2020 Integrated Annual Report
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Management report

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

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Management report

CONSOLIDATED FINANCIAL STATEMENTS

Attention to the environment

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For Italgas, the main material topics related to the environmental impact of its business and to health and safety at work regard:

  • Energy efficiency
  • Reducing the carbon footprint
  • Waste management
  • Health and safety in the workplace

Italgas’ most significant environmental impacts are the natural gas emissions from the distribution networks and the emissions deriving from gas combustion in the network systems and those from the fuels used for service vehicles.

Other impacts are generated by waste produced from construction and network maintenance work and that obtained from the recovery of decommissioned industrial areas. The main cause of injury are road accidents, both en route to or from work and during transfer for work purposes.

Italgas adopts a responsible, transparent approach to guarantee the compatibility of its infrastructures and the territory, to efficiently manage energy and natural resources and limit the environmental impact deriving from its business, as well as to protect the health and safety of its employees and the staff of contractors involved in operations.

In addition to this, constant research and technological innovation makes it possible to develop and adopt the very best solutions to interact with the environment in the least intrusive, most sustainable way possible. With this reference context, Italgas promotes actions and projects designed to reduce environmental impact attributable to its own business processes, to improve system safety conditions, and the environmental restoration of sites involved by previous industrial gas production.

POLICIES AND COMMITMENTS

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 to these topics is seen by the adoption of the new “Italgas Group Policy for health and safety, the environment, quality and energy” developed in compliance with applicable legislation and the best international industry practices, as well as in compliance with the Code of Ethics, aimed at optimising and protecting the human and natural resources, both of which are essential values for the Group. All Italgas Group companies implement this Policy to manage and develop their businesses and undertake to establish measurable objectives and goals and review them periodically, in line with the guidelines expressed here and the Group’s growth strategies. The Policy is communicated to stakeholders with a view to assuring transparency and collaboration.

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

  • to pursue the continual improvement of the integrated management system, the quality of its services and those of its partners, along the entire value chain;
  • to reduce accidents to zero, eliminating dangers and reducing risks, improving health and safety services, preparing healthy, safe workplaces;
  • to responsibly manage significant environmental impacts linked to its activities;
  • to enhance its people with Group growth in mind, creating working conditions that promote inclusion, involvement, participation;
  • to manage natural resources and use of the energy needed for its purpose sustainably;
  • to promote interaction with stakeholders and territorial exchange, dialogue and involvement.

With the checks carried out in 2019 by the Certification Body DNV GL, maintenance of the Group’s Management System Certifications was confirmed, in accordance with the international standards listed below, and the new certificates planned were achieved.

The table below summarises the certifications for the various management systems, as well as the Group Company’s laboratory accreditations.

Company System or Scheme Standard
Italgas S.p.A. Anti-bribery Management System UNI EN ISO 37001:2016
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Anti-bribery Management System UNI EN ISO 37001:2016
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Quality Management System UNI EN ISO 9001:2015
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Environmental Management System UNI EN ISO 14001:2015
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Occupational Health and Safety Management System UNI ISO 45001:2018
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Energy Management System UNI CEI EN ISO 50001:2018
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Type C Inspection Body UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Test laboratory UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2017
Italgas Reti S.p.A. Calibration laboratory UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17025:2005
Medea S.p.A. Quality Management System UNI EN ISO 9001:2015*
Medea S.p.A. UNI EN ISO 37001:2016**
Seaside s.r.l. Expert in Energy Management UNI CEI 11339:2009
Seaside s.r.l. Energy Service Companies UNI CEI 11352:2014
Seaside s.r.l. Quality Management System UNI EN ISO 9001:2015
Seaside s.r.l. Anti-bribery Management System UNI EN ISO 37001:2016**
Toscana Energia S.p.A. Quality Management System UNI EN ISO 9001:2015
Toscana Energia S.p.A. Environmental Management System UNI EN ISO 14001:2015
Toscana Energia S.p.A. Occupational Health and Safety Management System UNI ISO 45001:2018
Toscana Energia S.p.A. Energy Management System UNI CEI EN ISO 50001:2018
Toscana Energia S.p.A. Type C Inspection Body UNI CEI EN ISO/IEC 17020:2012
Toscana Energia S.p.A. Anti-bribery Management System UNI EN ISO 37001:2016**
Italgas Acqua S.p.A. Quality Management System UNI EN ISO 9001:2015**
Italgas Acqua S.p.A. Occupational Health and Safety Management System UNI ISO 45001:2018**
Italgas Acqua S.p.A. Anti-bribery Management System UNI EN ISO 37001:2016**
Toscana Energia Green S.p.A. Quality Management System UNI EN ISO 9001:2015
Toscana Energia Green S.p.A. Environmental Management System UNI EN ISO 14001:2015
Toscana Energia Green S.p.A. Occupational Health and Safety Management System UNI ISO 45001:2018
Toscana Energia Green S.p.A. Anti-bribery Management System UNI EN ISO 37001:2016
Toscana Energia Green S.p.A. Companies supplying energy services UNI CEI 11352:2014
Toscana Energia Green S.p.A. Social responsibility SA8000
Toscana Energia Green S.p.A. F-GAS certification F-GAS (DPR n.43 del 27.01.2012)

