Comunicati: Press release

Milan, December 1, 2023 – Italgas has, for the third consecutive year, achieved the prestigious “Gold Standard” recognition within the report of the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO), published by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the support of the European Commission. The report, presented today in Dubai during COP28, provides a detailed analysis of methane emissions data provided by companies under OGMP2.0, evaluating progress towards reducing these emissions.

The recognition was granted due to Italgas’ continued commitment to monitor and reduce methane emissions, highlighting the considerable expertise gained in their measurement, especially through the adoption of innovative technologies. Moreover, the report emphasized how Italgas has presented one of the most ambitious implementation plans in the distribution sector.

Italgas has demonstrated commitment to reducing methane emissions through the implementation of cutting-edge solutions, such as Picarro’s CRDS (Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy) technology. This technology offers significant advantages in terms of speed, sensitivity, and comprehensiveness of control compared to traditional methodologies.

Furthermore, the report acknowledges Italgas’s leadership role in the sector, promoting proactive behaviors aimed at reducing emissions, not only within its own company but also among other sector operators.

The “An Eye on Methane” report is based on data collected in the third year of implementation of the OGMP 2.0 initiative, the framework introduced by UNEP in 2020 for monitoring and reporting methane emissions.

Paris, November 29, 2023 – Italgas unveiled today in Paris the world’s most cutting-edge ‘H2 ready’ smart meter. This technological gem enables Italgas networks to efficiently accommodate, distribute, and measure various types of gases, including blending among them.

 

The unveiling took place during the 2023 edition of Enlit Europe, an international event focused on global energy agenda themes, currently held in Paris this year. In this international setting, Pier Lorenzo Dell’Orco, CEO of Italgas RETI (the main operating company of the Italgas Group), unveiled Nimbus, the future smart meter developed in-house by Italgas RETI in collaboration with Bludigit, the group’s tech company.

Nimbus – explained Pier Lorenzo Dell’Orco, CEO of Italgas RETI – is the outcome of intensive research, design, and development efforts where we leveraged the significant know-how gained during these years of comprehensive digital transformation of assets and processes. We are aware that we have achieved a new technological leap, allowing us not only to confirm our global benchmark status but above all to contribute to consumption decarbonization targets by enabling a more efficient distribution of renewable gases. Nimbus, an all-Italian project, will be the new offering for the international distribution market, bringing us closer to the net-zero economy and offering a range of innovative functions for integrated service management.”

“The new ‘H2 ready’ meter, featuring a modular and incredibly compact design, will push the boundaries of technology, excelling in performance, safety, and sustainability. Among its key components stand out:

• A gas flow measurement system using static, particularly thermo-mass-based technology, compatible with natural gas and methane-hydrogen blends of over 20%.
• A seismic sensor and an external temperature detection sensor capable of interrupting gas supply in the event of seismic activities and fires, enabling data sharing with authorities responsible for territorial security.
• Specific anti-tampering solutions promptly detecting attempts to manipulate or disconnect the device.
• Communication modules utilizing NB-IoT and LoRaWAN technologies as primary networks, alongside an additional backup channel employing mesh technology. This backup channel enables a meter to transmit data even without a signal by leveraging connectivity with the nearest smart meter. The aim is to maximize field tele-reading and remote management performance.
• An expected lifespan of at least 15 years for all components of the device, including the operational batteries, significantly surpassing the current commercially available smart meters.
• Use of recycled materials.

 

The initial 20,000 units of Nimbus will be installed and operational within the upcoming weeks, with the large-scale installation across Italgas’ 8 million customers set to commence in the second half of 2025.

 

Nimbus signifies an advanced platform for a new meter-to-cash service offering tailored to the gas distribution sector.

 

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The images and the video of the Nimbus presentation
are available by scanning this QR code

Athens, October 5^th, 2023 – Italgas Group announced the successful completion of the corporate simplification process related to its operational presence in Greece.

