Italy's gas supplies from Russia back to normal
4/1/2006 11:51
Italy's Russian gas supplies returned to normal Tuesday after a spat
between Moscow and Kiev that briefly threatened shortfalls across Europe,
according to Italian News Agency ANSA.
Italian Industry Minister Claudio
Scajola hailed the news from fuels group Eni and called for a "bipartisan"
political pact to ensure fuel security in the future - including a return to
nuclear power.
Scajola said the Russia emergency had highlighted the
importance of switching away from imported gas, building up stocks and boosting
infrastructure.
"We must cut Italy's reliance on foreign energy," he said
after a meeting of the government's emergency committee on the national
natural-gas system.
Scajola, who said the committee would meet again next
week, stressed that a national energy and environmental conference on February 9
had now assumed burning significance.
He highlighted the importance of
turning to renewable energy sources like wind farms and solar panels - but also
returning to nuclear power, rejected in a post-Chernobyl Italian
referendum.
Moscow on Tuesday brought supplies to Europe back to full
stream.
It continued to claim Kiev was siphoning off gas, an allegation
Ukraine has denied.
Scajola held talks with the heads of Eni and electricity
group Enel on Monday, when supplies to Italy and other countries fell by about a
quarter.
Eni CEO Paolo Scaroni said the emergency, however brief, could bite
into Italy's strategic reserves of six billion cubic metres.
Italy is heavily
reliant on foreign gas although it has some deposits of its own.
It has
significant alternatives to Russia in two north African countries, Algeria and
Libya.
Xinhua
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