Electricity prices in Italy 2023
In 2023, the average wholesale day-ahead electricity price in Italy was € 0.1271 /kWh (▼58% vs 2022). Below is the month-by-month breakdown plus a chart of how prices moved through the year.
Monthly breakdown — 2023
| Month | €/MWh | €/kWh | MW |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2023 | € 171.89 | € 0.1719 | 5,274 |
| February 2023 | € 160.61 | € 0.1606 | 5,555 |
| March 2023 | € 132.58 | € 0.1326 | 5,203 |
| April 2023 | € 134.30 | € 0.1343 | 4,723 |
| May 2023 | € 106.76 | € 0.1068 | 4,796 |
| June 2023 | € 105.57 | € 0.1056 | 5,136 |
| July 2023 | € 113.30 | € 0.1133 | 5,971 |
| August 2023 | € 112.47 | € 0.1125 | 5,025 |
| September 2023 | € 115.92 | € 0.1159 | 5,319 |
| October 2023 | € 135.27 | € 0.1353 | 5,069 |
| November 2023 | € 121.64 | € 0.1216 | 5,175 |
| December 2023 | € 115.39 | € 0.1154 | 5,030 |
Italy's electricity grid is split into six bidding zones (North, Centre-North, Centre-South, South, Sardinia, Sicily) reflecting strong regional price differences caused by limited internal transmission and congested HVAC corridors. Terna, the national TSO, runs all zones and operates GME — the day-ahead market. Italy phased out nuclear power after the 1987 referendum and never returned, making it Europe's largest electricity importer at ~13% of consumption (mostly French nuclear and Swiss hydro).
Domestic generation depends on gas (~50%), hydro from the alpine north (~17%), solar (~11%) and wind (~7%). The Mezzogiorno hosts most renewables potential but lacks transmission capacity; Terna's Tyrrhenian Link, an 800 km HVDC cable connecting Sicily, Sardinia and the mainland, is scheduled for completion in 2028 and would unlock ~10 GW of additional renewable build-out in the south.
The 2024 Decreto Aree Idonee finally simplified solar permitting after years of regional veto wars.