An unusually warm autumn that looks a lot like summer has allowed Italians to keep the boilers off and consume 41% less methane than last year. Considering the industrial uses and the gas burned by the power plants to produce electricity from October 1 to 23, the last day for which data are available, Italy used a total of 3.1 billion cubic meters of methane, 25% less than the first 23 days of October 2021. From October 1 to 26, electricity consumption was reduced by -5.7% compared to a year ago. Saving means less consumption, less emissions of fumes and carbon dioxide, but it also means less expenditure. According to the first estimates, 800 million euros have been saved in gas in three weeks. In short, the summer climate with its damaging effects on agri-food production and the economic slowdown are at least leading to a relaxation of the energy shock.
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