Comunicati: Press release

Italgas in Silicon Valley: meeting at INNOVIT with Energy Start-ups

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San Francisco (USA), September 22, 2023 – As part of the internationalization program promoted by the Italian Innovation Center at INNOVIT, Italgas has officially launched its space in San Francisco and met with a curated selection of startups dedicated to energy and sustainability.

The presentation of the proposals developed by these start-ups took place during an event on the theme “Energy transition – Inventing our decarbonized future”. The aim of the event was to promote interaction between start-ups and established industrial companies and to highlight the commitment and efforts of all stakeholders in the challenge of decarbonization and the pursuit of energy transition.

Introduced by the Italian Consul General in San Francisco, Sergio Strozzi, and moderated by Alberto Acito, Director of the Innovation Center, the event was attended by Italgas CEO, Paolo Gallo. He emphasized the importance of collaboration between Italgas and the technological ecosystem of Silicon Valley, as well as the opportunity for young companies in the acceleration program promoted by INNOVIT to interact with one of the leading international energy companies.

Italgas is no stranger to engaging in the world of innovation, and its various global initiatives (“call for startup”) have allowed the identification of very effective applications, not only within its industrial processes, but also throughout the entire industry. Italgas has provided many of them with the necessary support to maximize the impact of innovations, patent ideas and apply them in other industrial sectors.

“Our efforts,” stated Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas, “have always been directed towards continuous scouting, both in Italy and abroad, for innovative solutions that can improve the performance of our company and, in perspective, the entire gas distribution sector and, consequently, the whole Country. We have decided to go even further by establishing a stable presence at INNOVIT, our technological outpost. We believe in the open innovation approach, which allows companies to grow faster and enhance their competitiveness”.

“Innovation and new technologies are essential for the development of sustainable, safe and accessible energy infrastructures” said Alberto Acito, Director of the Innovation Center. “The opening of Italgas’ Silicon Valley technological outpost at INNOVIT is an important signal for Italian startups in the field of clean technologies. Silicon Valley continues to be the engine of innovation, and I hope that other companies will follow Italgas’ example, both to enter the U.S. market and to accelerate the adoption of new technologies and improve their competitiveness in international markets”.

INNOVIT is promoted by the Directorate General for the Country System of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, in collaboration with the Italian Embassy in Washington and the Consulate General in San Francisco. It is managed with the support of ICE – the Agency for the Promotion of Italian Enterprises Abroad – and the Italian Cultural Institute in San Francisco. Its mission is to stimulate innovative entrepreneurial ideas, catalyze cross-border innovative projects, and accelerate their international development, enabling Italian entities to establish a stable presence in Silicon Valley and across the United States. It is a strategic initiative of the Italian government to promote innovation within the national system in the United States.

Since October 2022, the management of the Italian Innovation Center at INNOVIT has been entrusted to the Giacomo Brodolini Foundation, a think-and-do tank for innovation and local development, and Entopan Innovation, an incubator and accelerator within the Harmonic Innovation Group.

Italgas obtains UNI/PdR 125:2022 gender equality certification

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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.

The Italgas stock has been confirmed for the seventh consecutive year in the FTSE4Good Index Series.

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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.

Italgas confirmed for fourth consecutive year in S&P Global Sustainability Yearbook

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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.

Italgas: BoD approves the 2022-2028 Sustainable Value Creation Plan

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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”.

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

Italgas recognized with ‘A’ score for transparency on climate change by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project)

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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.

1of which 5 for climate change

Italgas confirmed in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe and in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index World

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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.

1st 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.

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

Italgas is awarded the management of the natural gas distribution service in the Atem area “La Spezia”

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Investments of around 230 million euro are planned with a positive impact on the area and a significant effect on local GDP. Around 1,900 new jobs are expected to be created in the supply chain.

La Spezia, 29 November 2022 – The contracting authority Municipality of La Spezia officially awarded Italgas the tender for the management of natural gas distribution service in the “La Spezia” Area, which includes the main town and 32 municipalities in the province.

