Comunicati: Press release

Milan, December 19, 2019 – Italgas, leader in gas distribution in Italy and Europe, has obtained, for the second consecutive year, the UNI ISO 37001:2016 certification “Management systems for the prevention of corruption” for the holding company Italgas S.p.A., also obtaining its extension to the “anti-corruption governance” of all Group companies, as well as for the subsidiary Italgas Reti S.p.A.

The management system for preventing and combating corruption, adopted on a voluntary basis, has been verified by the independent certification body DNV GL – Business Assurance. After in-depth analyses that have confirmed the adequacy and compliance of the management system with the requirements of the above mentioned standard and its effective application.

The delivery of 37001 certificates took place today during a meeting in Milan, at Italgas headquarters, in the presence of Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo and DNV GL Business Assurance Italia S.r.l. CEO Stefano Crea.

“For a company like ours – commented Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – the commitment to fight corruption is essential and permeates our daily operations as well as the activities more closely related to the core business. With the confirmation of the certification and its extension to the governance of all Group companies, we are emphasising our attention to the issues of legality, transparency and corporate responsibility and provide a further important signal of integrity to the market and to the more than 1,800 municipalities and 7.6 million users with whom we come into contact every day”.

 

Stefano Crea added: “Italgas represents a business model that perfectly matches the values promoted by DNV GL: trust and reliability, quality and integrity, innovation, ability to team up, care for its stakeholders, strong propensity for innovation and ability to achieve results.  We congratulate a group whose solidity and attention to improvement make it an absolute reference in its sector on a global level and which places management systems – whose principles are applied at all levels of the organization – as one of the cornerstones of its way of doing business“.

Rome, 13 December 2019 – State Police and Italgas today signed a cooperation agreement on the security of information systems and services of particular importance for the country.

The agreement, signed by the Chief of Police – Director General of Public Security Franco Gabrielli and the CEO of Italgas, Paolo Gallo, falls within the scope of the directives issued by the Minister of the Interior to strengthen the prevention of cybercrime through the signing of agreements with operators providing essential services in strategic sectors of the country.

The Postal and Communications Police is, in fact, daily committed to guaranteeing the integrity and functionality of the informatics network of the structures of strategic level for the Country through the National Anti-Crime Informatics Centre for the Protection of the Critical Infrastructures.

Italgas is the main operator in Italy and the third in Europe in the gas distribution sector, operating in over 1,800 municipalities and managing a network that covers a total of over 71,000 kilometres serving 7.6 million users. IT and physical and digital infrastructure security is therefore central to the activities that Italgas carries out every day in the service of the country.

Among the collaboration initiatives provided for by the agreement are the sharing and analysis of information useful for the prevention of possible attacks, the exchange of reports of incidents aimed at identifying possible threats to Italgas infrastructure, an adequate flow of communication aimed at dealing with possible crisis situations.

The agreement represents a significant step in the collaboration between the State Police and Italgas, an important tool for the creation of an effective system to combat cybercrime, based on information sharing and operational cooperation.

At the signing of the convention were also present for the Department of Public Security, the Central Director for the Traffic, Railway, Communications and Special Departments of the Armando Forgione State Police and the Director of the Postal and Communications Police Service Nunzia Ciardi.

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”.