Comunicati: Press release

Civitella del Tronto (Teramo), 23 September 2019 – Just a few days after returning to the desks, the program for schools in the areas affected by the 2016 earthquake, promoted by the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Government with the collaboration of Italgas, which donated 1,500 computers for the creation of new computer classrooms to implement the school training offer, is back on track.

Symbolic the choice of the Istituto Comprensivo Civitella-Torricella as the venue for the delivery ceremony of the 140 computers intended for schools in Abruzzo: Civitella del Tronto is in fact among the historic villages most affected by the earthquake of 2016.

The initiative, which is part of the protocol signed last December, was illustrated by the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner, Piero Farabollini, and Italgas’ Head of Institutional Relations and Regulatory Affairs, Nunzio Ferrulli, in the presence of many local mayors and administrators, representatives of the Abruzzo Regional School Office and the school heads of the target schools.

For the Italgas group the project, now in its penultimate stage, is part of a wider program of activities dedicated to the communities and territories where the company is present and operates, with the intention of creating value by offering concrete support to the new generations and more generally to families.

“The objective of reconstruction is also to allow the re-establishment of communities and to do this we must necessarily focus on the young people who must bear witness to it – recalls Commissioner Farabollini – With the Italgas donation, thousands of young people and their families can see the synthesis between memory and future through the medium that connects them par excellence. These computers ideally represent the cultural and social relay needed to look forward with renewed hope. They are a symbol of that network made up of technicians, administrators, politicians and companies that embody the will to do well so that the children connected to the world with these tools remain deeply connected to their mother earth.

“A few days before the start of the new school year – commented Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – we are pleased to be able to reaffirm our commitment to the territory and the communities served. Even today we want to offer concrete support to young people, school leaders and teachers for the development of curricula that can integrate and deepen issues such as digitization and technological innovation, which are now central to the world of work. Alongside our constant commitment to the continuous improvement of the quality and safety of our services, we want to support the reconstruction of the areas affected by the earthquake by focusing on the new generations and the development of skills and knowledge”.

To date Italgas has distributed 1,160 of the 1,500 computers for the areas affected by the 2016 earthquake. After Lazio, Marche and Abruzzo, the last stage will be in October in Umbria.

Milan, 16 September 2019 – Italgas has been included for the first time in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World. This index globally assesses the capability of the largest listed companies to address the major issues of sustainability

Italgas is the only Italian utility in the gas distribution sector included in DJSI World, the third in the world with the Spanish Naturgy and the Japanese Osaka Gas.

This year, the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World is made up of 318 companies, out of a total of more than 3,500 invited to participate. With Italgas in 2019, three other Italian companies were included, bringing the number of Italian companies to 12.

After the recent confirmation in the FTSE4Good, another important recognition for Italgas’ business model inspired by criteria of environmental, social and economic sustainability and focused on constant interaction with the territory of reference. A further sign for the stakeholders of the company’s ability to create value in the medium to long term.

Milan, 11 September 2019 – Italgas has been confirmed for the third year in a row in the FTSE4Good Index Series, an index that brings together at a global level the best companies able to stand out for their attention to sustainable economic development.

The review, focused on ESG (Environment, Society and Governance) criteria, determined an evaluation of Italgas’ sustainable performance of 3.7 out of a maximum of 5 points.

A score that recognises the value of the company’s best practices and rewards the company’s commitment by placing it above the average for the gas distribution sector (2.5), the utilities sector (2.8) and, more generally, the national average (3.6).

With respect to the three pillars of sustainability, stand out the maximum evaluations obtained with respect to the items “Anticorruption”, “Corporate Governance”, “Labour Standards” and “Human Rights & Community.

The inclusion proves Italgas’ continuous commitment to a sustainable development based on company leadership in interaction with the social context, aimed at creating opportunities based on the principle of shared value.

Created by the global index company FTSE Russel, FTSE4Good is an equity index series that is designed to facilitate investment in companies that meet globally recognised corporate responsibility standards. Companies in the FTSE4Good Index Series have met stringent environmental, social and governance criteria, and are positioned to capitalise on the benefits of responsible business practice.

