“Strategic investments in LNG terminals, hydrogen corridors, grid infrastructures to reshape Italian energy sector” – Michele Vitiello
In this interview, Michele Vitiello, Secretary General, World Energy Council – Italia, speaks with Ndubuisi Micheal Obineme, Managing Editor, The Energy Republic, sharing insightful information about the Italian energy sector, with emphasis on the challenges and providing pragmatic solutions to unlock new opportunities that will reshape the energy architecture in Italy.
In his words, Vitiello said that renewables are central to Italy’s future energy system. Still, it should be integrated as part of the country’s energy mix, not a substitute for fossil fuels, which currently account for a significant portion, particularly natural gas, to meet its domestic energy needs.
Notably, Vitiello will lead an Italian delegation to the 2026 WPC Energy Congress, taking place from 26 – 30 April 2026 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where they will showcase opportunities in Italy’s energy strategy, including infrastructural capacity and industrial ecosystem, to global investors at the event. Excerpts:
TER: What is the World Energy Council doing in Italy?
Vitiello: The World Energy Council Italy serves as a neutral and strategic platform for dialogue among institutions, industry, academia, and civil society. Our purpose isn’t only to advocate for specific technology or ideological position, but to strengthen the coherence and long-term sustainability of Italy’s energy strategy while helping stakeholders shape a truly just transition.
We anchor the national debate within global dynamics through scenario analysis and internationally recognised benchmarking tools such as the Energy Trilemma and comparative global outlooks.
At the same time, we maintain structured engagement with ministries, Parliament, and regulatory authorities to support evidence-based policymaking.
A core part of our mission is fostering constructive dialogue among industrial leaders, infrastructure operators, and young generations, ensuring that the transition remains pragmatic, socially balanced, and strategically grounded.
Italy needs clarity of direction. Our role is to frame national choices within a global strategic context, without losing sight of the social dimension that ultimately determines the legitimacy of the transition.
TER: What is your view on the current state of Italian energy architecture? What important changes are needed to strengthen the energy landscape in Italy, particularly for energy security?
Vitiello: Italy’s energy architecture reflects long-standing structural constraints, but also strategic advantages that are often underestimated. The country remains heavily reliant on energy imports, particularly natural gas, yet it possesses a diversified renewable portfolio and a competitive industrial base.
The real question is not the percentage of fossil fuels in the mix. It is resilience. Energy security today is no longer a single-variable concept; it is the outcome of infrastructure robustness, diversified supply partnerships, grid modernization, storage deployment, and regulatory predictability.
Accelerating permitting processes for strategic infrastructure is not merely a technical necessity — it is a geopolitical imperative. Strengthening interconnections and enhancing system flexibility are equally critical.
In today’s fragmented global landscape, energy security ultimately translates into industrial competitiveness and geopolitical autonomy.
TER: Italy aims to generate 69% of electricity from renewables by 2030. What significant changes are needed to strengthen the Italian renewable energy sector, and how do you see natural gas and renewables fit into the country’s energy architecture?
Vitiello: Reaching 69% renewable electricity by 2030 is an ambitious but credible objective — provided that infrastructure development, market design, and industrial policy evolve.
Grid reinforcement and storage expansion must accelerate substantially if higher renewable penetration is to remain compatible with system stability.
Meanwhile, investors require long-term regulatory visibility to unlock capital at scale.
Renewables are undeniably central to Italy’s future energy system. Yet modern energy systems are built on integration, not substitution.
Natural gas continues to provide essential flexibility in the medium term. The strategic challenge is not to frame the debate as gas versus renewables, but to integrate them within a diversified architecture. This also means re-examining technologies such as nuclear energy, which Italy abandoned decades ago under predominant emotions rather than strategic considerations.
Italy’s Mediterranean positioning — in close dialogue with Africa — enables it to combine renewable expansion with diversified gas partnerships, strengthening resilience while reducing structural vulnerabilities. Technological neutrality remains the most rational compass for navigating this complexity.
TER: Amid the geopolitical tensions, what developments will drive growth in the Italian energy sector in the coming years?
Vitiello: Geopolitical realignment has redefined the global energy equation. Energy is no longer simply a commodity; it is a pillar of sovereignty and economic positioning.
Italy’s geographic location in the Mediterranean provides a structural advantage. The country can consolidate its role as a bridge between North Africa and Europe and as a transit hub for gas, hydrogen, and electricity flows.
Strategic investments in LNG terminals, cross-border interconnections, hydrogen corridors, and advanced grid infrastructure will shape the next decade.
Simultaneously, industrial reshoring and the strengthening of critical raw materials supply chains are becoming essential to avoid new forms of dependency.
Energy policy and industrial policy are now inseparable.
Competitiveness must remain at the core of the transition if it is to be politically and economically sustainable.
TER: What are the World Energy Council’s priorities in Italy?
Vitiello: WEC Italy’s priorities revolve around strengthening energy literacy in public discourse, promoting pragmatic and data-driven policymaking, and connecting Italian stakeholders to global best practices.
At the international level, we ensure that Italy contributes actively to global energy governance discussions.
Domestically, we facilitate structured dialogue among regulators, industry leaders, and infrastructure operators to preserve coherence between decarbonisation goals, competitiveness, and security imperatives.
The greatest risk is polarization. The transition must be managed as a strategic transformation of the entire system, not as a contest between ideological narratives.
TER: Which specific areas can Italy and the United States strengthen bilateral cooperation across the energy value chain?
Vitiello: Energy cooperation between Italy and the United States is inherently strategic and extends across the value chain.
LNG diversification has already reinforced transatlantic alignment, but collaboration can deepen in advanced nuclear technologies, including small modular reactors, carbon capture and storage, grid digitalization, and cybersecurity.
There is also strong potential in strengthening critical mineral supply chains and fostering innovation ecosystems that link research institutions and industrial players.
Beyond trade flows, regulatory coordination and shared standards are essential to building resilience in a world marked by systemic fragmentation.
Transatlantic cooperation remains a stabilizing factor in global energy governance.
TER: Saudi Arabia is hosting the World Energy Congress 2026 in this critical moment when energy transition and geopolitical tensions intensify across regions. How important is the WPC event in exploring critical issues in the global energy landscape? How are preparations going for WEC 2026, and what are the key topics to be discussed at the event?
Vitiello: The World Energy Congress 2026 in Saudi Arabia will take place at a pivotal moment for the global energy system. The transition is unfolding amid geopolitical tensions, industrial competition, and rising social sensitivity to energy affordability.
The Congress will provide a high-level platform to address defining issues such as energy security in a multi-polar world, industrial competitiveness, critical minerals, hydrogen deployment, and the evolution of market design and financing mechanisms.
For Italy, participation represents more than symbolic engagement. We are working closely with the Saudi Embassy and government representatives to ensure strong involvement from leading Italian industrial, infrastructure, and institutional stakeholders.
Italy must not simply adapt to global transformations; it must contribute to shaping them.
In Riyadh, WEC Italy will showcase Italy’s Mediterranean strategic role, its infrastructural capacity, and the excellence of its industrial ecosystem.
The 2026 Congress will not merely be an event — it will be a geopolitical arena where the architecture of the future energy system is actively debated and influenced.
