Italy readies guarantee to allow companies to defer energy bills

MILAN (Reuters) - Italy's credit export agency SACE said on Monday that it would start giving guarantees to allow companies to defer their energy bills.

Under the scheme, Italian companies would be able to pay their energy bills in instalments of up to 24 months, state-controlled SACE said in a statement.

(Reporting by Francesca Landini and Giuseppe Fonte; Editing by Chris Reese)