Italian 1991 energy situation in light of recession

The Italian energy situation in 1991 didn't present any significant changes with respect to past years. This paper arrives at this conclusion by performing economic/energy trend analyses with the use of numerous statistical data, e.g., availability and sectoral use of the principal energy sources; power supply and demand as a function of GNP; sectoral electric energy intensity; electrical appliance marketing; sectoral per capita electric power consumption; petroleum imports and prices; world petroleum marketing; Italian energy consumption/surcharges; and European electric energy prices. The author makes the following observations: 1991 witnessed an unprecedented steady annual increase in electric power demand even in the face of a down-turn in the Italian economy; the Gulf War appeared to have a buffer effect on what might have been a third global petroleum crisis; there currently exists in Italy a tendency towards greater emphasis on environmental quality of fossil fuels; with regard to the proposed deregulation of the electric power industry, there is growing uncertainty as to the suitableness of this option for Italy given the somewhat lack-lustre results of electric power deregulation in other European countries; the conversion, by Italian industry, to mono-fueled methane energy plants appears to be going against the intent of Italian energy policies calling for fuel interchangeability for greater energy supply security