The Italian news agency NOVA reported Thursday that Libya intends to reduce its gas exports to Italy by 25% in the short term to meet the shortage and internal demand and to resolve the country's energy crisis.

The agency said, citing local sources from the Government of National Unity, that the decision was taken due to the shortage of gas for power stations caused by the closures of the fields in the east of the country by armed groups.

Meanwhile, the National Oil Corporation has not issued any announcement regarding the gas that reaches the pipeline linking Libya and the Italian island of Sicily, and it has not yet shown a decrease in the rate of supplies to Italy, according to NOVA.

NOVA said that Eni's director of public affairs, Lapo Pistelli, had confirmed during a hearing before the Italian Senate Industry Committee on safety, supply and reasonable energy prices in the event that Libya really decided to cut supplies to Italy; that this will be primarily a problem for the Libyans, not the Italians, pointing out that Libya in that case will no longer be able to fulfill the international contracts that guarantee its only source of revenue.