 

Specifically, the merger by incorporation of EDA Thess and EDA Attikis, both subsidiaries of Depa Infrastructure Group into DEDA (Public Gas Distribution Company S.A.) has been finalized.

 

As a result of this merger, DEDA is responsible for the development and management of the gas distribution service in all regions of Greece where the Depa Infrastructure Group operates. It currently manages approximately 7,700 km of network and serves over half a million customers.

 

Following the merger, the Shareholders’ Assembly of DEDA has renewed the Board of Directors and appointed Alessandro Menna as the President of the company. Subsequently, the Board of Directors has appointed Francesca Zanninotti as the Chief Executive Officer.

 

Francesca Zanninotti, a management engineer, brings extensive expertise in the gas distribution sector. She has previously served as the CEO of DEDA and EDA Thess, as well as the CEO of Medea, the Italgas Group subsidiary overseeing Sardinia methanization, and AcamGas in Liguria.

Milan, September 7, 2023 – Italgas S.p.A. has obtained the UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification for gender equality, which recognizes the ability of organizations to adopt a systemic approach and cultural change capable of creating inclusive and equal working environments.

The important result, achieved after an intensive internal audit process, was attested by DNV, an independent body operating in more than one hundred countries for certification, assurance and risk management services.

The organization’s inclusiveness and respect for gender equality were ascertained through the assessment of six specific areas: culture and strategy, governance, HR processes, opportunities for growth and inclusion of women in the company, gender remuneration equity, protection of parenthood and work-life balance.

With the UNI/PdR 125:2022 certification, Italgas reaches another important milestone on the path towards the creation of an increasingly inclusive work environment, capable of valuing the diversity of people and enabling them to develop their potential.

“Gender equality – explained Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – is a goal we have set ourselves for some time. A focus that in the latest Strategic Plan, presented last June, has been translated into even more ambitious targets, in terms of number of positions of responsibility and equal pay. These targets are part of a sustainable growth path that relies on the irreplaceable driving force of motivated people in harmony with the context”.

Gender Equality is one of the 17 Sustainable Development Goals set by the UN (Goal 5), which is also supported by PNRR Mission 5.

Milan, 27 July 2023 – The Italgas stock has been confirmed for the seventh consecutive year as part of the FTSE4Good Index Series, which globally groups the best companies distinguished for their commitment to sustainable economic development.

The current review has resulted in a sustainable performance rating of Italgas at 4.3 points (out of a maximum of 5), an improvement compared to the previous score of 4.2.

The achieved result places Italgas above the Italian companies’ average and above the international sector average, confirming the Group’s strong commitment to people’s well-being, the protection of the planet, and the promotion of partnerships for sustainable development – the pillars of its Sustainable Value Creation Plan.

Milan, 7 February 2023 – Italgas has been included for the fourth consecutive year in the Sustainability Yearbook, the annual publication by S&P Global that collects best practices, experiences, case histories from world’s top sustainability leaders.

Italgas also confirmed its leadership with inclusion in the ‘Top 1% S&P Global ESG Score’ category, thanks to its excellent performance.

The result was achieved after the Corporate Sustainability Assessment (CSA) conducted in 2022: 708 companies, out of 7,800 assessed, were included in the Sustainability Yearbook 2023 based on their ESG scores.

This achievement is further confirmation of Italgas’ focus on the key criteria of sustainability, environmental, social and governance, as well as its commitment to achieving targets to reduce the carbon footprint and energy consumption associated with its activities.

Milan, 14 December 2022 – The Board of Directors of Italgas today approved the 2022-2028 Sustainable Value Creation Plan, “Builders of the Future”, which sets concrete actions and ambitious targets for the creation of value for the Group’s stakeholders and for the territories in which it operates; the document is part of the trajectory already traced by the 2022-2028 Strategic Plan of 8.6 billion euros of investments. Along with the Value Creation Plan, the “Driving innovation for energy transition” report was also presented to the BoD. It explores the relationship between Italgas Group’s business and the impacts associated with climate change in line with the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-Related Financial Disclosure (TCFD).¹

The two documents, produced in line with international frameworks and best practices, provide further evidence of how sustainability for Italgas it’s not just an integral part of strategic development, but a founding element and pivot of actions aimed at achieving the targets set by the REPowerEu.

