Baku, Azerbaijan, August 16
By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:
Natural gas imports accounted for about 92 percent of the total natural gas supply in Italy in 2016, the US Energy Information Administration (EIA) said in its report.
Natural gas imports were 2.3 trillion cubic feet (Tcf) in 2016, and dry natural gas production that year was 0.2 Tcf, according to EIA.
Italy is the second-largest natural gas importer in Europe after Germany, and the third-largest consumer of natural gas after Germany and the United Kingdom.
“Most of Italy’s natural gas imports come from Russia via pipelines across Ukraine and from southeastern Europe. Natural gas sent by pipeline from Russia accounted for about 44 percent of Italy’s total natural gas imports in 2016,” said the report.
Italy has natural gas pipeline connections to Algeria and Libya across the Mediterranean Sea and to northern European producers via Switzerland.
“Russia remains the largest natural gas supplier to Italy, with a 44 percent share of Italy’s import volumes in 2016. Pipeline imports from Algeria and Libya accounted for almost 37 percent of Italy’s natural gas imports in 2016,” said EIA analysts.
The Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), which is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor project envisaging delivery of Azerbaijani gas to Europe, will also pass through Italy. The pipeline will be connected to the Trans-Anatolian Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italy's south.
“Italy’s primary energy consumption is driven by petroleum and other liquids and natural gas, which accounted for more than over three-quarters of Italy’s total consumption in 2016. The remaining shares are coal, hydroelectricity, and other renewable energy sources,” said the report. “As a net importer of crude oil and natural gas, Italy is heavily dependent on imports to meet about 93% of its oil and natural gas needs and to maintain its exports of refined petroleum products.”
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