Comunicati: Press release

In line with the Group’s strategic targets in the energy efficiency sector and in accordance with the recommendations of the European Commission, the operation allows to merge the forces, know-how and technologies of the two companies creating an operator capable of serving completely the public and private markets.

 

Milan, 26 April 2021 – The merger between the two ESCOs of Italgas Group – Seaside and TEG (Toscana Energia GREEN) – was finalised today, creating a national player in the energy efficiency sector.

The merger, which sees the incorporation of TEG by Seaside, is effective from 1st May and will allow the two companies to join their respective strengths, know-how and technologies, gained in different areas, offering service able to meet almost all the needs of both private and public markets.

Seaside, in fact, is more oriented towards the private sector and offers innovative energy consulting services in the industrial and residential areas; TEG, on the other hand, operates in the energy services market and has developed solutions that mainly meet the needs of the Public Administration. Together they will develop, in the first year of activity, a total turnover of around 30 million euros and an EBITDA of 6 million euros.

In this context, the merger between the two ESCOs allows the integration of two complementary businesses, fostering greater synergies and value creation. The new company will also be the reference for the whole Group in defining tailor-made energy efficiency projects, in particular in the context of Italgas’ participation in Atem tenders for the assignment of gas concessions, as well as maintaining a specific focus on energy upgrading activities also supported by the tax incentives (i.e. Ecobonus and Superbonus) and on the development of applications based on artificial intelligence.

“The creation of a national-level player in the energy efficiency sector – commented Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas – enables greater integration and more effective synergies throughout the Italgas Group to play an even more relevant role in the path of digital transformation and efficiency improvement of the sector that we have been pursuing since 2018. As well as being fully in line with the 2020-2026 Strategic Plan, this operation allows us to operate even more closely to the recommendations of the European Commission, which also assigns DSOs the task of promoting greater efficiency in energy consumption in order to achieve net-zero targets; goals to which the new player will contribute also by identifying increasingly advanced solutions in terms of environmental sustainability and energy saving”.

Milan, 18 March 2021 – Italgas has co-signed the open letter sent to the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans, for the recognition of the strategic role of blending hydrogen into the existing gas networks, in order to achieve the European decarbonisation targets and the EU Hydrogen Strategy released in July 2020.

The initiative was joined by around 70 European companies in the gas sector, including GD4S, the main association of continental DSOs, chaired by Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo. Among the addressees of the letter, in addition to Vice-President Timmermans, are Commissioners Kadri Simson (Energy), Thierry Breton (Internal Market) and Virginijus Sinkevicius (Environment, Oceans and Fisheries).

The letter emphasises, among other things, how the use of hydrogen/natural gas blends in the short and medium term can achieve significant environmental results at a lower systemic cost than by using only new dedicated infrastructures and constitutes the ideal formula for accompanying the progressive development of hydrogen supply on the market. In this sense, existing distribution infrastructures, digitalized and technologically adapted, are an important asset to provide hydrogen directly to consumers currently connected to gas networks. Moreover, blending allows for the immediate activation of sector coupling, providing the electricity sector with flexibility and storage capacity. Finally, the co-signatories highlighted the need for hydrogen blending to be properly recognised within the European energy regulatory framework in order to enable its rollout.

Italgas CEO Paolo Gallo commented: “Distribution networks are already the main driver of the energy transition. In terms of extension, capillarity and flexibility, they are a central asset already available and capable of both transporting and storing energy. It is therefore important for DSOs to be able to count on a stable regulatory framework that promotes and supports investments aimed at digitally upgrading the network, so as to provide Europe with an infrastructure capable of receiving and distributing renewable gases, such as hydrogen, biomethane and synthetic methane, which will enable us to achieve the right net zero energy mix“.

Milan, 8 March 2021 – Today Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas, and Frank Tudor, Managing Director of leading Australian energy infrastructure company, Jemena, signed a collaboration agreement aimed at sharing knowledge and experiences in distribution network management, with a particular focus on technological innovation and decarbonisation.