“Builders of the Future” is structured around three pillars – planet, people and partnership – to which correspond specific lines of action with clear commitments, measurable targets and expected medium and long-term results. Results to be achieved by leveraging strategic drivers such as technological innovation, circular economy, training, diversity and inclusion.

Targets set to 2028 include the creation of a 100% hydrogen-ready distribution network, the production of 200 tons of hydrogen through the future Power to Gas plant in Sestu (Cagliari) – demonstrating the validity of the solution for transportation and industrial and residential uses – the involvement of 18,000 citizens in energy transition training activities, and the global assessment of more than 3,000 startups and SMEs for possible collaborations.

In “Driving innovation for energy transition”, Italgas discloses its strong commitment to decarbonization of both its own business, with a “Net Zero Carbon Goal” to 2050, and the territories in which it operates, managing the opportunities (and risks) related to climate change in the best possible way, through the drivers of digital transformation and energy efficiency, also at the service of the customers of the Group’s ESCo, Geoside.

Italgas CEO, Paolo Gallo, explained: “For years, sustainability has been considered an almost abstract concept, with respect to which to adjust business strategies and objectives but without a direct correlation to real development. A short-sighted and distant vision from the idea of concrete actions and interventions that make sustainability the main driver to reach the goal of the net zero economy. At Italgas we have been working on this for some time in the awareness that whatever we can measure we can also manage. The two new documents go precisely in this direction: providing a detailed map within which we can move according to precise coordinates and intermediate goals”.

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¹Established in 2015 by the Financial Stability Board – https://www.fsb-tcfd.org/

Milan, 13 December 2022 – Italgas is confirmed as one of the leading companies worldwide for its commitment in the fight against climate change.

In fact, the Company was included for the first time Italgas in the “A-list” of CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) that groups sustainability leaders worldwide based on transparency and performance on climate change. The result is based on the data reported through CDP’s 2022 Climate Change questionnaire and marks the second consecutive year of improvement for Italgas.

This year CDP analysed more than 15,000 companies worldwide investigating the topic of climate change, forests and water security. Only 330 of them achieved the ‘A-level’ of which 283 for climate change and 6 in Italy¹. CDP assessment considers the comprehensiveness of disclosure, awareness and management of environmental risks and demonstration of best practices associated with environmental leadership, including setting of ambitious targets.

The rating improvement is a further recognition of the Company’s strong focus on environmental targets that the 2022-2028 Strategic Plan, presented to the market last June, revised upwards (-34% in Scope 1 and 2 gas emissions, -30% in Scope 3 emissions, -27% in energy consumption by 2028, baseline 2020, net Zero by 2050).

The positive outcome of the CDP survey follows the recent affirmation of Italgas in the Dow Jones Sustainability Indexes Europe and World, thanks to first place for the Gas Utilities sector in the S&P Global CSA with a score of 91 points out of 100.

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¹of which 5 for climate change

The Company is in first place of the 46 companies included in the Gas Utilities Industry

Milan, 10 December 2022 – Italgas positions at the top of sustainability worldwide. The Company has been indeed confirmed for the second year in a row in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe and for the fourth consecutive year in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World. The two indexes, managed by S&P Global, include companies that have excelled in Europe and globally on sustainability topics.

1^st in the Gas Utilities Industry. Out of 46¹ companies assessed in the Gas Utilities Industry in the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment in 2022, Italgas received the highest score, further improving on last year’s one (91 points out of 100, score date: 18 Novembre 2022).

The result achieved demonstrates the Group’s continuous effort aimed at improving all aspects related to sustainability, whether of an environmental, social or governance nature.

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¹Companies in the Gas Utilities Industry assessed by S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment so far in 2022