Comunicati: Press release

The key role of distribution system operators (DSOs) and the significant potential of renewable gases for transport discussed

Bruxelles, 09 of December 2021 – Paolo Gallo, President of GD4S and CEO of Italgas, together with a delegation from the association that represents seven of Europe’s leading gas distribution system operators (DSOs) met with Adina Ioana Valean, EU Commissioner for Transport.  Among the topics discussed were the strategic role of DSOs and of renewable gases, such as biomethane, synthetic methane and green hydrogen, for the development of sustainable mobility in Europe.

The meeting, which was also attended by Leonidas Bakouras, General Manager of Edathess (Greece), Denis O’Sullivan, Managing Director of Gas Networks Ireland (Ireland), Narcis de Carreras, CEO of Nedgia (Spain) and Catherine Leboul-Proust, Director of Strategy GRDF (France) was an opportunity to highlight to Commissioner Valean the key elements of GD4S’ White Paper ‘Gas grids – a key enabler of decarbonisation’, with specific focus on the transport sector.  Published in June of this year, the association’s White Paper illustrates the main actions being undertaken by DSOs to support decarbonisation and confirms GD4S’ pledge to reach climate neutrality by 2050.

During the roundtable, GD4S representatives engaged with the Commissioner on the following:

• The role of natural gas and renewable gases as alternative fuels for sustainable mobility.
• The limitations of electric mobility, in particular, for heavy duty and long-haul transport, The association highlighted natural and renewable gases as the most efficient solutions.
• The association’s concern in relation to the the focus on tailpipe emissions rather than life-cycle emissions, within the EC’s ‘Fit for 55’ package, an approach, the representatives indicated, that doesn’t allow for full exploitation of the potential of renewable fuels, such as biomethane.

Paolo Gallo, President of GD4S commented: “Natural gas is recognised as the fuel which will power the energy transition, providing in the short and medium term, the opportunity to progress  from more polluting fuels, thereby significantly accelerating the decarbonisation of the economy. At the same time, digitalised gas infrastructure has a key role in fostering the potential of renewable gases such as biomethane, synthetic methane, and green hydrogen, and in reaching the climate targets set for 2050.  Thanks to their capacity for energy storage and as energy vectors, gas grids guarantee the necessary energy system flexibility. In addition, the strategic role of renewable gases for the development of a clean and sustainable mobility, in particular, in relation to public and long haul transportation, is abundantly clear.”

Milan, 7 December 2021 – Italgas has been recognised by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) for its efforts in the fight to climate change for the fifth year in a row. This year the Group has been included in the “Leadership band” thanks to the improvement of its score to “A-“ from “B” last year, fin the “Climate change 2021” questionnaire. This score ranks Italgas above the European regional average and the Energy Utilities Networks sector, both ranked “B”.

Italgas is a leader in Italy in the gas distribution sector and third in Europe, it is present in almost 1,900 Italian municipalities with a historical presence in the major cities of Rome, Turin, Venice, Florence and Naples.

CDP is a non-profit organization that evaluates performances on climate change and environmental reporting every year. This year more than 13,000 companies worldwide answered to its questionnaires.

Milan, 4^th November 2021 – Italgas has received the “Gold Standard” recognition in the first edition of the International Methane Emissions Observatory (IMEO) Report issued by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the support of the European Commission.

 

Italgas was evaluated positively for having set important methane emission reduction targets and defined detailed plans for direct measurements. According to the report, the company’s implementation plan presents substantial targets and credible timelines for their achievement.

 

Italgas’s commitment is twofold: first of all, to reduce its direct emissions, it has implemented specific asset replacement and maintenance programmes to reduce the possibility of future emissions and it has introduced cutting-edge technological solutions, including a new network monitoring system based on Picarro’s CRDS technology (Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy) which, in comparison with traditional technologies, offers significant advantages in terms of speed of execution, sensitivity of detection and coverage area. Secondly, Italgas joined the OGMP 2.0 initiative from the outset and is constantly working to ensure that other distribution operators also adopt proactive methane emission reduction behaviours.

 

The report, titled “An Eye on Methane”, is based on data collected in the first year of implementation of OGMP 2.0, the new methane emissions reporting framework introduced by UNEP in 2020.

Milan, 12 March 2019 – A new spring is approaching for the over 10,000 square meters of green area of the Franco Russoli park in via Carlo Bo. Thanks to a collaboration agreement signed with the Milan City Council, Italgas has started the redevelopment works that will affect the entire area between its Milan headquarters and the IULM university campus.

The project plans to renovate the existing structures (football pitches and bowling alleys, children’s play area), preserving the current overall layout of the park, but at the same time transforming the floors and furniture by introducing other areas of use available to citizens.

In the area there will be an outdoor fitness area, with equipment for physical activity and nine gymnastic stations for free-body exercises, as well as a space reserved for dogs. Particular care will be dedicated to greenery, with the introduction of new shrubby and herbaceous species that will contribute to enrich the vegetation, preferring evergreen and flowering plants with scaled flowering in the various seasons.

Other elements of the restyling include the enlargement of the aggregation area, with the insertion of a long pergola under which tables and benches will be placed, the improvement of the access and connection routes to the park and the renovation of the play area which will become fully accessible to disabled children.