Italgas and Jemena are leaders in the distribution of natural gas in Italy and Australia respectively. Italgas manages 73,000 kilometres of gas pipeline infrastructure, while Jemena’s gas distribution network spans 25,000 kms across New South Wales. Together, the companies deliver gas to over 9 million customers across the two countries.

Under the terms of the agreement, the companies will collaborate and share information on:

• Digital solutions to transform gas networks into carriers and storage systems for renewable gases, such as hydrogen, biomethane and synthetic methane;
• Intelligent metering solutions, with a focus on next-gen smart meters, sensors and appliances;
• Customer experience, asset reliability and safety with particular reference to monitoring systems for the mitigation of fugitive methane emissions.

The partnership will also allow Italgas and Jemena to discuss their respective plans to develop innovative technologies, including Power to Gas technology. Both companies, are currently implementing pilot projects, in the South of Sardinia and Sydney respectively. These projects are testing how renewable gases can store surplus electricity generated from renewable sources, as well as the use of renewable gas in residential, commercial, and transport settings.

Jemena’s Managing Director, Frank Tudor, said today’s announcement is good news for gas customers in both countries. “We know Australia and Italy face many of the same challenges as we move towards a low-carbon future and believe this partnership will enable us to share insights, learn from one another, and ultimately expedite how quickly we can bring new technology to market. This is a great outcome for customers in both countries who want to be able to access gas – including renewable gases such as hydrogen and biomethane – both today and in the future,” said Mr Tudor.

“The digitalization program started by Italgas in 2017 – commented Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas – has produced immediate results, transforming the company’s DNA and elevating it to the role of a global benchmark. Sharing experiences with international partners is a great opportunity and is necessary to keep growing through comparison and positive collaboration. I am pleased that after European, American and Asian partners, this new collaboration with Jemena allows us to enter a new continent to discover innovative solutions and best practices. First of all the Power to Gas technology that we believe could represent a key asset in the energy transition process.”

Questa conversione fa seguito a quelle già completate di Putifigari (bacino 7), Berchidda e Ittireddu (bacino 9) 

Sassari, 23 febbraio 2021 – Da oggi anche Tissi è raggiunta dal metano. Medea (Gruppo Italgas) ha, infatti, convertito la rete cittadina precedentemente alimentata a Gpl e ha messo in esercizio un deposito criogenico di gas naturale liquefatto al servizio delle condotte, in grado di garantire continuità e massima flessibilità di approvvigionamento.

L’impianto, della capacità di 30 metri cubi, è composto da un serbatoio criogenico che contiene il gas naturale liquefatto a una temperatura di -160°C, dei vaporizzatori per riportare il gas allo stato originario, un’apparecchiatura per la riduzione della pressione del gas a monte dell’immissione in rete e, infine, un locale di telecontrollo per la gestione in sicurezza del sito. Per il collegamento del nuovo deposito alle reti esistenti è stato inoltre realizzato un nuovo tratto di infrastruttura di circa un chilometro.

Sulla rete di Tissi sono presenti oltre 200 utenze attive, circa la metà delle quali ha già completato le procedure per l’allacciamento al metano. Altre hanno sottoscritto la manifestazione di interesse e sono alle fasi propedeutiche. Questa conversione fa seguito a quelle già completate nei comuni di Putifigari (bacino 7), Berchidda, Ittireddu (bacino 9) e quella in corso di Urzulei (bacino 22).

Entro aprile, sarà la volta anche di Perdasdefogu (bacino 22), Usini, Uri (bacino 7) e Ozieri (bacino 9). Per questi ultimi tre, la Società sta già realizzando altrettanti depositi criogenici di Gnl.

