Comunicati: Press release

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”.

Cittaducale (Rieti), December 20, 2018 – The first computer room with 25 computers donated by Italgas is now available to the students of the Galilei Comprehensive Institute of Cittaducale. It is the result of Italgas’ commitment to support schools in the municipalities of central Italy affected by the earthquake just a few days after signing the agreement with the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner for the earthquake in central Italy.

Today another 165 computers – of the 1,500 destined for the most affected territories in the Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria regions – have been delivered to the Territorial School Office in Rieti, which will assign them to the institutes already identified for the creation of new computer classrooms.

The meeting with the students was attended by the Extraordinary Commissioner of the Government, Piero Farabollini and the Head of Institutional Relations and Regulatory Affairs of Italgas, Nunzio Ferrulli, as well as the Mayor of Cittaducale, Leonardo Ranalli, the Deputy Mayor of Cantalice, Claudio Baldini, and the manager of the Regional School Office of the Province of Rieti, Giovanni Lorenzini.

In the coming weeks Italgas and the structure of the Extraordinary Commissioner, in collaboration with the Regional School Offices and the mayors of the municipalities in the area, will identify the other schools that will receive personal computers.

“Donating computer classrooms is a concrete way, in line with the sensitivity and expectations of young people, to contribute to the return to normality which is made of memory as well as perspectives – says the Commissioner for Reconstruction Piero Farabollini – These PCs are not a drop in the ocean because they will not only bring the children of the earthquake areas back in contact with the world, but also to give adequate technological support to that knowledge without which one does not become great”.

For the Italgas Group, the activity is part of the wider framework of interventions that the company, in its bicentennial history, has always addressed to the territories and communities in which it operates. In fact, in the four regions affected by the initiative, Italgas has planned investments of over 120 million euros for the maintenance and safety of gas distribution networks.

“For those who have experienced the drama of an earthquake – commented Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – the time factor is a determining factor. For this reason, just as we have always worked to mitigate the inconvenience caused by seismic tremors, this time too, with the delivery of these first 190 computers, we wanted to give a concrete follow-up to the commitment made. As a service company operating in and for the territory, we want to do our part to continue to contribute to the growth and social and cultural development of communities. Today we start from the Galilei Institute and we count on proceeding just as quickly for the schools of the other municipalities involved”.

Rome, December 5, 2018 – Italgas signed today, during a press conference held at the Chamber of Deputies, an agreement with the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner for the earthquake in Central Italy to donate 1,500 computers to secondary schools in the earthquake-stricken municipalities of Abruzzo, Lazio, Marche and Umbria,

At the signing of the deed between the Extraordinary Commissioner, Piero Farabollini, and the CEO of Italgas, Paolo Gallo, the Hon. Tullio Patassini, deputy from the Marche region, and the Deputy Vice President of ANCI, Hon. Roberto Pella.

In the coming weeks Italgas and the Commissarial structure, in collaboration with the mayors of the municipalities in the area, will identify the schools that will receive the personal computers.

The Italgas Group has always been close to the territory and, since the beginning of its industrial history, has contributed to the growth and social and cultural development of the communities in which it operates.

The initiative signed today is in fact the first step of a wider plan aimed at local realities that will start next year and will involve the municipalities in which the Group operates. Moreover, in the areas affected by the earthquake, in addition to what has already been done in previous years, Italgas plans to invest over 120 million euros in the maintenance and safety of gas distribution networks, especially with a view to preventing the consequences of earthquakes.

“The document signed today – commented Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – is a testimony to the great attention we have always paid to the local communities in which we operate. In the municipalities affected by the earthquakes we have been working from the outset to contain the difficulties resulting from the seismic tremors. The work carried out in Ussita, Camerino and many other municipalities has allowed citizens to get gas back into their homes as quickly as possible, reducing inconvenience to a minimum. By donating these computers we will contribute to the creation of computer classrooms in the schools of those territories, thus offering a concrete tool to boys and girls who legitimately aspire to the right level of training without being forced to long transfers to attend the equipped schools of the neighboring regions”.