The awarding of the “Atem area”, which currently has about 110,000 customers served, allows Italgas to provide continuity of service management and actively contribute to the efficiency and decarbonization of consumption through investments of about 230 million euro.

The major investment plan will be able to produce a significant effect on local GDP with positive outcomes on employment as well, thanks to the creation of about 1,900 new jobs in the supply chain.

The extension of the service to new territories will also allow important savings in bills that can be quantified at about 218 million euros, over the 12 years of the concession, due to the lower cost of natural gas compared to other fuels used today. Economic advantages in addition to environmental benefits calculated in an overall reduction of atmospheric emissions of about 390,000 tons of CO2 and 6,000 tons of particulate matter.

Among the interventions envisaged in the Italgas plan are:

  • the laying of approximately 400 kilometers of new grids and the upgrading of about 40 kilometers of network to reach areas not yet served, in order to make natural gas available to around 9,000 new customers.
  • the complete modernization of 100 kilometers of networks, over 400 intermediate plants which will be equipped with monitoring and remote control systems.
  • the completion of the plan to replace traditional meters with latest generation meters, so that all customers in the Area will be equipped with them.

Pier Lorenzo Dell’Orco, CEO of the subsidiary Italgas Reti, commented: “The awarding of the Atem area La Spezia is an important result not only for the Company, whose tender offer was judged better than its competitors 2i Rete Gas and Ireti, but also for the territory, which will benefit from important investments for the building of the networks and energy of the future, starting from the first months of 2023: an even more extensive and widespread network able to bring natural gas in areas not yet served and to receive renewable gases such as biomethane and green hydrogen. After the Turin 1 and 2, Valle d’Aosta and Belluno Atem areas, this fifth tender awarded to Italgas raises to more than 1.1 billion euros the total value of planned investments in the territories concerned, confirming the strategic value of gas tenders for the development of the territories and for the important effect on the country’s GDP.”

Italgas opens a brand-new Innovation Antenna in Silicon Valley

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  • The main distributor of natural gas in Italy and the third in Europe, inaugurates a privileged access point to the world of innovation in the United States within the “Mind the Bridge Innovation Center” in San Francisco.
  • This strategic move of collaboration with Mind the Bridge aims at getting in touch with the most interesting US startups, intercepting emerging technological trends in specific areas of interest, and strengthening positioning and scouting skills at an international level.
  • Italgas will be officially debuting at the “Scaleup Summit” in San Francisco, scheduled from 17th to 21st October, with a Bootcamp dedicated to meeting the most interesting startups.

Milan, San Francisco, 13 September 2022 – Italgas, the first distributor of natural gas in Italy and third in Europe, opens an Innovation Antenna in Silicon Valley, as part of the “Mind the Bridge Innovation Center” in San Francisco.

The initiative is part of the “Ideas 4 Italgas” program launched in 2020, which aims to find the best US startups. The ultimate goal is enhancing research activities and strengthening the innovation efforts to contribute towards continuous improvement of the Group’s performance.

The goal of this collaboration with Mind the Bridge, an international platform that advises and supports companies and government organizations in the field of open innovation, is to create the ideal conditions for Italgas to get in touch with the most interesting startups and scaleups in the United States. Furthermore, to spot and intercept upcoming technological trends and finally strengthen the scouting capabilities both in Silicon Valley and internationally.

Initially, the focus will be on identifying conditions and projects that are able to strengthen the digital transformation of Italgas. The Italgas Innovation Antenna will officially debut at the Mind the Bridge Scaleup Summit in San Francisco, 17-21 October. A Bootcamp will be organized to meet the startups that can work with Italgas to contribute to its digitization plans, operational efficiency, and sustainability goals, according to the company’s 2022-2028 Strategic Plan.