“Grazie alle conversioni portate a termine e a quelle in programma nelle prossime settimane – ha commentato l’Amministratore Delegato di Medea, Francesca Zanninotti – sono sempre di più le aree della Sardegna raggiunte dal gas naturale. Parallelamente, come previsto dal nostro programma di metanizzazione dell’isola, abbiamo già realizzato nei territori in concessione 815 chilometri di reti native digitali dotate di sensoristica integrata e predisposizione per il passaggio della fibra ottica. L’arrivo del metano in Sardegna può fornire un importante sostegno al tessuto economico locale, dando nuova linfa alle attività produttive e creando nuovi posti di lavoro nell’indotto. Infine, non va dimenticato che la transizione al gas naturale rappresenta un vantaggio prima di tutto per i cittadini poiché, oltre a essere una fonte energetica sostenibile, garantisce importanti risparmi in bolletta”.

Attraverso Medea, società di distribuzione del Gruppo, Italgas è presente in 17 dei 38 bacini in cui è divisa la Sardegna, compresi i principali capoluoghi. Sull’isola, Italgas ha cominciato a operare nel 2017 attraverso l’acquisizione di diversi operatori e concessioni. I lavori per la realizzazione delle nuove reti digitali sono in stato avanzato in tutte le aree in concessione con l’80% di condotte attualmente già posate.

Activation began in Ussana and will end on February 17th in Villaperuccio. It involves over 6,500 potential customers in basins 26, 27, 35 and 37 adjacent to basin 38 in the regional capital.

Cagliari, 11 February 2021 – In the last few days, work has begun on the commissioning of a further 130 kilometres of native digital networks serving eight municipalities in southern Sardinia, included in basins 26, 27, 35 and 37 adjacent to basin 38 in Cagliari, which is also under concession to the Italgas Group.

These include the towns of Ussana, Nuraminis, San Sperate (basin 37), Serrenti, Sanluri (basin 27), Barrali (basin 26), Masainas and Villaperuccio (basin 35) which, by February 17th, will be reached by natural gas. Here, as in the other basins under concession, Medea (Italgas Group) has built new distribution networks equipped with integrated sensors for remote control, as well as preparation for optical fibres.

The networks will initially be supplied by tank wagons, while waiting the installation of the already planned cryogenic LNG (liquefied natural gas) deposits, which will guarantee continuity of service and maximum flexibility in the provision of methane.

In the eight municipalities, with a total of approximately 32,000 inhabitants, the company has already carried out approximately 5,800 pre-settings and collected 6,500 expressions of interest in connecting to the network. The start of distribution activities was also promptly communicated to the Sales Companies so that they could proceed to sign the supply contracts.

Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas, commented: “Sardinia is the main hub for a new generation of infrastructure set to change the gas distribution paradigm in Italy and Europe and enhance significantly the energy transition. This network, the most advanced in the Country, will also be able to accommodate renewable gases such as biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic methane in the near future”.

Through Medea, a distribution company of the Group, Italgas is present in 17 of the 38 basins into which Sardinia is divided, including the main towns. On the island, Italgas began operating in 2017 through the acquisition of several operators and concessions. The works for the implementation of the new digital networks are at an advanced stage in all concession areas and the intervention has already contributed to the creation of more than 600 new jobs in the allied industries.

During a meeting with Diederik Samsom, Head of Cabinet of the Vice-President of the European Commission Frans Timmermans, the Association representatives reaffirmed the strategic role of gas grids as a driver for energy transition, as well as the importance of technological innovation in monitoring and reducing greenhouse gas emissions

Brussels, 2 February 2021 – At their Annual General Assembly earlier today, GD4S, the Association comprising seven major operators in the gas distribution sector in Europe, confirmed Paolo Gallo (Italgas) for a second year as President of the Association.

“I am honoured to continue my journey at the helm of GD4S – comments Paolo Gallo – and I would like to thank the other members for their confidence in me. In spite of the challenges posed by the pandemic, GD4S had a very full agenda last year. During 2020, the Association was further strengthened, becoming the main representative of natural gas distributors in Europe. In the months ahead, GD4S will continue to promote the development and integration of renewable gases, such as hydrogen and biomethane, which are crucial to the energy transition. Thanks to their extensive reach in Europe, our networks are strategic and essential for the decarbonisation of the economy, especially in sectors like energy transport and storage. The Association also confirms its commitment to the control and mitigation of methane emissions through technological innovation and the digitalisation of the networks, key factors for improving the monitoring, measurement and mitigation of emissions“.

