Some Reflections About Industrial Policies for the Energy Transition: The Role of the Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan

The Integrated National Energy and Climate Plan (necp) is an industrial policy tool that each Member State must adopt to implement the European Union’s (eu) energy transition. The Italian necp was approved in December 2019. A revised full version of the Plan was submitted to the European Commission on July 19th, 2023. This new proposal will be further discussed and approved by June 30th, 2024. Following the policies and regulatory interventions recently adopted by the eu for energy and climate, the necp needs to be further improved. Revising it represents a crucial step for outlining the long-term strategy on which to trigger future energy, environmental and industrial policies for Italy’s growth. This article analyses the evolution of the necp in the light of the debate on the revision of its objectives and measures. A selection of scenarios is then explored highlighting the central role of the consumption’s electrification from Renewable Energy Sources (res) in the decarbonization process. Also, recommendations are formulated to inform the review of the final version of the necp, with particular reference to the principles, objectives, approach, actors and contents. The success of the new Plan and the achievement of the climate objectives will also depend on both the design of long-term industrial policies and the introduction of a set of national policy reforms to foster the rapid and widespread diffusion of res, and the promotion of decarbonisation and energy independence.