“Gas distribution sector is historically very traditional – commented the CEO of Italgas Paolo Gallo – we acted as pioneers in terms of technological innovation by leveraging our digital factory, open innovation, and venture capital. Through continuous scouting, we encountered important trends that allowed us to grow, innovate and enhance our contribution to the ecological transition. Therefore, we are happy to strengthen our presence in the world’s largest innovation cluster. This will give new impetus to our journey of transformation.” 

“Over the past few years Italgas has been investing in shaping a new digital mindset by capillary mapping the digital skills within the company and involving its team in new innovation processes – commented Alberto Onetti, Chairman of Mind the Bridge – The next challenge is to scale up the collaboration with startups in quality and quantity. Opening an Innovation Antenna in San Francisco is a decisive step in this direction. This will give Italgas direct access to the world’s largest source of innovation: Silicon Valley.”

Italgas

Italgas is the first operator in Italy in the distribution of gas and the third in Europe: it manages a distribution network that extends for a total of over 75,000 kilometers through which, over the last year, it has distributed approximately 9 billion cubic meters of gas to 7.8 million users.

The Group holds 1,899 concessions, with a historical presence in the country’s major cities including Turin, Venice, Florence, and Rome.

For more info: www.italgas.it

Mind the Bridge

Mind the Bridge is a global organization that provides innovation advisory services for corporate and government organizations. With HQs in San Francisco (CA) and offices in Barcelona, London, Milan, Los Angeles and Seoul, Mind the Bridge has been working as an international bridge at the intersection between Startups and Corporates since 2007. It scouts, filters, and works with 10,000+ startups a year supporting global corporations in their innovation quest with open innovation initiatives that translate into curated deals with startups (licensing, investments, and/or acquisitions). It also provides advisory services and benchmarking on innovation strategy and structure. In collaboration with the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the 100 y.o. Institution representing more than 45M businesses worldwide, it annually elaborates the “Corporate Startup Stars” Awards – the ranking of the most ‘startup-friendly’ global corporates.

Finally, Mind the Bridge developed an AI-powered platform that enables business matching for startups and corporations, and portfolio promotion for Innovation Agencies and Investors (MTB Ecosystem).

For more info: http://mindthebridge.com  | @mindthebridge

«Ideas 4 Italgas» Starting the third edition that introduces the permanent scouting formula: an ever-active ‘radar’ on open innovation

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Milan, 28 July 2022 – Reducing the time to introduce new technologies through interaction with an ecosystem that ensures a continuous flow of knowledge to support the achievement of the digitization, operational efficiency and the sustainability targets set in the Italgas 2022-2028 Strategic Plan. With this aim Italgas, the leading operator in Italy and the third in Europe in the natural gas distribution sector, is strengthening its collaboration with SkipsoLabs, a company that provides advisory services and technology platforms for innovation at an international level, through a new initiative dedicated to open innovation.

The initiative is part of the ‘Ideas 4 Italgas’ program launched by the Company in 2020 and addresses the best Startups and Scaleups from around the world with the aim of enhancing research activities and strengthening the contribution of innovation to the improvement of the Group’s performance.

There are two main features of the project: the Co-Innovation Hub and the SkipsoLabs ecosystem platform. The Co-Innovation Hub (an international network of incubators, accelerators, start-ups and scale-ups) will allow Italgas to monitor the innovation ecosystem and activate an Outpost in Tel Aviv, a hybrid presence within the Innovation Hubs in Israel. This strategic approach will enable the company to validate evolutionary scenarios through the innovation and agility of start-ups, fostering and strengthening their growth in the market. The technology platform, on the other hand, will enable the creation and management of Italgas’ innovation ecosystem by bringing together internal and external innovation in a single digital space capable of fostering the involvement of start-ups, employees and suppliers in innovation and digital transformation programs.

Compared to previous editions, the new research will be an ever-active ‘radar’ on technological and business innovations in the following areas: digitalization (cloud, edge computing and IoT devices), analytics and data management, operation & maintenance, network monitoring, metering, sustainability and circular economy, biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic gases.

