Published by Global Banking & Finance Review®
Posted on March 31, 2026
2 min readLast updated: March 31, 2026
Add as preferred source on GoogleItaly’s lower house has approved a bill delaying the national coal‑fired power plant shutdown from the end of 2025 to 2038, a 13‑year postponement reflecting energy security concerns amid international tensions.
ROME, March 31 (Reuters) - Italy is set to postpone to 2038, 13 years later than originally planned, the permanent shutdown of its coal-fired power plants, according to a bill passed by the lower house of parliament on Tuesday.
The move signals the willingness of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's right-wing government to dial down anti-climate change policies in the face of growing energy supply challenges triggered by the conflict in Iran.
Italy has four coal-powered plants currently on stand-by, three of which are owned by the country's largest utility Enel.
Energy Minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin said this month they could be reactivated if the conflict in the Middle East were to provoke an energy crisis.
Under its 2024 energy and climate plan (PNIEC), Italy was due to abandon coal for good by the end of 2025. The decree that postpones the deadline to 2038 still needs to be approved by the Senate, but that is widely expected, given government support.
The co-ruling League party, which pushed for the postponement, said it was "right and responsible" to reconsider abandoning coal in the light of the current "serious international energy crisis."
The centre-left opposition and environmental groups, on the other hand, condemned the move. WWF Italy called it "a dangerous U-turn for the fight against climate change and for the health of citizens".
In 2024, while holding the G7 presidency, Italy chaired a meeting in which members of the Group of Seven major democracies agreed to end the use of coal in power generation by 2035.
(Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Gavin Jones)
Italy is delaying the shutdown to 2038 due to energy supply challenges and risks posed by the conflict in Iran.
Italy originally planned to permanently close all coal-fired power plants by the end of 2025.
Italy currently has four coal-powered plants on stand-by, three of which are owned by Enel.
The proposed deadline extension to 2038 must still be approved by the Senate, but approval is widely expected.
The centre-left opposition and environmental groups, such as WWF Italy, have condemned the move.
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