Italy monitoring energy situation, no conditions now for state of alert - minister

MILANO (Reuters) - Italy is monitoring its energy situation in light of the crisis in Ukraine but at present the conditions are not there for a state of alert, Ecology Transition Minister Roberto Cingolani said on Wednesday.

Italy's existing gas emergency protocol envisages three stages going from a state of pre-alert, imposed at the end of February after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, before moving to one of alert and then a state of emergency.

(Reporting by Stephen Jewkes, writing by Sabina Suzzi, editing by Agnieszka Flak)