In advance of the Assembly, representatives of the Association met with Diederik Samsom, Head of Cabinet of the Vice President of the European Commission, Frans Timmermans. During the meeting, Paolo Gallo, Dan Pantilie, CEO of Distrigaz Sud Retele (Romania), Denis O’Sullivan, Managing Director of Gas Networks Ireland (Ireland), Narciso De Carreras, CEO of Nedgia (Spain), Catherine Leboul-Proust, Strategy Chief Officer of GRDF (France), Gabriel Sousa, CEO of Galp Gás Natural Distribuição (Portugal) and Leonidas Bakouras, General Manager of Eda Thess (Greece) highlighted the Association’s position on the strategic role of gas grids in the process of energy transition and decarbonisation of the EU, and confirmed the distribution operators’ commitment to mitigate methane emissions.

Diederik Samsom highlighted the importance of integrating energy sources and agreed on the long-term strategic role of gas networks in the process of European decarbonization. Gas infrastructures will be used to receive and distribute renewable gases such as hydrogen, biomethane and synthetic methane, even in 2050 when the energy transition is complete. At the same time, Samson reminded DSOs that controlling emissions and saving energy are key elements in supporting an effective path to sustainability.

GD4S is planning a number of important initiatives for 2021, including the development of a ‘Sustainability Charter’, to define the Association’s commitment to sustainability, and the publication of a White Paper, reporting GD4S’ positions on all relevant policy issues. The ‘Sustainability Charter’, will outline a roadmap with specific milestones for the fulfilment of GD4S members’ long-term sustainability goals, in line with what has been established by the EU for the achievement of a carbon neutral economy. The White Paper, due for imminent publication, provides a comprehensive overview of how gas grids can be strategically used to achieve EU and national decarbonisation commitments. Highlighing specific case studies to illustrate the actions taken by operators, it clearly demonstrates GD4S’ commitment to the European Green Deal.

In the context of reducing greenhouse gas emissions, the Association highlighted the importance of establishing common guidelines for network operators to measure methane emissions occurring on their infrastructure.

Milan, 28 January 2021 – Italgas stock has been confirmed for the fifth consecutive year in the FTSE4Good Index Series, which groups together the best companies worldwide standing out for their focus on sustainable economic development.

Specifically, FTSE Russell (the trading name of FTSE International Limited and Frank Russell Company) confirmed that “Italgas has been independently assessed according to the FTSE4Good criteria and has met the requirements as a constituent of the FTSE4Good Index Series”.

The current review has resulted in an assessment of Italgas’ sustainable performance that continues to improve, reaching a score of 4.2 out of a maximum of 5 points (previously it was 4.0).

This result testifies to Italgas’ focus on sustainable development based on the company’s leadership in interacting with the social context of reference, aimed at creating opportunities based on the shared value principle.

The FTSE4Good Index Series is designed to measure the performance of companies demonstrating strong Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) practices. Transparent management and clearly-defined ESG criteria make FTSE4Good indexes suitable tools to be used by a wide variety of market participants when creating or assessing sustainable investment products.

Cagliari, 21st Jan 2021 – CRS4, Research Centre of the Sardinian Technology Park, and Italgas, leading company in the distribution of natural gas in Italy and third in Europe, have signed a memorandum of understanding for the study and construction of a “Power To Gas” plant in Sardina. It will use electricity from renewable sources to produce renewable fuels such as green hydrogen and synthetic methane.

