Roundup: Italians voting in referendum on offshore drilling concessions

Italians were taking part in a national referendum on offshore oil and gas drilling concessions on Sunday.

Some 47 million citizens were eligible to vote in the ballot, which concerned the future of drilling platforms based within 12 nautical miles, or 22 km, of the Italian coast.

The referendum focused on whether such offshore drillings should be stopped when their license has expired.

If the No wins, all operative drillings within the range would continue working until resources in the field are fully exploited. If the Yes prevails, the concerned drillings would stop when their license has expired.

Nine regional governments have promoted the referendum in an attempt to play a greater role in the national energy policy.

Italy's cabinet has said recently new platforms to drill oil and gas within 12 nautical miles of the coast were banned.

However, current on-going drillings within such areas would be allowed to operate until resources in the fields were exhausted, even after the license has naturally expired.

There were 44 drilling concessions within the range, according to Italian official data.

The rule extending all 30-year-long concessions was passed by Prime Minister Matteo Renzi's cabinet in the 2016 budget law last year, and angered the authorities in the regions near the platforms.

The promoters of the referendum argued the drillings would endanger the environment and the tourism industry, without giving any relevant contribution to Italy's energy demand.

They urged the central government to give a greater boost to renewable sources.

Political parties in the government campaigned against the ballot, especially the ruling Democratic Party (PD).

Renzi said he would not vote. It was a clear message, since a national referendum in Italy requires 50 percent plus one of eligible voters to go to polls in order to be valid.

Those against the referendum said ending the drillings before fields were exhausted would deprive the country of a valuable domestic resource of fossil fuel, and damage the employment by putting 11,000 jobs possibly at risk.

"The referendum does not concern new wells, drills, or rigs," Renzi declared in a video message in response to the Yes promoters' campaign.

"But we need energy anyway, and I am in favour of not wasting what we have got".

Italy is much dependant on foreign energy supplies, importing some 90 percent of its oil and gas, according to its official data.

The 44 drilling concessions concerned by the referendum supplied 28.1 percent of Italy's domestic gas production, and 10 percent of its oil production in 2015. They covered some 3 percent of the annual gas demand and 1 percent of the oil demand.

The referendum would run from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.local time, and results might be announced late Sunday night or early Monday morning. Endit