Attention to the environment

All Italgas’ business is carried out paying close attention to the environment, natural resources and public and personal safety, considering all these as key factors to the sustainable development of the business and the territory. The health, safety, environment, quality and energy governance model adopted by Italgas has evolved constantly over the years to adjust to changes in the regulatory and market contexts in which it operates.

The commitment on these issues can be seen in the adoption of the Health, Safety, Environment, Quality and Energy Policy (HSEQE) of the Italgas Group, developed on the basis of company policies and in line with the Code of Ethics aimed at enhancing and protecting natural resources, essential values for the Company. This Policy stresses the Company’s commitment to considering its Integrated Management System one of the main stimuli for involving personnel and improving its processes, basing operational choices on correctness, professionalism and compliance, to ensure the supply of a service based on the best quality standards in order to satisfy Customer expectations.

Some of the commitments on which the Policy is based are stated below:

• to guarantee, using suitable management and organisational procedural tools, the Customer’s right to the accessibility and use of services;
• to optimise company processes in order to reach maximum efficiency and effectiveness levels, in compliance with the health and safety of workers and maximum attention for the environment;
• to design, implement, manage and dispose of facilities, constructions and assets, to protect worker health and safety, the environment, energy savings, while aligning with the best technologies available and sustainable economically;
• to conduct and manage activities in order to prevent incidents, accidents and occupational diseases;
• to ensure the information, training, and awareness of personnel for an active and responsible participation in the implementation of the principles and the achievement of the objectives;
• to implement sustainable use of natural resources, prevent pollution and protect ecosystems and biodiversity;
• to implement operational and management actions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, with a climate change mitigation approach;
• to manage waste to reduce its production and promote recovery in its final destination.

In line with the Group’s Management Models, the Company applies a regulatory system which aims to guarantee the safety and health of people (employees, end customers, contractors, etc.), prevent accidents, ensure the protection of the environment and public safety and the rational use of energy.

The energy source used the most in the Group’s activities is natural gas, in both civil and industrial uses, and for vehicles. For years, Italgas has monitored its consumption with the aim of reducing its environmental impact over time according to a continuous improvement process in line with the objectives identified in its 2021-2027 Strategic Plan.

Energy consumption totalled 597.2 TJ in 2021. The figure has increased slightly since 2020 (+ 5.1 TJ, corresponding to +0.9%).

In 2021, fuel energy consumption for industrial use recorded a decrease of 3.2 TJ, falling from 322.5 TJ to 319.3 TJ (-1.0% compared to 2020).

Thanks to the efficiency initiatives implemented, a decrease was recorded in industrial consumption of natural gas for the preheating process: over the year, at Italgas Reti, 129 optimisation systems were installed, while Toscana Energia completed the installations of similar optimisation systems initiated in previous years. These interventions, alongside operational and maintenance initiatives, contributed to:

• an overall saving of around 875 103Sm3 compared to 2020⁴⁹ (which correspond to around 1,735 tCO₂ of emissions avoided);
• a reduction in the specific consumption⁵⁰ of the plants of Italgas Reti and Toscana Energia, which decreased from 1.30 in 2020 to 1.18 in 2021, a change of -9.2%.

Also considering the works carried out in previous years, at the end of 2021, there were 228 reduction and measurement collection plants (IPRMs) of Italgas Reti with preheating that make use of consumption optimisation systems. In 2022, the campaign for the installation will continue in the other IPRMs.

With a view to including new technologies for a greater efficiency in the optimisation of the preheating process, at one IPRM a PCM (Phase Change Materials) thermal battery was tested, which makes it possible to transform part of the electricity produced by the photovoltaic plant into thermal energy, thanks to resistance, storing this energy and the thermal one produced by the thermal solar plant and to use it at the times of day when the heat required for gas preheating is greatest.

Even LPG consumption, entirely attributable to Medea, reduced slightly during the year by 0.1%, though against a significant increase in gas injected into the network. Specific consumption51 improved by 3.5%, decreasing from 18.23 in 2020 to 17.59: the increase in gas injected into the network allowed for operations under conditions of greater efficiency, buffering the high variability of the specific consumption present in the summer period and reducing it significantly.