“The earthquake not only crumbles places but also identities,”stressed the Government’s Extraordinary Commissioner, Piero Farabollini. “To rebuild, therefore, is also to regenerate the sociality and prospects of our communities in the Apennines, which have been the cradle of civilisation and the civil and moral history of Italy. Through the Italgas donation, the synthesis between memory and the future is realized for thousands of young people and their families. It does so through the medium that connects par excellence and that we want to consider as a symbol of that network made up of technicians, administrators, politicians and companies that embody the will to do and do well so that the children who will be connected to the world with these tools will remain deeply connected to their mother earth”.

Portofino, 24 November 2018 – As of today, the Portofino gas network is once again connected to the national gas transportation and distribution system. This is thanks to the realization of a temporary by-pass that will allow to exclude the section of the network between Punta della Cervara and Punta Bagno delle Donne, damaged by the bad weather of the past weeks, and will guarantee the supply of the distribution network until the realization of a new pipeline laid on a different route.

The temporary by-pass, made of polyethylene, extends for about 1,100 meters and starts from Cervara and reaches the parking area of Paraggi passing along a path through the woods.

Until the commissioning of the aforementioned by-pass, Italgas has in any case guaranteed continuity of service to residents through the use of so-called “cylinder-packs”, special methane containers at a pressure of about 200 bar, transported by sea.

In parallel with the construction of the temporary by-pass, Italgas has started the authorization process for the laying of a new gas pipeline along a roadway that is more internal than the previous one at Punta della Cervara damaged by the sea storm. Its construction, which will require several months of work, will allow the restoration of a definitive connection of Portofino to the national natural gas transmission and distribution network.

Milan, 14 October 2018 – The Italian Prime Minister, Giuseppe Conte, has visited today the Italgas headquarters in Milan together with the Company’s Chief Executive Officer, Paolo Gallo.

The meeting was also attended by the President of the Lombardy Region, Attilio Fontana, the State Under Secretary for Regional Affairs, Stefano Buffagni, and the Chairman of Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, Massimo Tononi. The visit was an opportunity to illustrate to the Prime Minister the characteristics of gas distribution sector, its development perspectives, the challenges of innovation and the strategies of Italgas.

Paolo Gallo has retraced the main pillars of Italgas 2018-2024 Strategic Plan, which provides for investments of 5.6 billion euros; a plan that has among its main targets the consolidation of the sector, in which today there are more than 200 operators, mostly small and very small, which will see Italgas as a leading actor

In addition, the other major challenge of the Strategic Plan is the technological innovation to which Italgas has allocated 800 million euros for the digitization of the network and processes; a project that will produce major improvements in terms of infrastructure management, efficiency and quality of service.

The Prime Minister has visited the new spaces dedicated to technological innovation (“Digital Factory”) where multifunctional teams will develop new IT solutions in Agile and Time-Boxed mode aimed at transforming business processes. This new workplace will involve Italgas staff and will give hospitality and opportunities to the ecosystem of small and medium-sized companies that want to develop, with the support of the company, highly innovative technologies and tools. Italgas confirms its position as a leading company in the European scenario of gas distributors and as a reference model also in the field of innovation.

«In the last two years – said Paolo Gallo – Italgas is going through an extraordinary change: since its return to the Stock Exchange it has been able to initiate major organizational, technological and cultural transformations. We are investing in people and innovation and today’s visit by the Prime Minister is not only an honour, but for me and the 4,000 people of Italgas it is also a significant demonstration of trust and a confirmation of the merit of the work we are carrying out».

Milan, 1 August 2018 –Italgas has been confirmed in the FTSE4Good series of indices, one of the world’s most prestigious stock exchange indices for assessing corporate social responsibility.

Italgas joined the FTSE4Good index in 2017, following its return to the stock market in November 2016.

The evaluation was carried out as part of the June 2018 review in an independent way, meeting the criteria of the FTSE methodology in the Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) area.

With 88 points out of 100, the result demonstrates Italgas’ commitment to sustainable development based on the company’s leadership in interacting with its social context, aimed at creating opportunities focused on the principle of shared value.