en.Wedoany.com Reported - In the first half of 2026, Italy's wholesale electricity market recorded a total of 88 hours with zero electricity prices, compared to 20 hours during the same period in 2025. The number of zero-price hours more than quadrupled within 12 months. Analysis by the Italian National Agency for New Technologies, Energy and Sustainable Economic Development (ENEA) shows that this increase is directly linked to the growth of intermittent power sources.

Solar power generation increased by 19% year-on-year, while wind power grew by 16%. In May, these two sources together covered 33% of national electricity demand, setting a new historical record.

However, the growth in solar and wind power did not accelerate Italy's overall renewable energy expansion, which remains at just over 1%, as lower hydropower output offset these gains.

Electricity demand grew by 2.5% during the same period, but natural gas used for power generation increased by 4.4%, offsetting this growth.

As of mid-2026, the ENEA Ispred index, used to assess progress in the energy transition, fell by 25%, due to further delays in the 2030 decarbonization targets and rising oil prices. Italy's carbon dioxide emissions decreased by 2%, compared to the EU average decline of 3%.

The Strait of Hormuz crisis pushed up European stock markets: crude oil rose 27% in the first half of the year, with a 50% increase from March to June; natural gas rose 3% in the first half, with a 27% increase from March to June. European wholesale electricity prices had briefly declined in the first quarter, but after the crisis erupted, electricity prices in all EU countries rose by more than 20%. In the Italian market, this upward trend coincided with record numbers of unpaid hours during solar generation periods.