Italian Hydrogen Policy: Drivers, Constraints and Recent Developments

Italy presents, potentially, some important comparative advantages in the emerging clean hydrogen economy. However, unlike other large EU countries, Italy has not yet issued a comprehensive strategy on hydrogen nor has it developed a coherent hydrogen diplomacy. It was only with the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, launched in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, that Italy upgraded its measures for promoting green hydrogen and related activities. The main players in the Italian hydrogen landscape are national industrial actors, especially state-owned energy companies. This leading role can be an important asset to overcome the problems related to an industrial system otherwise composed of small and medium companies, which can find it difficult to compete with hydrogen frontrunners. Externally, Italy has supported all the European and multilateral initiatives on hydrogen, although in the EU the country is a policy-taker rather than a policy-shaper. The main focus of the Italian international approach is linked to the hydrogen hub concept, which targets the MENA region and is also supported by its national energy companies. This concept has received a further push after the beginning of the war in Ukraine. However, its practical realization is very problematic because of domestic and external challenges.