More specifically, the project consists in the construction of a renewable gas production plant to be located in Sardinia and connected to the new ‘digital native’ distribution networks built by Italgas. The plant will consist of a park for the self-production of electricity from renewable sources, an electrolyser to produce oxygen and hydrogen from water, and a methanation section for the transformation of hydrogen into synthetic natural gas. The aim of the project will be to test the production of gas from a renewable source and its potential use to provide hydrogen to sardinian industrial facilities and hydrogen and synthetic methane to household customers on the island, blending it with natural gas according to certain specifications. The plant could also use exceding renewable energy to produce gas to be stored in the same plant.

In the first stage of the project, CRS4, together with the Politecnico of Turin, conducted an analysis of the territory and of the different production activities in the area in order to define the scenario for the construction of the pilot plant. Subsequently, CRS4 will be involved in the infrastructure sizing and engineering phase, as well as during its operation for the measurements aimed at evaluating the production process in energy, technical and environmental terms.

Giacomo Cao, CRS4’s sole administrator, points out: “The project, in which the Centre is participating with researcher Alberto Varone of the HPC sector for energy and environment, fits into the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions strategy with a transversal approach. Several studies suggest that hydrogen could be the solution alongside renewable electricity in sectors that are complex to decarbonise, such as industry and heating, where is more difficult to use electricity.

Paolo Gallo, CEO of Italgas, comments: “The Italgas and CRS4 project reconciles the need to implement new and more efficient ways to store energy with the opportunity to produce renewable gases such as hydrogen and synthetic methane for the benefit of the Sardinian territory and its production activities, relying on the ‘native digital’ networks that we are building on the island. We are therefore glad to develop such an innovative project with the collaboration of a centre of excellence in Sardinia, where we have planned another 400 million euros of investment up to 2026.

Milan, 30 December 2020 –  Italgas started the process of digital transformation of its water grids, which are currently under concession, with the aim of improving operational efficiency and service quality by leveraging the expertise developed in the management of gas networks.

The initiative is part of the 2020-2026 Strategic Plan recently approved by the BoDs. The plan allocated, among others, 120 million euro to new investments in order to support the Group’s growth in the water sector while improving the quality of the service provided to the citizens.

The digital transformation programme concerns five water networks licensed to the Group in Caserta and in other four municipalities (Casaluce, Galluccio, Roccaromana, Baia-e-Latina), which together distribute 8 million cubic meters of water to around 30,000 customers through 270 km of network.

The programme relies on two pillars:

• the partnership agreement signed with the Israeli company TaKaDu, a global leader in the development of digital Central Event Management for water networks, already active in 13 countries;

• the introduction of the latest-generation smart meter, based on ultrasonic technology, with a plan to replace all traditional meters by 2021.

The completion of the programme, which also involves the application of IoT sensor technology along the city networks, will allow to keep under control, at all times, infrastructures’ operating parameters, quickly detect any failures with increased accuracy, and rapidly react in case of leaks.

In Italy, according to Istat, the Italian National Institute of Statistics, water networks have an average loss of 40% in terms of volume of water distributed. To facilitate the process of renewal of those networks, the results achieved on Italgas water grids by Italgas-TaKaDu partnership will be made available to the Italian water utilities, through a dedicated service offer to improve the efficiency and quality of the service and, above all, to reduce network losses.

Milan, 8 December 2020 – For the fourth consecutive year Italgas has been recognised by CDP (Carbon Disclosure Project) for its efforts in the fight against climate change, through the confirmation of the “B” score for Climate Change. This score ranks Italgas in the “Management band”, above the European average – equal to “C” – and at the same level as the Energy Utilities Network sector.

Among other elements, CDP acknowledged the important work carried out by the Company, which compared to last year has significantly improved the score assigned to the “Scope 1&2 emissions” and “Emission reduction initiatives” categories.

Italgas is a leader in Italy in the gas distribution sector and third in Europe, it is present in over 1860 Italian municipalities with a historical presence in the major cities of Rome, Turin, Venice, Florence and Naples.

CDP is a non-profit organisation that assesses its performance in the field of climate change every year. This year more than 9,600 companies worldwide answered its questionnaires.