Milan, 5 September 2019 – Italgas Chief Executive Officer Paolo Gallo met today in Milan Allen Blue, co-founder of LinkedIn, in Italy for a two-day of events.

Focus of the meeting the themes of innovation, digital transformation of networks and business processes, as well as the role and potential of the main professional network for a company like Italgas, leader in Italy in the distribution industry, strongly oriented towards technological innovation and continuous strengthening of the digital mind-set of its people.

With over 4,000 employees, Italgas manages 7.6 million users in over 1,800 municipalities, used by more than one third of the gas distribution market in Italy.

Paris, 28 June 2019 – Paolo Gallo, Italgas CEO and Edouard Sauvage, GRDF CEO, have signed today a Memorandum of Undestanding (Mou) to strengthen their partnership for the development of joint activities and the exchange of knowledge and experience in network management.

The agreement was signed at the opening of the 2^nd France-Italy Energy Forum currently taking place at the Italian Embassy in France which brought together energy experts from both countries under the theme of carbon neutrality.

GRDF and Italgas, leaders respectively in France and Italy in the natural gas distribution sector and among the main players in Europe. Together provide the service to about 19 million consumers and manage over 270,000 kilometres of networks.

The cooperation between the two companies will be based on an intense activity of knowledge sharing of solutions and methods applied to the natural gas distribution sector with particular reference to the following areas:

• Network development, digitisation and smart metering
• Gas distribution network safety
• Grid connection process and regulation
• Development of biogas
• Research & Development & Innovations, such Power-to-Gas technologies and Hydrogen injection into the grid
• Development of natural/renewable gas sustainable mobility.

The sharing of experiences will be developed in many forms including the organization of bilateral consultations, technical workshops and learning experience missions, also using the Digital Factory Italgas, which will lead to the exchange of technical staff and middle managers in order to promote the direct learning of solutions and methods applied in the management of their distribution systems.

Paolo Gallo, Italgas CEO, said:

“This agreement paves the way for important growth prospects for our sector, which has a key role to play in the process of decarbonising the economy. Together we will encourage the development of technologies to transform the way we manage our networks, making our work more efficient and improving the quality and safety of the service we provide to our communities. Italgas and GRDF further strengthen their leadership in Europe, becoming more and more a point of reference for the sector and for the many countries that more recently began to develop gas infrastructures and that look to us to borrow cutting-edge technologies”.

 

Edouard Sauvage, GRDF CEO, underlined :

“The development of renewable gas is a real challenge for the energy transition. GRDF believes in the strength of partnerships. This agreement, signed between two gas distribution European leaders such as Italgas and GRDF will enable us to work towards innovative solutions, particularly in the field of renewable natural gas development, the circular economy and innovation.“

 

About Italgas

Italgas is the leading natural gas distribution operator in Italy and the third in Europe. With 4,000 employees, it manages a distribution network that covers approximately 70,000 km. Last year Italgas distributed round 9 billion cubic metres of gas to 7.6 million customers. Since November 2016, the Company is listed in the FTSE MIB index of the Italian stock exchange.

 

About GRDF

GRDF is the leading manager of natural gas distribution networks in France, GRDF distributes natural gas each day to more than 11 million customers to ensure that they have gas when they need it, regardless of their supplier. This convenient, affordable, comfortable, and modern source of energy enables people to heat their homes, cook, and get around. To provide this public service, GRDF builds, operates, and maintains the largest transmission network in Europe (200,715 km) and develops it in more than 9,500 municipalities while ensuring the safety of people and property, as well as high-quality distribution.

Treia (Macerata), 24 May 2019 – Italgas and Extraordinary Government Commissioner for the Central Italy earthquake in support of schools in the areas affected by the 2016 earthquake. Today, during a ceremony at the Municipal Theatre of Treia, 830 of the 1,500 computers for the schools of the seismic crater of Abruzzo, Marche, Lazio and Umbria were handed over to the Regional School Office of Marche. They are going to compose about 50 new computer classrooms in some of the most damaged areas of the Marche region.

The initiative, which is part of the protocol signed last December, was illustrated by the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Government, Piero Farabollini, and by the Head of Institutional Relations and Regulatory Affairs of Italgas, Nunzio Ferrulli, the Deputy Prefectural Commissioner of Treia, Francesco Senesi, many mayors and administrators of the municipalities of the province, representatives of the Regional School Office of the Marche Region and the school heads of the target schools.

