Italian electricity demand increased in March 2026, with 26.5 TWh consumed, representing a 2.8% rise compared with March 2025, according to data published by transmission system operator Terna. In the first quarter of 2026, demand grew by 3% year-on-year.
Industrial electricity consumption, measured by Terna’s IMCEI index, increased by 3.9% in March, marking the seventh consecutive month of growth. Over the September 2025–March 2026 period, industrial consumption rose by 4% compared with the same period a year earlier.
Services consumption also increased, with Terna’s IMSER index showing a 3.1% rise in January 2026, based on data from distribution network operators.
Solar became the top renewable source in March
On the supply side, renewable energy sources covered 39.3% of total electricity demand in March, compared with 40.2% in March 2025. The structure of generation showed contrasting trends: hydropower fell by 7.4% and wind by 13.7%, while solar generation increased by 17.1% year-on-year, supported by higher installed capacity.
Solar produced 4 TWh in March 2026, becoming the leading renewable source of the month for the first time, with an increase of 585 GWh compared with March 2025. This growth was driven mainly by an additional 6.4 GW of installed photovoltaic capacity.
Total renewable capacity increased by 606 MW in March, bringing total installed capacity to 85,167 MW at the end of March 2026, including 44,952 MW of solar and 13,831 MW of wind.
Thermoelectric generation declined by 6.9% year-on-year.
Italy’s domestic production covered 79.6% of electricity demand, while the remaining 20.4% was met through net imports. Net domestic production fell by 3.4% to 21.5 TWh, while the electricity import balance increased by 39.5%, driven by a 32% rise in imports and a 44% drop in exports.
Terna attributed the increase in imports to higher transmission capacity on the northern interconnection and near-full utilization of available cross-border capacity.
The Italian electricity system also recorded 919,037 installed storage systems, corresponding to 18,808 MWh of storage capacity and 7,731 MW of nominal power.