⁴⁹ The calculation considers the comparison with consumption that would have been obtained in the absence of optimisation (with reference to the formula used for the reporting of the savings to ENEA pursuant to Article 7, subsection 8 of Italian Legislative Decree no. 102/2014)

⁵⁰ Specific consumption, i.e. consumption of natural gas for preheating per 1,000 Sm3 of gas injected into the network, expressed in Sm3 preheating/103 Sm³ gas injected into the network.

⁵¹ Specific consumption, i.e. consumption of LPG every 1,000 sm³ of LPG injected into the network, expressed in Sm3/103Sm3 LPG injected into the network.

The Italgas Group also pursues sustainability objectives through the constant renewal of its real estate assets, the management and continuous monitoring of consumption, the introduction of digital technologies intended to improve the ability to identify possible anomalies, malfunctions and opportunities for the automation of the management processes with the aim of reducing intervention times on systems for their regulation.

In particular, the Group uses around 140 sites distributed throughout Italy to serve all company activities, of which the majority (around 85%) are medium sized (below 1,000 m2) and small-medium and are typically used by the Technical Units where the operating personnel work. The largest sites (surfaces larger than 3,000 m2) are concentrated in Turin (with the building complex of Largo Regio Parco, Via Foggia and Corso Regina Margherita), Rome (with the site on Via Guicciardi), Venice (via Forte Marghera), Naples (Via Ferraris and Via Brin), Florence (Piazza Mattei) and Asti (Via Venezia).

The Group’s real estate strategy is therefore characterised by the following basic principles:

• proactively manage the Group’s real estate assets in line with sustainability objectives;
• guarantee continuous technological upgrades, real estate development and rationalisation of the properties in line with the evolution of the business and the operating models.

The trend in civil consumption is in line with the previous financial year (+1.2 TJ compared to 2020, i.e. +2.6%), thanks to a more careful management of the sites in a year characterised by the intermittent presence of personnel due to the continuing pandemic. It is important to note how the consumption of methane gas for civil use is substantially aligned with 2020, despite the increase in the available surfaces and the contextual functioning, albeit limited over time, of the buildings that were then decommissioned: in 2021, the building on Largo Regio Parco 9 in Turin became fully operational. In line with what was already done for the adjacent building, in Largo Regio Parco 11, the building has been developed according to the criteria laid down by the US energy efficiency classification system on the ecological footprint of buildings (LEED) developed by the US Green Building Council, which provides a set of measurement standards by which to assess environmentally-sustainable constructions (Largo Regio Parco 11 achieved GOLD certification, while the certification for Largo Regio Parco 9, a building with similar performance, is being obtained). The building was commissioned in late June 2021, replacing the offices on Via Foggia and Via Parma, which were some of the most energy-intensive buildings of all the real estate assets. 2021 also saw the full availability of the new sites in Monte Mario and Via Ostiense 131L, which replaced, by late 2020, the historical site on Via Del Commercio 9/11. Towards the end of the year, the office on Corso Regina Margherita was partially closed, and will be subject to a significant redevelopment in 2022 and 2023 which will see it become the operating heart of the Piedmont region.

In this context, with a view to improving efficiency, lastly, a wide range of projects has been launched for the monitoring of consumption and office temperatures.

2021 was therefore characterised by a renewal and optimisation process of the spaces occupied and the improvement of the energy performances of the buildings in order to achieve a significant reduction in consumption.

The renewal process of the real estate assets will also continue throughout 2022 with the launch of new important construction sites that will affect a number of the main operations offices of the territory in order to improve personnel working conditions by providing state-of-the-art working environments that are more functional and pleasant, as well as allowing for further optimisation of consumption for civil use.