They received the donation, representing the schools, the students of the Istituto Comprensivo “Egisto Paladini” of Treia, winners of the “Vito Scafidi” award for the project “Safety at School” with which, after the earthquake 2016, they became proximity informers on the seismic risk in the adult community.

“This is an important opportunity to emphasize that the earthquake not only crumbles places, but also identities and that rebuilding is also regenerating sociality and prospects – commented Piero Farabollini, to whom the children also asked questions about the earthquake in his dual role as Commissioner for Reconstruction and geologist – With the Italgas donation, thousands of children and their families can see the synthesis between memory and future through the medium that connects them par excellence. These PCs are a symbol of that network made up of technicians, administrators, politicians and companies that embody the will to do well so that children connected to the world with these tools remain deeply connected to their mother earth”

For the Italgas Group, the donation is part of the broader framework of initiatives through which the company contributes to creating value for the territories in which it is present and operates on a daily basis. This commitment is in line with the significant investment programmes carried out in those areas and designed to constantly improve the level of quality of service offered to the communities.

“Working with and for the territory has been part of Italgas’ DNA since its foundation almost two centuries ago – commented Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – We are therefore proud to be able to contribute to creating value for the communities of the Marche region, not only through the efficient daily management of the natural gas distribution service that has always distinguished us, but also through an initiative that provides concrete help to schools and will allow them to trigger a virtuous path by offering students more opportunities for growth and development of skills. After Lazio, today we have arrived in the Marches, one of the regions affected by the earthquake of 2016, and we hope to complete the donation as soon as possible in the schools of Abruzzo and Umbria”.

Thessaloniki, 23 May 2019 – EDA THESS, aiming at improving the services provided to its customers and the network’s safety, entered into a consultancy agreement with Italgas, the most important Italian company in the sector and one of the largest in Europe.

The agreement was signed by EDA THESS’ General Manager, Mr. Leonidas Bakouras and Italgas’ Chief Commercial Officer, Mr. Pier Lorenzo Dell’Orco in the areas of IT systems, smart metering, construction, operation and maintenance and digitization of natural gas distribution network.

Relying on Italgas, a company with a high level of know-how, EDA Thess will enhance the level of services and tools to manage and further develop its distribution network in line with the needs of the communities served.

For Italgas, this agreement is an important acknowledgement of its expertise and best practices in the management of natural gas distribution networks, developed over 180 years. The collaboration will allow Italgas to support the development of a leading Greek operator, by sharing the outcomes of its innovation and digitization plan, and will further strengthen its international leadership following the recent partnership signed with other major world players.

The agreement provides, among other things, for the evaluation of possible opportunities for joint development in China and the promotion of the most innovative companies in the gas distribution industry. The agreement was signed on the occasion of the visit by Prime Minister Mr. Giuseppe Conte to the Chinese Prime Minister Mr. Li Keqiang 

 

Beijing, 28 April 2019 – Italgas today has signed a memorandum of understanding with the State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC), the world’s largest energy utility, to evaluate possible joint initiatives in the natural gas distribution sector.

The agreement was signed at the State residence of Diaoyutai on the occasion of the visit of the Italian Prime Minister Mr. Giuseppe Conte to the Prime Minister of the People’s Republic of China Mr. Li Keqiang, by Italgas CEO, Mr. Paolo Gallo, and by Mr. Xin BaoAn, CEO of State Grid Corporation of China.

The initiatives under consideration include, among others:

• the mutual sharing of knowledge, solutions and methods applied to the energy sector;
• an in-depth analysis of the respective best practices in the field of sustainable development, with particular reference to social responsibility, environmental protection, energy efficiency and welfare;
• the promotion in China of the most innovative Italian companies operating in the natural gas distribution sector;
• analysis by areas of interest aimed at identifying potential opportunities for collaboration in the gas distribution sector and its use for sustainable mobility.

