Sixteen port authorities in search of an industrial role
Ports are a litmus test for the energy transition. They are where the effects of geopolitical crises, decarbonization policies, and industrial choices converge. Four out of every ten tons of cargo handled at Italian ports are fossil fuels. As a result, when a power plant stops burning coal or a refinery switches to biofuels, port finances change as well. The energy transition is opening up new opportunities in electricity generation, services for ships, and offshore wind logistics, but new revenues do not necessarily materialize as traditional ones disappear.
This is the key issue emerging from research by Oliviero Baccelli and Susanna Dorigoni , conducted as part of the Blue Economy Monitor (an SDA Bocconi/Banca Intesa initiative). A comparison of Italian port systems reveals uneven levels of preparedness: Ravenna stands out for its ability to develop new initiatives, while Sardinia appears the most vulnerable to the transformation of fossil fuel traffic. Companies and port authorities face the challenge of having to carve out a new industrial role while their current one is changing.
Port systems with different levels of exposure
In 2024, Italy depended on foreign sources for 73.5% of its energy needs . Some 99.8% of crude oil imports and all coal imports arrived by sea, while imported liquefied natural gas volumes surged by 70% between 2018 and 2024. Some ports also serve markets that extend beyond national borders. For example, pipelines originating in Genoa and Trieste help supply energy to Central Europe.
New opportunities are emerging alongside this logistics role: producing renewable energy, supplying electricity to ships at berth, hosting assembly and maintenance activities for offshore wind, and developing infrastructure for CO₂ capture and storage. The existence of such projects, however, does not necessarily mean that operational services are available.
The research therefore provides a comparable assessment of port systems to answer three questions:
- Which port systems are most exposed to the transformation of energy traffic?
- How prepared are they to seize new opportunities?
- What conditions make it possible to turn investments into economically sustainable activities?
How opportunities and constraints are assessed
The study examines Italy’s 16 port system authorities , combining traffic data, analysis of infrastructure and projects, and reviews of energy policies and energy and environmental planning documents. The most original contribution of this investigation is the construction of two indexes. The Strategic Vulnerability Index considers the share of fossil fuels in port traffic, the presence of oil infrastructure, dependence on coal, and exposure to the liquefied natural gas market. The Market Readiness Index , by contrast, assesses preparedness for shore-side electricity services and offshore wind logistics, the production of energy and alternative fuels, and CO₂ capture, utilization, and storage initiatives.
In terms of risk, Sardinia emerges as the most vulnerable system, followed by the Strait of Messina, Eastern Sicily, and Eastern Adriatic systems. At Sardinian ports, fossil fuels account for 63% of cargo handled; in the Eastern Adriatic, the figure is as much as 65%. But vulnerability also depends on the type of facilities and activities associated with these flows, not just how much of total traffic they account for.
Between 2010 and 2024, Italian seaborne coal imports fell by 80%. In Civitavecchia, traffic serving the Torrevaldaliga Nord power plant declined from nearly two million tons in 2023 to around 873,000 in 2024, before falling to almost zero in 2025.
In Livorno, the conversion of Eni’s fuel processing plant into a biorefinery led to a decline in liquid bulk volumes from 6.35 to 4.74 million tons between 2023 and 2024, a drop of about 25%. The new facility is designed to process 500,000 tons of biogenic feedstocks per year, changing both the scale and composition of supplies, with consequences for the port’s overall organization.
On the opportunities side, the first major test is onshore power supply, also known as cold ironing: connecting ships to the electricity grid while at berth, allowing them to switch off their auxiliary generators. For ports located in cities, the main benefits involve air quality, noise, and vibrations, as well as greenhouse gas emissions. The case also shows, however, how complex it is to roll out a new energy service; in fact, no system is currently fully operational.
The port of Ravenna stands out for its preparedness to take advantage of new opportunities, thanks to a broad range of initiatives: the use of port areas for solar power, offshore wind and floating solar projects, and the development of the CO₂ capture and storage supply chain. The latter prospect connects the port with the needs of industries where reducing emissions is particularly difficult. Its leading position in the index reflects the scale of the projects and capabilities being mobilized, without implying that all initiatives are completely up and running as of yet.
Beyond the boundaries of the docks
Port authorities need to think on an industrial scale, beyond the boundaries of the docks . An investment based solely on demand in the port may not reach a sustainable scale. Connecting it with local businesses can expand the market, enable infrastructure sharing, and generate economies of scale. This is particularly important for offshore wind and CO₂ capture and storage, which require coordination across multiple segments of the supply chain.
This means shoring up energy expertise and planning capabilities. The conversion of port areas must go hand in hand with the transformation of activities and revenue sources. Energy and environmental planning documents can become tools for guiding industrial development, moving beyond the conservative approach our research found in several cases.
Renewable energy communities based in or around ports offer a potential response in terms of competitiveness as well. By coordinating the production and consumption of port authorities, terminal operators, and other companies, these communities can help contain electricity costs and make the benefits of the transition more visible. The report identifies one community already operating in the ports of Civitavecchia, Fiumicino, and Gaeta, along with four other initiatives under development.
A simulation for Taranto helps quantify the potential we’re talking about. Using 2021 electricity consumption and prices as a starting point, the researchers model a community with two one-megawatt wind installations and three one-megawatt solar installations. Incentives for shared energy would generate a benefit equivalent to 10–18% of the total electricity bill . This is a scenario estimate, dependent on assumptions about generation, prices, and incentives, rather than savings already achieved or a comprehensive assessment of the investment’s returns. It does, however, provide an indication of the economic scale that is readily understandable to the companies being asked to participate.
Oliviero Baccelli, Susanna Dorigoni , Il ruolo dei porti quali hub energetici: limiti e opportunità di sviluppo , Blue Economy Monitor Report.
