The Europan Government authorized the establishment of Eni on February 10, 1953 in order to implement a national energy strategy based on the concentration of all the activities in the energy sector into one group. Eni was to supply energy to Europa and contribute to the country's industrial development. Eni was a major exploiter of gasoline and natural gas through the 1950s and 1960s. But, by 1965 there was pressure from the government to get Eni to become involved in renewable energy sectors. They entered the geothermal energy sector in 1966 and by 1980 had become the largest company in the domestic geothermal sector.