Electricity price in Italy today
The spot price of electricity hour by hour in Northern Italy (IT-North), Friday, 23 October 2026.
Natural gas is the largest single source of Italy's electricity, and that is the first thing to know about the Italian power price: when gas gets dearer, almost every hour on the exchange follows. Italy has had no nuclear power since the late 1980s, so gas plants share the load with Alpine hydropower, a quickly growing solar fleet and steady imports from the north.
The wholesale market is divided into geographic zones from the Alps to Sicily and Sardinia. This page shows the day-ahead price for the North zone, which has the largest consumption and the most connections to France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Prices further south can differ, especially when the lines between the zones are full.
Today electricity costs 24.2 c/kWh in Northern Italy (IT-North) on average.
LiveSource: Bundesnetzagentur | SMARD.de
This page shows Northern Italy (IT-North) only. The prices of the other bidding zones in Italy may not be freely republished.
Hour by hour
The three cheapest hours in a row are 12–15 (average 21.0 c/kWh). The dearest hour is 07–08.
Show every hour as a table
| Hour | Spot price (c/kWh) | Level |
|---|---|---|
| 00–01 | 21.4 | Cheap |
| 01–02 | 21.2 | Cheap |
| 02–03 | 21.8 | Cheap |
| 03–04 | 21.9 | Cheap |
| 04–05 | 21.8 | Cheap |
| 05–06 | 23.3 | Middle |
| 06–07 | 26.8 | Dear |
| 07–08 | 29.3 | Dear |
| 08–09 | 29.0 | Dear |
| 09–10 | 26.9 | Dear |
| 10–11 | 25.7 | Middle |
| 11–12 | 22.5 | Middle |
| 12–13 | 21.1 | Cheap |
| 13–14 | 20.9 | Cheap |
| 14–15 | 21.1 | Cheap |
| 15–16 | 21.4 | Cheap |
| 16–17 | 24.3 | Middle |
| 17–18 | 26.5 | Dear |
| 18–19 | 27.9 | Dear |
| 19–20 | 28.3 | Dear |
| 20–21 | 27.8 | Dear |
| 21–22 | 25.1 | Middle |
| 22–23 | 22.3 | Middle |
| 23–00 | 22.5 | Middle |
The spot price is the exchange price, the average of the hour's four quarter-hour prices, before taxes, network tariffs and VAT.
Where does the electricity in Italy come from?
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh).
Household price since 2023
Average price per kWh, all-in, for a household using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year. Source: Eurostat (nrg_pc_204).
A household in Italy using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 31.4 c/kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, 5% less than a year before (Eurostat).
Eurostat's figure for each half-year, with taxes, levies, network costs and VAT. Updated twice a year.
How the electricity price works in Italy
Seven zones, one regulator and the end of the tutela
Italy's day-ahead market, the MGP, is run by GME (Gestore dei Mercati Energetici) and coupled with the rest of Europe. Buyers and sellers bid per zone: North, Centre-North, Centre-South, South, Calabria, Sicily and Sardinia. As long as the grid can carry the flows, the zones clear at the same price; when it cannot, they split. Terna operates the transmission grid, and ARERA regulates network tariffs and consumer protection.
For decades many households bought at regulated prices under the maggior tutela. That ended for non-vulnerable household customers in July 2024: those who had not picked a market offer were moved to the servizio a tutele graduali, whose suppliers were chosen by auction. Vulnerable customers, such as people over 75, keep a service with conditions set by ARERA.
Materia energia, oneri di sistema and excise
An Italian bill, the bolletta, is split into a few headline items. The spesa per la materia energia covers the electricity itself and the supplier's costs. The spesa per il trasporto e la gestione del contatore pays for transmission, distribution and metering, at rates set by ARERA. The oneri di sistema fund general costs such as past support for renewables. Excise duty (accisa) is added, and VAT is charged on the whole. During the 2022 crisis the oneri di sistema were suspended for a time to soften bills.
Gas sets the pace, the Alps and the sun push back
Because gas plants are so often the last ones needed to meet demand, the Italian price tracks the gas market closely, and Italy imports nearly all of its gas. Electricity imports across the Alps, mostly from France and Switzerland, pull prices down when those countries have power to spare. At midday, solar can push the price well below the evening level, when gas plants ramp up again. Snow and rain in the Alps decide how much hydropower is available, and summer heatwaves raise demand for air conditioning.
Gas first, then water, sun and the earth's heat
Gas-fired combined-cycle plants produce the biggest share. Hydropower comes second, from reservoirs and river plants in the Alps and the Apennines. Solar has grown into the third pillar, on roofs and in fields across the country, while wind farms stand mostly in the south and on the islands. Tuscany adds something few countries have: geothermal power from Larderello, where electricity was first generated from natural steam. Coal is almost gone.
Imports from the north, cables to the south
Italy buys more electricity than it sells, and most of it comes across the Alps. France supplies nuclear power, Switzerland hydro and transit flows, while Austria and Slovenia add smaller volumes. These neighbours rely less on gas and often have cheaper hours. To the south-east an undersea cable links Apulia with Greece, and Sicily is connected to Malta, which buys its imports on the Italian market.
Italy compared with its neighbours
In 2024, gas made 44%, hydro made 19% and solar made 13% of the electricity generated in Italy. Wind, solar, hydro, nuclear and bioenergy together made 50% of generation in Italy.
Gross electricity generation in 2024 by energy source. Source: Eurostat (nrg_bal_peh). Pumped hydro is left out. Switzerland: SFOE (BFE), electricity balance; storage hydro includes pumped storage.
Voltly does not cover Italy yet
Voltly shows hourly prices in Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, Netherlands and Belgium.
Voltly is for Denmark, Norway, Sweden, Germany, France, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Questions about the electricity price in Italy
- What does electricity cost in Italy today?
- In Northern Italy (IT-North) the spot price averages 24.2 c/kWh today. It is cheapest at 13–14 with 20.9 c/kWh and dearest at 07–08 with 29.3 c/kWh. Network tariffs, taxes and VAT come on top.
- What does an ordinary household in Italy pay for electricity?
- A household in Italy using 2,500–5,000 kWh a year paid 31.4 c/kWh per kWh on average, all-in, in H1 2026, according to Eurostat. The price varies with the network company and the contract.
- How much of the electricity in Italy comes from gas?
- 44% of the electricity generated in Italy came from gas in 2024 (Eurostat), the largest single source.
- Why does this page only show prices for northern Italy?
- The hourly prices come from SMARD, the market data platform of Germany's Bundesnetzagentur, which publishes the Italian North zone. Prices for the other zones and the national PUN are published by GME, whose terms do not allow them to be republished freely, so they are not shown here. The North is a fair guide, but the South and the islands can differ a lot in some hours.
- What is the PUN?
- The Prezzo Unico Nazionale is a single national reference price: an average of the zonal prices, weighted by consumption in each zone. Many variable-price household contracts in Italy are indexed to it, with the supplier's margin on top. It smooths out the zonal differences, so a household in Palermo and one in Milan see the same reference.
- Is there still a regulated electricity price in Italy?
- Only for some. The maggior tutela ended for non-vulnerable households in July 2024. Customers who had not chosen a supplier went to the servizio a tutele graduali at conditions set by auction, and everyone else is on the free market. Vulnerable customers, for example people over 75 or those who rely on electrical medical equipment, keep conditions defined by ARERA.