The Council of Ministers gives the go-ahead to the Energy Bills Decree (which had been postponed twice)

A temporary reduction in the cost of electricity for households and businesses, achieved through a mechanism to reimburse a portion of the costs of natural gas used for thermoelectric power generation. This is what the new measure in the Bollette decree provides for; it was approved today by the Council of Ministers, drawn up in consultation with the European Commission and aimed at limiting the impact of gas prices on the cost of electricity. This brings to an end the protracted process surrounding the decree, which had already been postponed twice: first on 28 October and then on 5 November, when the ‘Bollette’ decree was due to be discussed by the Council of Ministers but it was decided to postpone approval of the measure containing ‘urgent provisions to reduce the cost of electricity and gas for households and businesses’. 

“With the decree-law approved today by the Council of Ministers, we are completing the process of the ‘Bollette’ decree-law, with the aim of reducing the cost of electricity for households and businesses. From January onwards, taken as a whole, the measures in the decree will enable an average reduction of around 15 euros per megawatt-hour. This is a first concrete step in support of our national economy, consumers and the productive sector.” This was stated by the Minister for the Environment and Energy Security, Gilberto Pichetto Fratin. “The measure is the result of a complex process and lengthy dialogue with the European Commission, carried out with the institutional collaboration of ARERA, for matters within its remit, and of the GME (Energy Markets Operator), which provided technical support in defining the mechanism and carrying out the simulations requested by the European Commission. This work was carried out with full awareness of the difficulties that households and businesses are facing, in an international context marked by significant geopolitical tensions and their impact on energy costs.” The measure forms part of the government’s initiatives to contain energy costs, protect households and businesses, and support the competitiveness of the production system.