Driven by a constant commitment to guarantee high performance and quality in the distribution service, 2019 and 2020 saw Italgas implement a major renewal project of the whole of its vehicle fleet throughout national territory. The project has been established on the basis of the following strategic drivers:

• the modernisation of the operative fleet in line with operative needs;
• the improvement of sustainability criteria in the short, medium and long-term, both in respect of reducing polluting emissions (CO₂, NO_x and PM) and in terms of limiting expenditure for fleet operation;
• the rationalisation of the number of vehicles in the fleet;
• the increased availability of operative vehicles, by reducing maintenance and repair time.

The cornerstone of the project to transform the vehicle fleet was making the switch away from ownership of the fleet (mainly diesel engines) and towards the procurement of a long-term vehicle rental service (based on methane bifuel vehicles).

TOTAL KILOMETRES TRAVELLED IN 2019-2021

The results of this transformation are clear: though fuel energy consumption for vehicles recorded an increase of 14.2 TJ (+11.5% compared to 2020), in 2021 as a whole, 13.1% more kilometres were travelled than the previous financial year, equal to around 42.8 million kilometres, of which over 35 million were made by operations vehicles. This type of vehicle is characterised by the virtual total presence of a bifuel system (methane-petrol) that significantly reduces CO2 and PM emissions released into the atmosphere, as compared with the use of purely petrol or diesel engines.

ENERGY CONSUMED BY TYPE OF VEHICLE FUEL (% VS TOTAL ENERGY CONSUMED IN THE YEAR)

Despite the increase in mileage and the activities in the territory, petrol consumption decreased: this result was achieved by further improving the percentage of use of bifuel vehicles, which rose from 86% of km travelled by methane in 2020 to 92% in 2021. This significant improvement demonstrates the commitment of the Italgas Group to cutting emissions and the ethical conduct of its employees behind the wheel of the corporate fleet.

During the year, lines of action were pursued mainly to reduce emissions and make the vehicle fleet more efficient. In particular, the actions included:

• the publication of a new policy for vehicles for mixed personal/business use with incentives for choosing a car with lower environmental impact and the insertion of a cap on the fuel card;
• the removal of cars powered exclusively by diesel and petrol from the car list of the Executives class;
• the training of over 300 employees via safe and sustainable driving courses, with the objective of improving the ratio between distance travelled per unit of fuel. This initiative will continue throughout 2022, involving an increasingly wider pool of drivers and it will further refine the capacity for sustainable driving, including with hybrid vehicles;
• the implementation of a fleet management software for monitoring consumption and vehicle status.

Sustainability will also be at the centre of car management for 2022 through new even more challenging initiatives such as the introduction of hybrid vehicles (electric-petrol) among the cars for mixed personal/business use as well as operations vehicles and the consequent installation of charging points at the company offices.

Net electricity consumption for industrial use dropped by 0.4% compared to the previous financial year, despite the fact that various new Points of Delivery (PODs) were activated in 2021 for the purposes of the installation of the Final Digitised Reduction Groups (GRFDs), which generated additional consumption of 132 MWh.

The above result was also achieved thanks to the completion, in 2021, of the replacement of all traditional bulbs with LED bulbs in the external and internal areas of all IPRMs, Intermediate Reduction Plants (IRIs) and Final Reduction Units (GRFs) equipped with lighting that generated an indicative saving of 150 MWh, equivalent to a saving of 36.9 tCO2 eq.

Experimental installation continued at various:

• IPRMs of direct-drive meters inserted into the electrical panels, which allow for the monitoring of the general consumption and secondary utilities (cathode or light protection) in the IPRMs, enabling more detailed analysis, also with a view to certification in accordance with ISO 50001: 2018;
• GRFDs (“Gruppi di Riduzione Finali Digitalizzati” – Final Digitised Reduction Groups) of innovative systems that allow for energy recovery using microturbines. These systems use energy that would otherwise be dissipated by the gas pressure reduction process, transforming it into electrical energy available for use in situ (energy harvesting systems): the electrical energy thus produced is used to feed RTUs and other measurement/control devices in situ, in the context of the digitisation of the network.

