April 2023, Year XV, n. 4
Stefano Besseghini
The Caretaker of Our (Cold) Winters
Telos: The Covid-19 emergency and the war in Ukraine have had a serious impact on the economy in general, and the energy sector was one of the hardest hit. Could you tell us about this crisis from your ‘privileged’ vantage point?
Stefano Besseghini: During 2021 and all throughout 2022, the prices of gas, which influence the prices of electricity, were higher and peaked between June and August of last year, when the situation deteriorated even further. First post-pandemic economic recovery, then the drop in Russian gas due to the war and finally drought all caused prices to spike to double what they had been in previous months and ten times what they had been in the last five years. All this was felt by the system, with an impact on industrial supply chains, supplies and citizen’s bills. It was a complicated situation, which at the end of 2022, started to present some serious challenges for the system.
However, we can say that this very long, unexpected crisis was dealt with quickly and responsibly by the various components of the Country system. Since prices started rising, the government has provided almost 50 billion euros in instruments to support general consumers and interventions aimed at bolstering energy-intensive industries and vulnerable families ...more
Editorial
Whether they are for gas, electricity, water or waste, when bills show up, no family is ever very happy. However, it sure didn’t take much for this slight nuisance to turn into a total nightmare. 2022 truly was an annus horribilis, as confirmed by our April guest for PRIMOPIANOSCALAc Stefano Besseghini, President of ARERA, the Italian Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and Environment. One of those people who ordinary citizens never would have dreamt of knowing. However, since last year Besseghini’s statements have offered both realism and reassurance, for all of us. Never has a president of a regulatory body been so present in the media, and for good reason. Who better than a technical specialist who has dedicated his whole life to energy - and knows all its mysteries -is able to provide accurate answers to citizens like me, who have enough trouble reading their bills, much less understand a massive energy crisis, how long it will last and how it will impact our lives? No one ...more
SocialTelos