Italian regulators fine A2A and micro-mobility operators

Italian regulatory authorities have issued significant fines against major companies in the energy and micro-mobility sectors.

Arera, the regulatory authority for energy, networks, and the environment, fined A2A 5 million euros for violating REMIT regulations. The authority found that in 2022, the company used an offering strategy with certain combined-cycle production units to artificially influence electricity market prices. This conduct allowed the company to benefit from higher monthly average prices. A2A contested the ruling, arguing its strategy was aimed at system reserves and that the regulator's interpretation was incompatible with EU frameworks, but Arera rejected these defenses.

Separately, the Italian Competition Authority (Antitrust) imposed a total of 2.675 million euros in fines on micro-mobility operators Lime, Dott, and Bird. The sanctions stem from difficulties users faced when attempting to access free rides provided through Metrebus annual subscriptions in Rome. Lime received the largest fine of 1.4 million euros due to slow response times in activating benefits. Dott was fined 525,000 euros for organizational issues, and Bird was fined 750,000 euros for both activation difficulties and improper account deactivations.