ROME, June 28. /TASS/. Italian imports of Russian gas do not exceed 3-4 million cubic meters per day, Environment and Energy Security Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said in an interview with La Stampa newspaper.
"We have purchased no more than three - four million cubic meters of gas per day. We have diversified supplies on account of [deliveries from] Algeria and Libya and are also counting on Azerbaijan as well as regasification facilities," the minister said.
Fifty percent of Italy’s gas demands are expected to be covered by liquefied natural gas (LNG), he noted. "Regasification facilities are more reliable than pipelines, which do not offer sufficient assurances," the minister added, acknowledging that Italy cannot achieve energy independence.
Italy had earlier set the objective of abandoning Russian gas by mid-2024. About 40% of the southern European country’s needs were covered by Russian gas supplies prior to February 2022.