Furthermore, various interventions were carried out to replace the circulators within the thermal power stations for preheating, with the installation of inverter pumps. Mass interventions are planned in the upcoming years.

Electricity consumption of Italgas Acqua, which represents the company’s entire industrial consumption, also decreased thanks to regulation interventions on the output pressures of the relaunch systems, which made it possible to achieve an excellent result in terms of energy saving. In 2021, various experimental interventions were also launched, including the installation of passive filters, brushless motors and system remote control, which will make it possible to achieve significant results starting from 2022.

Electricity consumption for civil use decreased by 15.7% compared to 2020. The sharp decrease recorded is attributable to improved efficiency in the use of the Group’s offices, partly due to the reorganisation of management in response to the pandemic. Furthermore, in 2021 a number of organisational rules were consolidated, which, in addition to greater use of smart working, allowed for the so-called “starting from home” for operators and technicians with the consequent closure of changing rooms at the operations offices: this further contributed to the limited consumption, especially electricity.

The restructuring of several important company offices, already under way or planned by 2027, will also help further reduce the demand for electricity and, as a result, related emissions.

In addition to consumption from purchased electricity, the Group produces electricity from renewable energy sources through 19 photovoltaic plants. Part of the energy produced is self-consumed, whilst the remainder is released to the network.

Below is a table summarising consumption of electricity deriving from photovoltaic plants together with that relative to the emissions avoided thanks to their use for the production of electricity instead of purchasing it on the market.

⁵² Please note that 2019 data considers Toscana Energia only for the three months of consolidation. 2020 data, on the other hand, also includes Toscana Energia for the full 12 months.

⁵³ Please note that 2019 data considers Toscana Energia only for the three months of consolidation. 2020 data, on the other hand, also includes Toscana Energia for the full 12 months. Please also note that in order to calculate the emissions avoided, the emissions factor was used represented by the national energy mix of the reference year; more specifically, for 2020, the preliminary estimate of the emissions factor for electricity consumption in Italy was used, supplied by the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e Ricerca Ambientale (Superior Institute for Environmental Protection and Research).

Fully in line with what was done in relation to consumption, for years Italgas has also monitored its greenhouse gas emissions, with the objective of reducing its carbon footprint according to a continuous improvement process in line with the objectives identified in its 2021-2027 Strategic Plan.

Italgas has recorded the following emissions:

• direct emissions (Scope 1): deriving from the civil consumption of gas, from industrial consumption of gas for preheating, from fuel consumptions for vehicles and grid losses (“fugitive emissions”);
• indirect emissions (Scope 2): deriving from the consumption of electricity purchase and district heating;
• other indirect emissions (Scope 3) deriving from business travel, outsourced activities (supply chain) and emissions relating to the production of energy purchased and consumed (fuel side, emissions linked to their extraction, production and transport; electricity side, emissions relating to the extraction, production and transport of the fuels used for generation and emissions relating to losses for transmission and distribution).

The Italgas Group’s main greenhouse gas emission contribution is from fugitive emissions of natural gas from distribution networks, distributed gas preheating processes in the decompression systems and the use of cars in the corporate fleet.

2021 saw a drop in total Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions of 7.3% lower than the previous financial year. The main components that contributed to this decrease are fugitive emissions and emissions from gas consumption for industrial use, which in total make up for over 94% of the total Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions.

It is important to note how this reduction is even more significant against an increase in Group operations, in terms of increase of network length (+1.9% compared to 2020) and gas distributed (+4.8%).

Emissions from gas for civil and industrial use are in line with the consumption trend described, while those from electricity consumption are decreasing as a result of reduced consumption and the near total supply of electricity from certified renewable sources (certified by the guarantee of origin management system).

Lastly, emissions from fuel consumption for vehicles were +12.3%, in line with the increase in kilometres travelled compared to 2020, a year particularly characterised by the lockdowns due to the pandemic. The significant improvement in the total value of emissions is mainly due to the 2021 completion of the project to modernise the fleet, which, last year, also involved the company Toscana Energia.

