Italy, according to a report by Bloomberg, was able to provide enough gas supplies from North Africa to make up for any shortage during the winter if Russia immediately stopped all exports to the country. Gas shipments from Algeria and Egypt are expected to meet Italy’s needs, according to people familiar with the matter. Bloomberg added that people, who asked not to be identified because estimates are private, said the expected increase in gas shipments from Algeria and Egypt would be able to cover the remaining supplies that Italy still gets from Russia. Italy originally expected to achieve independence from Russian gas by the spring of 2025, but it must expand its capacity to reconvert LNG to natural gas to ensure that those results are repeated during the winter (providing alternative sources), the people said. Russian gas currently accounts for about 10% of Italian imports, down from about 40% before Russia invaded Ukraine in February, according to people, who note that a frigid winter, pipeline damage or delays in new supplies could hamper Italy’s efforts. Prime Minister Mario Draghi was touring the world to secure gas supplies to protect Italy from potential disruptions to supplies from Russia, which is pressing the European Union for passing several rounds of sanctions in response to the invasion. Italy has been one of the most successful countries in providing alternative supplies. Meantime, German Economy Minister Robert Habeck said the ongoing energy crisis and potential shortage of electricity generation potential may force Germany to continue using two of the three remaining nuclear power plants.

Source: https://see.news/italy-secures-enough-gas-supplies-for-winter-away-from-russia-bloomberg/