The indicator illustrates the national economy’s dependence on imports of various energy sources to meet its energy requirements. A reduction in the share of oil and an increase in the share of renewable energy sources contribute to a decrease in national energy dependency. Since 2007, a downward trend has been observed, with energy dependency falling from a peak of 85.5% in 2006 to a low of 75.1% in 2020. In 2021, the dependency rate rose to 76.9%, and continued to increase in 2022, reaching 78.7%.

The indicator measures the energy consumed by end users and the total energy consumed by the country. Since 1990, there has been a general upward trend in the energy available for final consumption, reaching a peak in 2005. This was followed by a reversal, with consumption declining to a minimum in 2014. From then until 2018, a recovery in final consumption was observed, followed by a decrease in 2019 and a sharp drop in 2020 due to the lockdown of economic activities aimed at containing the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. Consumption then rebounded in 2021, before declining again in 2022. In 2022, the energy available for final consumption—calculated according to the methodology adopted by Eurostat—amounted to 112.0 Mtoe, a 6.9% decrease compared to 2021.

Final electricity consumption grew steadily from 1990 to 2008, then declined due to the economic crisis. From 2015, consumption resumed growth until stabilizing in 2017. Following the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic, 2020 consumption dropped by 5.7% compared to the previous year, with a rebound of 6.2% in 2021. In 2022, consumption decreased by 1.8% compared to 2021, settling at 24.7 Mtep (million tonnes of oil equivalent). The industrial sector's share of consumption fell from 51.7% in 1990 to 38.9% in 2022, while the civil sector (residential and tertiary) increased from 43.2% to 55.6%. The agriculture and fisheries sector remained nearly constant at around 2%, and the transport sector, despite fluctuations, stayed stable at 3.1%.

The analysis of the contribution of different primary energy sources to gross inland energy consumption shows that the dominant role of petroleum products is declining, while natural gas (37.9% of the total in 2022) and renewable sources (19.0% of the total in 2022) are increasing. Greater diversification and the growing role of renewables have a positive impact on Italy’s energy self-sufficiency level, which remains among the lowest in industrialized countries.

The ratio of final energy consumption to total energy consumption measures the overall efficiency of converting energy from primary sources. The difference between these two values corresponds to losses in conversion processes (such as electricity generation and oil refining), internal consumption of power plants, and distribution losses. From 1990 to 2022, the average ratio in our country (70.6%) has been higher than the European average (62.6%). In recent years, a significant increase in the ratio has been observed.

In 2020, the share of energy from renewable sources in Italy reached 20.4% of gross final energy consumption, exceeding the national target of 17% set for 2020. In 2021, the share decreased to 18.9%, and in 2022 it slightly rose to 19.1%, recording an increase of 0.2 percentage points compared to the previous year.

Comparison within the European Union highlights that Italy's primary and final energy intensity remains below the European average. This is largely due to historical lack of domestic primary energy sources, —which has fostered energy-saving behaviours, efficient infrastructure, and a relatively low energy-intensive production structure—as well as a high level of energy taxation (which has raised end-user energy prices above those in other countries), lower per capita income, and a relatively mild climate. Based on a ranking of countries by increasing primary energy intensity, Italy ranks 7th among European nations.

White Certificates, also known as “Energy Efficiency Titles” (EET) were introduced by Ministerial Decree of 24 April 2001 to promote the implementation of energy efficiency measures in end-use sectors to meet national energy savings targets for obligated parties. TEE are tradable securities that certify energy savings achieved in energy end-use through the implementation of specific interventions to increase energy efficiency. Each certificate represents a saving equivalent to one tonne of oil equivalent (toe). The White Certificates (WC) mechanism has been gradually modified over the years, in line with legislative developments. In the 2006-2023 period, additional primary energy savings equal to approximately 29.3 Mtoe were certified and 58.5 million energy efficiency certificates were recognised.

The indicator is based on the ratio between atmospheric greenhouse gas emissions and final energy consumption by sector. The average value of emission intensities shows a difference between sectors related to the varying adoption of renewable sources. Overall, the emission intensity for final uses has decreased by 25.1% from 1990 to 2022.

The indicator evaluates the trend of greenhouse gas emissions from energy processes across different sectors, with the aim of reducing the impact of energy use on climate change. Greenhouse gas emissions from energy processes between 1990 and 2022 decreased by 20.7%, with varying trends across sectors. Emissions from the residential sector decreased by 7.5% compared to 1990, while emissions from transport increased by 6.7%. Over the same period, emissions from the energy industries sector decreased by 34.2%, and emissions from manufacturing industries showed a reduction of 40.6%. In 2021 and 2022, the end of the pandemic and the economic recovery led to an increase in greenhouse gas emissions from energy processes compared to 2020.

This indicator concerns atmospheric emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs) that influence climate balance. In 2022, energy processes accounted for: 95.8% of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions, 14.1% of methane (CH₄) emissions, 25.6% of nitrous oxide (N₂O) emissions. Energy processes did not contribute to fluorinated gas emissions. Overall, energy-related activities contributed to 81.8% of total GHG emissions. From 1995 to 2022, GHG emissions from energy processes closely mirrored energy consumption trends until 2004. Afterward, a decoupling emerged, becoming more pronounced in recent years due to: GDP contraction, replacement of high-carbon fuels with natural gas, increased renewable energy share in electricity generation and industry. In 2022, energy-related emissions rose by 1.7% compared with 2021.

The indicator concerns nitrogen oxides (NOx) emissions into the atmosphere, which contribute to acidification and eutrophication processes. These emissions mainly originate from combustion processes (power generation plants, residential heating, transport); they can be reduced through interventions on the technologies themselves and/or by treating the gaseous effluents of the process. In 2022, energy-related processes accounted for 91.8% of total nitrogen oxides emissions. Since 1990, nitrogen oxides emissions from energy processes have decreased (-72.0% in 2022 compared to 1990), due to the use of emission abatement devices in both stationary and especially mobile sources. In 2022, total NOx emissions were 52.0% lower than in 2005, in line with compliance with international protocols on acidification.

The indicator refers to atmospheric emissions of sulphur dioxide (SO₂), a major contributor to acidification processes. Sulphur dioxide emissions primarily originate from energy-related processes. In 2022, these processes accounted for 92.1% of total sulphur dioxide emissions.

Sulphur dioxide emissions mainly result from the use of fossil fuels (power generation plants, domestic heating, and transport); they can be reduced by improving fuel quality and/or treating the gaseous effluents from the process.

The reduction in sulphur dioxide emissions from energy processes (−95.3% in 2022 compared to 1990 and −97.6% compared to 1980), achieved through the use of lower-sulphur fuels and the implementation of emission abatement systems, has so far ensured compliance with international protocols on acidification.

Total sulphur dioxide emissions in 2022 were 78.6% lower than in 2005.

The indicator measures the primary energy, expressed in MJ, required to produce one kWh of electricity, or more precisely, it reflects the efficiency of converting primary energy from fossil fuel sources into electricity for final consumption. Available data highlight a reduction in specific energy consumption related to electricity production of 18.4% for gross production and 20% for net production between 1996 and 2022. The long-term trend of the indicator therefore shows an improvement in the electricity generation efficiency of the thermoelectric power plants.

In 2022, the contribution of cogeneration plants to total electricity production amounted to 37.1%, while the share of cogeneration in gross thermoelectric generation reached 53.1%.