Another significant parameter is represented by the value of the NOx and particulate emissions expressed in grams per kilometre travelled by the fleet. In 2021, these values were 0.081 gNOx/km (same as 2020) and 0.0003 gPart/km, equivalent to a 18.3% reduction compared to 2020. The savings obtained in 2021, if the same number of kilometres had been travelled using a non bifuel and older fleet of operations vehicles, is quantified as ranging between 50 and 55% of nitrogen oxides and 1500% of particulate; CO2 savings amounted to 1.39 thousand tonnes. These indicators provide further representation of the capacity to reduce emissions levels, brought about by the fleet transformation project.

⁵⁴ 2019: Scope II location-based; 2020 and 2021: Scope II market-based

The Italgas Group’s fugitive emissions for 2021 decreased considerably, equal to -9.0% compared to 2020.

By analysing the characteristic KPIs of the process in more depth, a 13.0% decrease is recorded on the indicator of the ratio between emissions and gas distributed and 10.3% for the indicator of the ratio between emissions and km of network inspected.

The prompt inspection, localisation and repair of leaks also produced an important result in terms of savings of fugitive emissions into the atmosphere. In 2021, thanks to the operational effort in the prompt elimination of leaks, emissions avoided made up around 34% of total emissions55.

2021 also saw a number of important developments, thanks to the partnership with Picarro and the Polytechnic University of Turin, mainly:

• the use of an innovative approach, developed in collaboration with Picarro, in the assessment of measurement uncertainty (named 4 Bins model), which uses Bayes’ theorem and statistical analysis of data samples;
• the launch of a collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Turin to estimate the fugitive emissions that cannot be quantified with the CRDS system. Thanks to this project, for the first time it was possible to estimate (for now using specific emissions factors) emissions from permeation, operational emissions, emissions due to maintenance on reduction units and emissions due to meter replacements. This project will continue throughout 2022 with the purpose of refining the calculation and estimation methods. For 2021, the emissions not quantifiable with Picarro for the Group made up around 1.4% (already accounted for in the above table);
• the launch of the development, jointly with Picarro, of a GIS model for asset management used to design smart maintenance for the Italgas networks, with a view to extension to Group level thereafter. From 2022, these innovative tools will be implemented as a basis for the development of the network maintenance CAPEX plan, in order to focus on interventions on the most emissions-heavy networks.

The partnership with the Polytechnic University of Turin will also make it possible to develop, in 2022, reporting models aimed at achieving levels 4-5 of the OGMP framework in short times and to explore the applicability of other tools and technologies for the reconciliation of measurements in the field.

Below is the table showing the fugitive emissions and some reference KPIs, the data of which refers to the companies consolidated by the Group.

⁵⁵ Total emissions that would be obtained considering the maximum emission time, i.e. one year.

⁵⁶ Levels 4 and 5 require that the estimate of the fugitive emissions be based on real measurements taken in the field at site/source level.

⁵⁷ 2019 data on fugitive emissions was calculated by re-parametrising, only for the 3-month consolidation period, the fugitive emissions of Toscana Energia, calculated on the basis of the new method (CRDS Picarro). For more details on the method used, refer to the italgas.it website, in the section on “Our commitment” – “Energy efficiency and the environment”. For the value shown in the 2019 Consolidated Non-Financial Statement, please refer to the document published on the Group’s website at https://www.italgas.it/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2021/07/Non-Financial-Statement-2019.pdf.

⁵⁸ Note that the km of network used for the 2021 KPIs are related to the ARERA consistency declared in 2020 (i.e. as at 31/12/2020). For the other gas network consistency of Medea, an average consistency for 2021 was considered, given the variability due to multiple conversions of the networks to natural gas during the year.

Market-based indirect Scope 2 emissions are substantially in line with 2020, as a result of purchasing electricity produced from certified renewable sources, as certified by the Guarantees of Origin (GO) management system.

Scope 3 emissions increased slightly on 2020, mainly as a result of an increase in the spending of outsourced activities by around 11% and the inclusion of Toscana Energia Green within the scope considered. Scope 3 emissions deriving from outsourced activities were calculated, in line with what was done in the reported historical series, by associating a conversion factor of the value spent in CO2 emissions for each product class.

