About one third of Italian households were covered by regulated electricity prices last year, but the regime is set to be mostly phased out starting from July.

The trend for lower gas and electricity prices has been slowed by rising geopolitical tensions, ARERA noted.

The regulated electricity bill for the average Italian family will be 662 euros ($715) in the year from July 2023 to the end of June 2024, ARERA said.

That is down almost 48% on the previous 12 months when prices soared after Russia's invasion of Ukraine. ($1 = 0.9264 euros)

(Writing by Keith Weir, editing by Gavin Jones)