Presentation of the 4th “Med & Italian Energy Report” of SRM and ESL@Energy Centre of the Politecnico di Torino

he Report focuses on the Euro-Mediterranean energy transition and the role that alternative fuels can play

• For the EU, oil is still the main energy source, but its share has declined by 6 percentage points over the past two decades, from 38.7% to 32.7%.
• In the European Union, Gas increased its share from 20.6% to 24.4% over the same period. Renewables and Biofuels leapt forward, gaining more than 11 percentage points from a share of 6.4% to 17.9%.
• In 2022, Russian gas supplies to the EU decreased by 80%.
• At the strategic level, the new central role of the Mediterranean, especially North Africa, will be important to ensure the security of energy supply in the short and medium term.
• The pace of growth of renewable capacity in the Middle East and North Africa is expected to increase by over 100% in the next five years, from 15 GW to over 32 GW.
• Biofuels currently play a key role in the decarbonisation of the EU transport sector, accounting for 83% of the total fuels used in 2020.
• Maritime transport and ports are playing an increasingly important role in the scenarios and are moving towards new models, more and more aimed at energy development: Green Ports and Green Ships.
• Ports are in fact becoming poles of industrial and energy development. They are terminals for fossil and renewable energies, as well as gateways for pipelines from North Africa carrying energy flows and also close to energy-intensive industries. This will increase their strategic and economic value.
• Italy's ports have an important energy component: 34% of traffic is liquid bulk (over 163 million tonnes in 2021). In the first six months of 2022, 80 million tonnes were exceeded (+5.6% on 2021).
• From January to October 2022, 63% of the fleet in orderbooks (ships under construction) is represented by vessels powered by alternative fuels, mainly Liquefied Natural Gas and Methanol.

Brussels, 1st December 2022 – The 4^TH MED & Italian Energy Report, which this year is named “Alternative fuels: a strategic option for the Euro-Mediterranean area?", has been presented today at the European Parliament. This research endeavour is the product of collaboration between SRM (research centre linked to Intesa Sanpaolo Banking Group) and the ESL@Energy Centre of the Politecnico di Torino with the participation of the Matching Energies Foundation.

The event was sponsored by MEPs Tiziana Beghin, Patrizia Toia and Marco Zanni, and was organised with the cooperation of the Brussels-based European Regulatory and Public Affairs Office of Intesa Sanpaolo.  

The Report, in line with previous editions, continues to assess and discuss the current energy situation and future prospects in the Mediterranean region, with this year's special focus on alternative fuels (both biofuels and synthetics), which fit well with a circular economy approach and could be important in supporting decarbonisation, particularly in maritime transport.

Alternative fuels could, in fact, play a not negligible role in accompanying the 'green' transition process and in supporting a decrease in energy dependency, also enhancing Euro-Mediterranean integration.

After introductory speeches by the three MEPs and the Head of European Regulatory and Public Affairs of Intesa Sanpaolo, Francesca Passamonti, the 2022 Report was presented by Massimo Deandreis, General Manager SRM, and Ettore Bompard, Director ESL@ Energy Center, Politecnico di Torino.

The results illustrated were discussed by the speakers present: representatives of Italian and European institutions, international trade associations, representatives of the energy industry and energy-related infrastructures.

The proceedings were concluded by the President of Compagnia di San Paolo and ACRI, Francesco Profumo.

• Read the Executive Summury of the Report
• Download the Conference Proceedings

For more detail:
Ufficio Stampa Intesa Sanpaolo
stampa@intesasanpaolo.com