The Group, which for the sake of completeness of information reported the value for 2022 using the same methodology, has nevertheless undertaken an overall revision of the calculation model for Scope 3 emissions linked to the supply chain, through a wide-ranging project that might make it possible to calculate specific emissions factors for suppliers which can be updated as often as required by the evolution of their supply chain.

By following this approach, the Group also intends to achieve an important objective: aware of the relevance of including its supply chain in the fight against climate change, Italgas intends to develop an approach inspired by “Partnerships for the goals” (SDG 17), by promoting the best techniques/technologies available or, where possible, by identifying new solutions with its suppliers. On the basis of this journey, the Group will determine, in the Strategic Plan, a specific target for the reduction of Scope 3 emissions.

CONSUMPTION AND EMISSIONS AVOIDED FOR THE GROUP

⁵⁹ The calculation of market-based Scope 2 emissions requires that the emission quota related to renewable sources be null and that the residual mix type emission factor be used for the quota not covered by such contracts.

⁶⁰ The 2020 figure refers to the site on Largo Regio Parco 11 only.

Seaside is the ESCO of the Italgas Group. Among other activities, it proposes and performs energy efficiency interventions for its public and private customers in a residential and industrial context.

Specifically, the EPCs – Energy Performance Contracts – in place require that the savings generated following interventions be guaranteed and suitably measured.

In the public sector, the main tool used is funding via third parties envisaged by Italian Legislative Decree 115/2008, often combined with the project financing, governed by the Tenders Code (Italian Legislative Decree 50/2016). The proposals are characterised by the assumption of risk, against the standards offered, at the full expense of the proposing party and the contracts provide for an economic rebalancing mechanism to the benefit of the Administration, if the minimum objectives are not successfully guaranteed.

The remuneration mainly derives from the saving levels achieved, which must be able to generate the necessary cash flows to repay the investments.

The EPCs predominantly concern interventions

• on the air conditioning systems, generally powered by methane gas;
• on the public lighting systems, powered by electricity;
• to construct photovoltaic plants, which reduce withdrawals of electricity from the network.

In 2021, these interventions made it possible to achieve the following results, calculated using historical consumption figures:

In 2021, the Group’s main companies replaced the use of the traditional paper Loading and Unloading Register by adopting a waste management software application, which allows for faster and easier completion and standardisation of data collection relating to the production and disposal of waste.

In all, for the Group as a whole, in 2021, waste deriving from production came to approximately 334.4 tonnes (-41.5% compared to 2020); the total value of waste sent for recovery or disposal for 2021 comes to 352.8 tonnes (-44.0% compared to 2020), 96% of which are not hazardous, including any stocks in 2020. This type of waste consists mainly of mechanical meters, subject to a large-scale replacement campaign, and partly of material resulting from maintenance and development of the network and connections and sludge from the septic tanks of Toscana Energia and Medea.

An in-depth analysis of the quantity and type of waste produced finds that the trend of the activities is sharply decreasing. Examining and isolating the exceptional events in the 2020-2021 twoyear period confirms the achieved results.

Activities carried out on the reclamation sites in 2021

In 2021, Italgas Reti implemented design, safety, characterisation, monitoring, reclamation and environmental restoration activities on a total of 31 sites (already identified in 2020), on the basis of the national environmental legislation for the reclamation of polluted sites, represented by Italian Legislative Decree 152/06 “Environmental Standards”, which replaced the previous legislative reference established by Ministerial Decree 471/99.

For the sake of completeness of information, on 04/08/2021 the former Italgas area in Chiavari on Viale Trieste was sold to a third party, which replaced Italgas as the new party subject to the legal obligations regarding the reclamation of polluted sites and waste management. Therefore, as at 31/12/2021 there were 30 areas with an active environmental procedure managed by Italgas Reti.