In the digital transformation process, open innovation has been one of the main drivers of strategic development since the beginning. An approach focused on identifying solutions that can foster growth and sustainable development in daily operations, for the partners involved and the entire gas distribution sector. In many cases, collaboration with start-ups and SMEs has created the conditions for introducing innovation in other areas as well.

This is what is happening with Composite Research (CoRe), the young Italian start-up active in the sector of innovative materials, which presented ‘MadFlex’ at the 2020 call, a technology to create an ultra-light multilayer material capable of repairing gas grids quickly, durably and resiliently. After passing many stress tests at the Italgas laboratory in Asti, “MadFlex” is now being examined by the CIG (Italian Gas Committee) in order to obtain the necessary certifications for large-scale use by all companies in the sector and in the water distribution sector.

This is not the only case. With I-Tes, the large-scale application of special batteries capable of storing heat produced by other sources and reusing it in processes for feeding gas into the network is underway; software from the American company Satelytics will enable the monitoring of networks to be enhanced through the use of satellite images as well; With the Swiss company Amex Sanivar, a study is underway into the possible application of a special film inside gas grids that can make them immediately hydrogen ready; finally, the application of the Norwegian company Tunable will improve the analysis of the composition of distributed gas blends.

Pier Lorenzo Dell’Orco, CEO of Italgas Reti, commented: “Open innovation is a strategic approach that allows companies to grow faster, increase efficiency and, above all, think differently. In the journey of digital transformation that Italgas Group has undertaken in recent years, we have made extensive use of it. It is thanks to continuous scouting activities that we met companies such as Picarro, of which we also became shareholders, and its CRDS technology, the most advanced in the field of gas network monitoring. And this is how we have progressively created an open ecosystem capable of supporting the implementation of the Group’s Strategic Plan and the growth of our partners, as well as the evolution of the entire gas distribution sector.”  

Carlo Soresina, co-founder and CEO of SkipsoLabs, added: “We are delighted to strengthen our partnership with Italgas through this innovation program dedicated to a key sector such as gas distribution. Today the ecosystem concept plays a central role in the innovation landscape. Our approach, which includes the involvement of the international network of the Co-Innovation Hub, the activation of a specific outpost in Tel Aviv and the technology platform, will facilitate the meeting of innovative start-ups from all over the world, connecting Italgas to a global innovation ecosystem. This is the right way to experience new evolutionary scenarios and to meet new market challenges”.

The project addresses international Startups and Scaleups (with focus on Europe and Israel) that develop products and services based on sustainable and original business models in line with Italgas’ strategy, and that will be able to offer solutions capable to meet the challenges posed by energy sustainability targets.

Interested startups will be able to register within the Italgas innovation ecosystem through the link https://ideas4italgas.italgas.it/en. The start-ups will be assessed by a committee of experts and, following a further selection process, will have the opportunity to work in close collaboration with the company to start the Co-design phase and define an experiment applicable to the sector.

Italgas

Italgas is the leading operator in Italy in gas distribution sector and the third in Europe. It manages a distribution network that extends a total of around 75,000 kilometers through which, during the last year, it distributed approximately 9 billion cubic meters of gas to 7.8 million users. The Group holds 1,899 concessions, with a historical presence in the country’s major cities including Turin, Venice, Florence, and Rome.

SkipsoLabs

Founded in 2008, SkipsoLabs is a company that provides software solutions and advisory services for innovation. Starting with the ambitious goal of creating a platform to support and accelerate sustainable innovation worldwide, over the years SkipsoLabs has become one of the leading international players in innovation management, offering cutting-edge programs to companies, universities, government agencies, accelerators and non-profit organizations worldwide. SkipsoLabs’ advisory services help clients identify the best innovation sourcing channels globally, define the right approach to validate and scale products and solutions both within their organization and in the marketplace. SkipsoLabs has an established framework to help identify strategic acquisition or partnership opportunities, to rank innovation and to engage internal management.

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