From the energy subsidy scheme to new support for SMEs: here are all the proposals currently under consideration to tackle the high cost of energy

At present, one thing is certain: the government is determined to use the firepower afforded by the flexibility on energy granted by Brussels to target, above all, those sectors that have so far been excluded from the measures implemented to date to tackle high energy prices. Starting with the middle class, which is increasingly affected by rising energy costs and other pressures, and by SMEs. The rest involves striking a delicate balance between various options and the constraints set by the EU itself regarding the use of those resources – which, as is well known, rule out blanket subsidies and instead favour more far-reaching measures capable of structurally improving and strengthening the energy system. It is precisely at the intersection of these two requirements that the range of proposals currently being examined by experts lies, spanning the spectrum from the Ministry of the Economy to the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, headed by Gilberto Pichetto Fratin.

As mentioned, we are starting with very few certainties, the first of which is the expansion of the ‘conto termico’ scheme with ad hoc regulations to ensure energy efficiency in other sectors of the public administration, such as universities and hospitals. At the same time, efforts are being made to finalise the corrective measure – the proposed revision of the current scheme presented at the Conference of Regions – to take account of the applications received in February alone (1,500 applications totalling 1.3 billion), which prompted the GSE to close the old scheme. The approach being taken here would be to prioritise funding for projects submitted by municipalities with fewer than 5,000 inhabitants, based on a sort of ‘décalage’ (100 per cent coverage for the first project and then 80 per cent for subsequent projects by the same local authority).

There are also other proposals on the table over which discussions are continuing at a rapid pace: from the idea of a new ‘ecobonus’ offering a 65 per cent tax deduction to fund renovation works focused on the electrification of energy consumption (heat pumps or photovoltaic systems, including those on balconies, with a capacity of 1 kilowatt), as first reported by this newspaper (see the 13 September edition) and confirmed by the Deputy Minister for the Economy, Maurizio Leo, to targeted structural support for SMEs, for which an increase in the guarantee of last resort is also being considered to facilitate access to PPAs (long-term, fixed-price energy purchase agreements).

This is the real ‘long-cherished dream’, which businesses have also expressed their support for: at the heart of the discussions lies the possible extension of the ‘energy release’ scheme, the mechanism that guarantees supplies at a capped price (65 euros per MWh) to energy-intensive industries in exchange for a commitment to develop new green capacity.

Speaking at the Italian Energy Summit organised by *Il Sole 24 Ore* last Tuesday, the CEO of GSE, Vinicio Mosè Vigilante, highlighted the results achieved so far by the scheme: 480 contracts signed, 3,238 companies involved, and 23.6 TWh of energy allocated out of the 24 TWh per year available to GSE. In figures: 1 billion already disbursed in 2025 and 2 billion this year. These figures confirm the scheme’s high level of popularity and would therefore seem to be steering the government’s deliberations in this direction, towards an expansion to include all small and medium-sized enterprises. However, these deliberations are still characterised by the utmost caution, given the somewhat difficult genesis of the current mechanism due to concerns raised by Brussels.