Except for in specific cases, the reclaimed sites are the former gas production facilities initially called “illuminating gas” in the second half of the 19th century, which then became “city gas” for cooking and heating.

In these sites, the pollution, when present, was mainly due to the dispersion of tar, as a by-product of the distillation of fossil carbon to produce the city’s gas.

The sites in which an environmental procedure is operative in accordance with Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/06 Part Four Title V “Reclamation of contaminated sites” are distributed throughout national territory and are geographically located as follows:

• 6 in Piedmont;
• 8 in Liguria;
• 8 in Veneto;
• 1 in Tuscany;
• 3 nel Lazio;
• 2 in Campania;
• 1 in Molise;
• 1 in Calabria.

From an administrative point of view, only the “via Brin” site of Naples comes under the competence of the Ministry of the Ecological Transition (Ministero della Transizione Ecologica, MITE), as it falls within the scope of the Site of National Interest (SNI) of Eastern Naples, whilst the remaining sites come under the competence of Regional or Municipal authorities.

According to the “state of business”, the 30 sites can be grouped together into five clusters:

• 5 have active sites and operating groundwater pumping systems
  Venice Mestre v. Altobello – Venice Santa Marta – Cairo Montenotte Park 3 – Lucca – Naples via Brin;1 ha cantiere attivo Cuneo;
• 1 has an active site Cuneo;
• 6 have active groundwater reclamation and safety systems
  Turin C.so Regina Margherita Area Università – Civitavecchia – Venice Island of Murano – Venice San Francesco Area ITGR – Castellammare di Stabia – Ventimiglia;
• 6 have finished operational sites and/or active monitoring
  Bassano del Grappa – Legnago – Sanremo – Turin via Trofarello – Turin C.so Regina Margherita Area ITGR (recovery of gas holders 2 and 3) – Venice San Francesco Area ex Veritas;
• 12 are under design or approaching start-up of operations
  Cairo Montenotte Parks 1 and 2 – Cairo Montenotte Terreni C.so Stalingrado – Campobasso – Catanzaro – Chiavari Loc. Caperana – Ciampino – Este – Rapallo – Rome – Savona – Turin Basse di Stura – Turin C.so Unione Sovietica.

In 2018, with the update in 2020, Italgas carried out an environmental analysis which showed that the use of water resources is not a significant environmental aspect because it is used exclusively for hygiene-sanitary and fire-fighting purposes. The Italgas production process does not involve the use of water for industrial purposes, with the exception of the quantities used to top up the gas preheating systems, inserted inside the cabins used to reduce the pressure of gas collected from the high pressure gas pipe system, without the presence of industrial drains. With specific reference to the management of the Medea distribution networks, the water used is heated to vaporise the LPG into a liquid phase when leaving the tanks. This water, which is also released into the fire-fighting system, is collected from the aqueduct or groundwater via wells. At the Sassari plant, the washing water is released to the ground, after treatment, in compliance with the authorisation.

For 2021, lastly, as part of the reclamation work, approximately 247,240 cubic metres of water were taken from the contaminated groundwater; this was treated to take the concentrations of pollutants back to the limits permitted for discharge in public drains, in compliance with current legislation and authorisations.

The Group companies’ environmental analyses, prepared in accordance with standard UNI EN ISO 14001, showed that use of water resources is not a significant environmental aspect. However, the safeguarding of resources and their rational use is envisaged by the HSEQ Policy and this is why the Group is committed to reducing limited water consumption. The withdrawal of fresh water from the aqueduct, used for hygiene/sanitary purposes in the changing rooms and offices and for the fire-fighting system, came to 76,025 cubic metres (-23.6%): the reduction is mainly attributable to the closure of the changing rooms (and showers) at the operations offices and the greater use of smart working. As regard civil drains, most waste water is conveyed, considering its nature, to the drains without any treatment.

This differs for Italgas Acqua, the Group company that manages the distribution of water under concession in five municipalities of Campania. For this company, managing water consumption means collecting the water, making it suitable for drinking and distributing it to the city, guaranteeing quality standards and continuity and regularity of service.