Italy raises protected electricity price by 37.3% as suppliers compete on fixed contracts
Italy’s regulated electricity price for about 3 million vulnerable customers will rise 37.3% in the fourth quarter of 2026. Eni, Enel and A2A are competing with discounts and long-term fixed-price offers as wholesale power and gas costs increase.
Regulated price rises to 43.43 cents per kWh
Italy’s electricity bill for approximately 3 million vulnerable customers in the Maggior Tutela regulated service will increase by 37.3% in the fourth quarter of 2026 compared with the previous quarter, Sky TG24 reported, citing the energy regulator Arera. From 1 October, the reference price will be 43.43 euro cents per kilowatt-hour, including taxes.
Arera attributed the increase to higher electricity procurement costs. The calculation reflects expectations of a higher wholesale power price, known as the PUN, during the coming quarter and third-quarter prices that exceeded the estimates available in June amid international geopolitical instability. Wholesale electricity remains closely linked to natural gas prices. Dispatching and capacity-market costs will decline by 2.2%, while general system charges will remain unchanged.
Annual estimates reflect different calculation periods
Arera estimates that a typical vulnerable customer will spend €665.38 on electricity between 1 January and 31 December 2026, up 9.3% from €608.72 a year earlier. Consumer groups produced higher forward-looking figures by annualising the new fourth-quarter tariff rather than calculating expenditure over the calendar year.
Codacons estimated an annual electricity bill of €868.60 for a vulnerable household consuming 2,000 kWh, an increase of €236 compared with an annualised bill based on third-quarter prices. Including an estimated annual gas bill of €1,581, total household energy expenditure would reach €2,449.60. The Unione Nazionale Consumatori published a similar estimate of €869 for electricity and €2,450 for electricity and gas combined.
Consumer organisations warned that higher international gas prices could add pressure as Italy enters the heating season. Adusbef linked the increase in gas quotations to tensions in the Middle East. Assoutenti argued that vulnerable customers now risk paying more than households using the gradual-protection service or some free-market contracts.
Major suppliers compete with fixed-price offers
Eni said its Plenitude unit will offer a 30% discount against its main fixed-price electricity and gas contract to customers subscribing between 1 and 24 October. Commodity prices will be fixed for two years. The company values the discount at about €100 a year for electricity and another €100 for gas. The offer is available to existing and new customers.
Enel said its two-year Digital luce contract prices the energy component at €108/MWh, approximately 50% below the wholesale market price. It estimates savings of €200 a year for an average household consuming 2 MWh. A2A said its Noi2 and NeN 10 offers fix renewable electricity prices for ten years at around 50% below current average wholesale levels. According to the company, 135,000 households have signed those contracts, while a similar product has been available to small and medium-sized enterprises since March 2026.