"In the second half of the year we will need another intervention for families and businesses, as the flare-up of bills will continue until the end of 2023". This is how Aurelio Regina, Confindustria's delegate for energy, commented in an interview with Repubblica on the almost 6 billion decree passed by the Council of Ministers to cool down the energy bill. And he anticipated some data that Confindustria will present shortly: 'in the next few weeks we will present the government with a study on the supply chains in which we calculate that 1,100 billion will be needed from now until 2030, i.e. 120 billion per year. If we do not take action we risk not making the transition and sacrificing production, with serious impacts on employment and risks on social stability'.

According to Regina, the measure is positive, especially with regard to the gas measures: 'the government had the courage to overcome years of ideological debates and adopt a measure to increase the extraction of Italian gas to be released to companies at a reduced price. It was one of our proposals'. Regina also promoted the tax cuts, by cutting the system charges on gas and increasing storage capacity: "the direction is certainly the right one," he said, although "the tax credit at 15% only on the first quarter should be extended to the whole of 2022 to create a 'bridge' while new gas extraction is started.

With regard to the electricity sector, Regina emphasised that structural intervention is missing: "we had registered a cross-party consensus at the our proposal the sale by the GSE of 25 terawatt hours at EUR 50 per megawatt for two years to companies at risk of closure and relocation, against a commitment by them to invest EUR 13 billion in decarbonisation. A virtuous mechanism that combines a commitment by the government to preserve competitiveness with an incentive for companies to invest. It has not been implemented, but we are counting on Parliament to get it back'.

"The energy market, after the storm, will settle at double the level of 2019', Regina continued, comparing Italy's situation with what has been done so far by the main European partnersGermany has compressed its system charges from 22 to one billion. France is counting on nuclear power and has lowered the average supply price to 42 euros per megawatt hour, compared to the 200 paid by us who, unlike the French, have asked for aid but have secured investments'.

About the idea that large producers benefited from extra profits from price increases share them with the population as desired by Draghi, Regina noted: 'there is some thinking to be done. But be careful not to block investments. The market rules must be changed to prevent the lower production cost of renewables being valued at the price of gas plants. But a first answer can be given by intervening in the GSE mechanism, since it takes energy produced by subsidised renewables at a low price and resells it at EUR 200. We call for more fairness, which goes through a reform of the electricity market".

Regina went on to point out that it was difficult for companies, especially SMEs, not to protect themselves against the risk of price rises with long contracts, since as a matter of practice 'contracts are made for one year, maximum two'. Although 'in general transition was underestimated, by everyone. We have not secured the country, ensuring sufficient energy at fair prices and a supply safe from inflationary and geopolitical risks. Without these two elements Italy risks missing the transition and destroying the industrial set-up in one year".

"We can make up for lost time"but it is not enough to put the panels on the roofs, we have to speed up on suitable areas and urge the regions on large photovoltaic fields,' Regina concluded.

Finally, the Confindustria energy delegate pointed out that a single vision of industrial and energy policy is needed, and for this the Ministries of Transition and Economic Development should be merged in the future.