“We would like to thank Italgas for having chosen to invest in the redevelopment of a park with great potential that has so far been under-exploited – says the Councillor for Urban Planning, Green and Agriculture Pierfrancesco Maran – . Russoli Park is the largest green area between Romolo and Famagosta and with this intervention will become much more attractive and liveable for residents and users of the neighborhood. The collaboration with Italgas is part of the “Cura e Adotta il Verde Pubblico” project, which allows more and more companies and companies to manage parks, flowerbeds, parterres, roundabouts and sports areas, consolidating the synergy between public and private in the care and growth of our city”.

“We are pleased to be able to collaborate with the City of Milan – is the comment of Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo – and to contribute to the development of the district that has been hosting our new headquarters for almost three years. The redevelopment of the Russoli park will make an area where hundreds of people pass through every day, including students, workers and residents, even more lively and enjoyable, offering new spaces and facilities that also stimulate physical activity and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. With this initiative we want to contribute to creating value for the territories where we are present, pursuing corporate social responsibility and putting people at the centre of our commitment, whether they are our employees or the people who live near our offices”.

Completion of the redevelopment work and delivery of the new Russoli Park to the townspeople is expected by the summer. As part of the agreement, the Municipality and Italgas have also agreed that Italgas will be responsible for the ordinary management of the area and its facilities for a three-year period.

Laureato alla facoltà di Giurisprudenza della “Sapienza” di Roma e Master in Management alla London School of Economics, Ferrulli è in Italgas dal novembre 2016 con la carica di Direttore Affari Istituzionali e Regolatori. All’interno del Gruppo è componente del CdA di Italgas Acqua, da gennaio 2020 siede nel Consiglio di Amministrazione di Italgas Reti e da aprile 2021 in quello di Toscana Energia. Attualmente è componente anche del Comitato di Presidenza di Anigas. In precedenza, ha maturato importanti esperienze professionali in Edison, Acea, Philip Morris e Grandi Stazioni.

Italgas Reti è la principale delle società operative del Gruppo Italgas, gestisce una rete di circa 70.000 chilometri di condotte in oltre 1.700 Comuni, con più di 7,5 milioni di contatori attivi e circa 8 miliardi di metri cubi di gas distribuiti ogni anno.

Il Consiglio di Amministrazione di Italgas Reti, nella seduta di ieri, ha provveduto anche alla cooptazione nella carica di Consigliere di Peter Durante, Direttore Human Resources & Organisation di Italgas. Il CdA è quindi ora composto da Nunzio Ferrulli, Presidente, Pier Lorenzo Dell’Orco, Amministratore Delegato, Francesca Carlesi, Peter Durante e Alessandra Piccinin

Milan, 3rd June 2021 – Further boosting the energy transition process through the use of increasingly cutting-edge digital technologies. With this goal in mind Italgas, the leading operator in Italy and the third in Europe in natural gas distribution, and SkipsoLabs, a company that provides advisory services and technology platforms for innovation, today launched a new Call for Innovation titled “Gas grid of the future”. 

The initiative, which is part of the “Ideas 4 Italgas” programme launched by the company at the end of 2020, is aimed at the best startups in the world and will focus research on three specific areas:

• Technical 4.0. New technological solutions for plant maintenance activities, in order to simplify operations and promote ever greater personnel safety;
• Gas Grid monitoring and transformation. Systems for monitoring, managing and balancing gas networks, which accelerate the digital transformation process and through it the introduction and distribution of different gases such as biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic methane;
• Smart city & mobility. Value-added services, based on distributed IoT, which enable the Italgas network (withdrawal stations, distribution network and meters) to contribute to the development of smart cities and increasingly sustainable mobility.

Italgas has been engaged for years in the digital transformation of its assets and processes, and at the same time in the dissemination of a digital culture in its organisation, also through the training and reskilling of its people. Having a “full digital” network is the technical precondition for immediately receiving and distributing renewable gases, promoting a faster transition towards the EU’s 2050 net carbon zero targets. Technological innovation becomes the main enabler of the process of decarbonization and, thanks to the open innovation approach pursued by Italgas, becomes available everywhere in the world.

The strategic role of SkipsoLabs, which supports the creation of innovation ecosystems around the world, will allow Italgas to expand its search for startups globally, simplifying its management. The proprietary technological platform, activated for the project, will allow management and operations to be centralised and made more efficient, also through an easier sharing of information with all the players involved.

“Open innovation – comments Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas – is a natural solution for us, given the important digital transformation we are carrying out in the company. We started in 2018 by integrating the most advanced technology for network monitoring into our systems. Since then, we have started a path made of uninterrupted research of innovative technologies. Today, with Ideas 4 Italgas, these activities have become structured and more agile and with SkispoLabs we can count on an even wider pool of startups. These elements allow us to set the basis for a further technological improvement of our operations”.

“We are honoured to support Italgas in this call for startups dedicated to a crucial sector such as energy distribution – adds Carlo Soresina, co-founder and CEO of SkipsoLabs – which also allows us to strengthen our commitment to supporting organisations that are driving the energy transition towards a sustainable future. Open innovation is a unique opportunity for scouting and selecting the best startups, and our international approach will connect Italgas to the global innovation ecosystem of incubators and accelerators to test new evolutionary scenarios“.

The call is open to Italian and international startups and SMEs 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 of addressing the challenges posed by energy sustainability targets.

Interested startups will have to send their application on the innovation platform by 18 July 2021. Candidates will be assessed by a committee of experts, the best projects will be presented to Italgas in September and, following a further selection process, will have the opportunity to work in close collaboration with the company to start the codesign phase and define an experiment applicable to the sector.