Monday 28 September 2026 05:09
Italy's ENI and IP cap fuel prices as costs soar
Energy firms step in as government eases back on diesel tax relief, with Meloni welcoming the move and opposition and trade bodies raising concerns.Italian energy group ENI began capping petrol and diesel prices at its service stations on Monday 28 September, and rival IP said it would follow with a phased cap of its own, as fuel costs continue to bite households and businesses.
ENI has set a ceiling of €1.99 per litre for petrol and €2.19 for diesel across its Enilive network. The company says this is about 17 cents below its current average prices. The cap will run for an initial 30 days and could be extended to the end of the year, depending on market and supply conditions.ENI blamed the surge on tight international supplies of refined products and a shortage of European refining capacity, noting that nearly 30 refineries have closed on the continent over the past 15 years.IP, which was bought by Azerbaijan's state energy firm Socar in May, announced its cap on Sunday. It will be applied progressively from Monday, starting with IP-branded stations. However, no price figure has been given. Socar said levels would be set to ensure the survival of the supply chain, and that ways of extending the measure to Esso stations and other operators supplied by IP would be studied.
Together, the two networks cover around 8,500 of Italy's roughly 22,000 petrol stations, or about 39 per cent of the total.
The cap comes as prices climb again. On Sunday the average self-service price on ordinary roads was €2.159 per litre for petrol and €2.377 for diesel, according to the enterprise ministry's price monitor. On motorways, diesel averaged €2.459. The government has been scaling back a tax cut on diesel introduced because of the Iran war, reducing it to around six cents a litre from 26 September until 5 October.
Consumer group Adusbef estimates a full 50-litre tank will cost €8.45 less for petrol and €9.35 less for diesel at ENI stations. Business association Unimpresa puts the saving for a family with two cars at about €80 a month.
Political reaction
Palazzo Chigi thanked ENI, calling the cap a "laudable gesture of consideration for Italy". Prime minister Giorgia Meloni later welcomed IP's decision as an important signal for families, thanking Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and Socar chief Rovshan Najaf. She said the government would keep working to protect households' purchasing power.
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani said he had asked Socar to act in early September, adding that Forza Italia "had been right".Others were more critical. Unimpresa - a national business confederation that represents micro, small and medium-sized enterprises - said a commercial initiative could not replace structural fiscal policy, which remains the government's responsibility. The petrol station managers' federation Figisc said ENI was pulling the state's chestnuts out of the fire, and warned of distortions for independent operators.
Opposition figures, including Movimento 5 Stelle leader Giuseppe Conte, have criticised the government over fuel costs.
"People are really struggling - individuals, families, and businesses - facing the high cost of living, soaring inflation and steep utility bills" - Conte said - "We cannot reach a point where a giant like ENI has to step in on its own initiative to curb fuel prices. That is the government's job."
Conte claimed the Meloni coalition has "no ideas" and is "chasing after" far-right rival and Futuro Nazionale leader Roberto Vannacci, while "trying to set an agenda that ignores the urgent needs and priorities of the citizens".
Photo credit: Solarisys / Shutterstock.com
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Italian energy group ENI began capping petrol and diesel prices at its service stations on Monday 28 September, and rival IP said it would follow with a phased cap of its own, as fuel costs continue to bite households and businesses.
ENI has set a ceiling of €1.99 per litre for petrol and €2.19 for diesel across its Enilive network. The company says this is about 17 cents below its current average prices. The cap will run for an initial 30 days and could be extended to the end of the year, depending on market and supply conditions.
ENI blamed the surge on tight international supplies of refined products and a shortage of European refining capacity, noting that nearly 30 refineries have closed on the continent over the past 15 years.
IP, which was bought by Azerbaijan's state energy firm Socar in May, announced its cap on Sunday. It will be applied progressively from Monday, starting with IP-branded stations. However, no price figure has been given. Socar said levels would be set to ensure the survival of the supply chain, and that ways of extending the measure to Esso stations and other operators supplied by IP would be studied.
ENI blamed the surge on tight international supplies of refined products and a shortage of European refining capacity, noting that nearly 30 refineries have closed on the continent over the past 15 years.
IP, which was bought by Azerbaijan's state energy firm Socar in May, announced its cap on Sunday. It will be applied progressively from Monday, starting with IP-branded stations. However, no price figure has been given. Socar said levels would be set to ensure the survival of the supply chain, and that ways of extending the measure to Esso stations and other operators supplied by IP would be studied.
Together, the two networks cover around 8,500 of Italy's roughly 22,000 petrol stations, or about 39 per cent of the total.
The cap comes as prices climb again. On Sunday the average self-service price on ordinary roads was €2.159 per litre for petrol and €2.377 for diesel, according to the enterprise ministry's price monitor. On motorways, diesel averaged €2.459. The government has been scaling back a tax cut on diesel introduced because of the Iran war, reducing it to around six cents a litre from 26 September until 5 October.
Consumer group Adusbef estimates a full 50-litre tank will cost €8.45 less for petrol and €9.35 less for diesel at ENI stations. Business association Unimpresa puts the saving for a family with two cars at about €80 a month.
Palazzo Chigi thanked ENI, calling the cap a "laudable gesture of consideration for Italy". Prime minister Giorgia Meloni later welcomed IP's decision as an important signal for families, thanking Azerbaijani president Ilham Aliyev and Socar chief Rovshan Najaf. She said the government would keep working to protect households' purchasing power.
Foreign minister Antonio Tajani said he had asked Socar to act in early September, adding that Forza Italia "had been right".
Others were more critical. Unimpresa - a national business confederation that represents micro, small and medium-sized enterprises - said a commercial initiative could not replace structural fiscal policy, which remains the government's responsibility. The petrol station managers' federation Figisc said ENI was pulling the state's chestnuts out of the fire, and warned of distortions for independent operators.
Opposition figures, including Movimento 5 Stelle leader Giuseppe Conte, have criticised the government over fuel costs.
"People are really struggling - individuals, families, and businesses - facing the high cost of living, soaring inflation and steep utility bills" - Conte said - "We cannot reach a point where a giant like ENI has to step in on its own initiative to curb fuel prices. That is the government's job."
Conte claimed the Meloni coalition has "no ideas" and is "chasing after" far-right rival and Futuro Nazionale leader Roberto Vannacci, while "trying to set an agenda that ignores the urgent needs and priorities of the citizens".
Photo credit: Solarisys / Shutterstock.com
