Italy will speed up drilling for new sources of domestic gas in a bid to lower energy prices for its industries, reversing a decade of restrictions on new exploration. The plan is part of the new Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni’s first budget law, and the government is pledging €30 billion of additional energy aid. The government estimated about 15 billion cubic metres of gas production from the domestic drilling sites over the next 10 years. Part of the gas will be sold to energy-intensive companies at capped prices. Meloni’s budget pledges will be partly financed by raising deficit targets for this year and next. The ... (full story)