“The important growth that Italgas has recorded in recent years – commented Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – is also measured by the importance of international partnerships that we are rapidly developing to strengthen our leadership in Italy and Europe. The agreement with State Grid Corporation of China is a reason for pride, not only because of the institutional framework in which it was signed, but also because it is a recognition of our leadership in the gas distribution sector and our ability to innovate and allows us to compare our best practices with the operations of the world’s largest utility and to be the ambassadors in China of our industry. In addition to evaluating possible joint development opportunities, in fact, we will be engaged in promoting the best Italian manufacturing companies active in the natural gas distribution sector”.

Brussels, February 18^th 2019 – Dan Pantilie, CEO of Distrigaz Sud Retele (Romania), Gabriel Sousa, CEO of Galp Gás Natural Distribuição (Portugal), Edouard Sauvage, CEO of GRDF (France), Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas (Italy) and Nuria Rodriguez Peinado, CEO of Nedgia (Spain) met Dominique Ristori, Director General for Energy to the European Commission, to discuss how natural and renewable gas can contribute to decarbonize the European economy.

Newly-founded as a European association, GD4S – Gas Distributors for Sustainability calls for a better acknowledgment of innovative gas solutions and existing gas distribution infrastructure in the European decarbonization vision.

The CEOs welcomed the EU Long-Term emission reduction strategy and recalled that the energy mix of the future needs several pillars, including gas, to ensure balance and resilience. Gas energy carrier and distribution grids have indeed key advantages:

• ability to store huge amount of renewable energy and redeliver it during daily or seasonal peak;
• 2 million km of existing grid that are a cost-effective, ready-to-use and low-disruption tool to connect local renewable energy producers to local customers throughout Europe.

Gas distribution grids are a unique and already available European asset that thanks to renewable gas can be used to decarbonize the European economy. Therefore, GD4S calls the Commission to put sector coupling at the centre of its strategy, to effectively combine the benefits of both electricity and gas.

Recalling their commitments in helping the EU to fulfil its climate objectives and the energy efficiency as first principle, the five CEOs have emphasised that gas is an efficient and affordable solution to energy transition, especially in regions with most economic difficulties. Other energy sources, with a higher carbon content and a lower efficiency, should be reduced in order to reach the energy and climate objectives. It’s a way to promote a circular economy.

Regarding the expected revision of the internal gas market in 2020, the CEOs emphasized key requests to allow DSOs to participate in the building of a greener, more decentralized and digitalized network:

• The creation of a specific EU Gas DSO entity to guarantee the equal representation of gas and electricity in the construction of European rules, working closely with the EU electricity DSO entity on several subjects, such as cybersecurity or sector coupling;
• The introduction of renewable gas objectives to accelerate the greening of the gas network: a general binding 2030 objective for the EU and indicative for Member States to integrate renewable gas in the EU gas network, accompanied by sectorial indicatives objectives for heating, cooling and transports would be key drivers for the development of clean gases.

GD4S believes in the potential of renewable gas as a credible solution for the future of the EU energy system and its decarbonization.

The Gas Distributors for Sustainability (GD4S coalition), brings together the five largest gas distribution system operators (DSOs) in France, Italy, Spain, Romania and Portugal. Together we have 86% of gas vehicles in the EU and our companies represent 25 million customers in Europe. Together, we are committed to participate in the EU clean energy and clean mobility and we aim at raising awareness on the potential of natural gas and biogas.

Contact – | contact@gd4s.eu

Milan, 27 December 2018 – Italgas, leader in gas distribution in Italy and Europe, has obtained UNI ISO 37001:2016 “anti-corruption” certification for the holding company Italgas S.p.A. and its subsidiary Italgas Reti S.p.A.

The certification, which was established on a voluntary basis and issued by the independent body DNV-GL, required a long and thorough audit process of the management system for the prevention and contrast of corruption, which recognized the solidity of a business model inspired by the principles of integrity, sustainability and transparency towards all stakeholders.

Italgas’ CEO, Paolo Gallo, commented on obtaining the certification, noting that “for a company that operates in more than 1,700 municipalities and with 7.5 million users served, the fight against corruption must be an unavoidable element of daily activity. And this certification represents a further confirmation of the Italgas Group’s commitment to supporting legality and transparency in the performance of all operational activities and a demonstration of great responsibility towards the market and all stakeholders”.