Confindustria presented to the associations and companies of the confederal system the measure Energy Releasedefined in cooperation with the MASE and the GSE, to provide companies with a multi-year clean energy supply mechanism at competitive prices.

The number of energy-hungry companies in Italy is about 3,800, of which 400 are large and 3,400 are small to medium-sized. With the energy release these can cut energy costs by up to one third of their annual consumption for the next three years and invest in renewable projects. A large participation of companies will be crucial to maximise the benefits of the measure.

Indeed, high energy costs are a significant barrier to industrial competitiveness and growth, especially for Europe's energy-intensive sectors, which have seen a reduction in production of 10-15% from 2021. In order to preserve industry's resilience in the long term, in addition to promoting investment in low-carbon technologies, energy prices that are comparable with those of Member States and non-EU countries are also and above all needed.

The Energy Release is aimed at promoting and accelerating the investments at self-production by renewable energy in electricity-intensive sectors, taking into account the objectives of the National Integrated Energy and Climate Plan - PNIEC. Specifically, the measure supports the energy transition of industrial sectors exposed to international competition and, therefore, at greater risk of delocalisation, providing energy-intensive end customers with priority in the concession of public areas for the construction of plants in the event that the granting bodies receive several requests for the same areas, and the option of requesting for 36 months (3 years) a 50% advance on the energy that will be generated as a result of their investments and the related Guarantees of Origin.

"Today, a worrying trend is taking place, according to which the differentials between Italy and other European electricity exchanges are widening: last month, the Italian electricity price was €128.44/MWh, 57% more than Germany, 41% more than Spain and 135% more than France," said the Delegate of the President of Confindustria for Energy, Aurelio ReginaHe went on to reiterate how the Energy Release could ease the competitive pressure on companies if sufficient adhesions are registered: 'Confindustria's work has focused on dialogue with the institutions in order to broaden the number of beneficiaries as much as possible, because we see this measure as a first step in the reform of the electricity market. We are proceeding in the direction of decoupling the price of green energy from the price of fossil energy as also indicated by Draghi in his report on European Competitiveness'.

Also present at the conference were the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security Gilberto Pichetto Fratin and the  GSE President Paolo Arrigoniin order to deepen all aspects of the measure and provide companies with the necessary support to participate in the call, while waiting for the operational rules that are currently being defined.

In testimony of industrial consumers Antonio Gozzi, Special Advisor for European Strategic Autonomy, Plan Mattei and Competitiveness - as well as President of Federacciai - who emphasised the importance of making this measure structural, which 'represents a major breakthrough in the battle that the manufacturing system has been fighting for years to close the price differential that undermines its profitability and, in perspective, its very existence. We are now asking the government for an effort to make it structural. Today we are mainly talking about photovoltaics, but we are already imagining how to extend the measure's rationale to other sources such as hydroelectric power, Italy's renewable par excellence'.

For radd the objectives of decarbonisationthanks also toenergy release, it will be crucial to work on the issues of permitting of green plants and the availability of areas where they can be installed.