Italy’s Enel announced its readiness to complete its plan of building a liquefied natural gas (LNG) terminal in southern Italy as a part of the country’s intensive efforts to find an alternative to Russian natural gas, Reuters reported.

Enel said in comments to Reuters that it was useful for Italy to have two additional LNG terminals so it can dispense with pipelines. “For this reason, Enel has given availability to resume the Porto Empedocle LNG plant project, which is fully permitted,” an Enel spokesperson said in the report.

Since the beginning of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, Italy has been exerting intensive effort in exploring ways to satisfy its gas needs without having to resort to Russian natural gas. 

According to Reuters, Italy uses natural gas to generate 40% of its electricity, importing more than 90% of its gas needs with Russian flows accounting for around 40%. While it does have pipeline connections to Algeria, Azerbaijan, Libya, and the North Sea, they are underused and analysts have told Reuters that the main issue is the lack of gas to fill these pipelines, pointing to chronic underinvestment.