electricity and €100 on gas for a typical household using 2,000 kilowatt-hours of electricity and 600 cubic meters of gas.
The offer is available from Oct. 1 to Oct. 24, including to existing customers who switch plans. The discount applies to the energy consumed and does not cover network charges, taxes or fixed fees.
Enel, which has about 11 million retail customers in Italy, said its existing two-year fixed-price “Digital Luce” electricity plan is priced about 50 percent below current wholesale prices. It estimates annual savings of roughly €200 for a household using 2 megawatt-hours.
The announcements came as energy companies respond to government calls to help shield consumers from higher costs without relying entirely on public subsidies.
Q8 Joins Fuel-Price Cap
Q8 Italia, owned by Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, said it would introduce a 30-day cap on petrol and diesel prices beginning Oct. 1, following a government appeal. The company has not announced a specific maximum price, saying the measure would be introduced through a “modular approach.”
ENI’s existing cap, introduced Sept. 28, limits petrol to €1.99 a litre and diesel to €2.19. IP, owned by Azerbaijan’s Socar, has also introduced a phased cap.
The three networks together could account for roughly half of Italy’s petrol stations. ENI’s initial announcement was followed by long lines at some stations as motorists rushed to fill their tanks.
Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni has praised the companies for helping contain prices and urged other energy operators to take similar measures.
The pressure on household budgets remains significant. Italy’s energy regulator, Arera, has said electricity prices for about three million vulnerable customers will rise 37.3 percent in the fourth quarter, citing higher wholesale costs and geopolitical uncertainty.
The measures have also drawn criticism from parts of the energy industry and consumer groups. Industry association Unem has argued that fuel caps cannot be maintained indefinitely, while calling for a broader European response to energy costs.