* At present, the certification covers only the site of Sassari. By end 2021, the certification scope will be extended to all Medea.
** Certifications achieved in 2020.

CONSUMPTION

Energy is mainly used in Italgas for industrial purposes. Natural gas is the most commonly used energy source, followed by electricity and methane for motor vehicles.

Energy consumption totalled 592.15 TJ in 2020. The data shows a slight increase on 2019 due to the fact that Toscana Energia has been part of the consolidation for the whole of 2020, whilst in 2019 only the last 3 months were consolidated. An increase is noted in the consumption of natural gas for vehicles and a significant reduction in diesel and petrol consumption for using natural gas hybrid cars. In general, Medea’s consumptions have increased as the Company has extended the scope, acquiring the company Isgas.

In addition to the consumption deriving from the electricity acquired, Italgas produces electricity from renewable energy sources (FER) through 51 photovoltaic plants (of which 18 owned by Toscana Energia Green, one owned by Toscana Energia, in Piazza Mattei, Florence and 32 of Italgas Reti). Part of the energy produced is self-consumed, whilst the remainder is released to the network. In detail:

Toscana Energia

  • the electricity produced by four ground-based plants and nine roof-mounted plants is entirely injected into the network and the energy is valued by the GSE;
  • the electricity produced by the photovoltaic plant installed at the Florence office is completely self-consumed;
  • the electricity produced by the other five roof-mounted plants, installed on buildings owned in a small municipality in the province of Pisa, powers the utilities of the same structures;

Italgas Reti

  • the electricity produced by the 32 plants, installed on specific shelters at Italgas Reti IPRM is partly self-consumed and partly 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.

PHOTOVOLTAIC 43 2018 2019 2020 % increase 2020 VS 2019
KWh TJ KWh TJ KWh TJ
Dedicated collection by GSE 20,629 0.07 1,333,801 4.80 8,876,626 31.96 566%
Self-consumption 19,558 0.07 45,426 0.16 136,893 0.49 201%
Production 40,187 0.14 1,379,227 4.97 9,013,519 32.45 554%

Photovoltaic production between 2018 and 2019 increased insofar as in 2019, 22 more Italgas Reti plants were connected and Toscana Energia joined the scope (in 2019, it had been considered for 3 months).

EMISSIONS AVOIDED 44 2018 2019 2020 INCREASE 2020 VS 2019
U.o.m.: tCO2eq %
Emissions avoided for self-produced energy sold to GSE 6.1 370.2 2,337.8 531%
Emissions avoided for self-produced energy consumed on site 5.5 12.2 35.4 190%
Total emissions avoided for photovoltaic 11.6 382.4 2,373.2 521%

MAIN INITIATIVES

In 2020, Italgas Reti completed its transition to the new standard UNI CEI EN ISO 50001:2018, confirming the company’s commitment to the development of an Energy Management System (EMS) that makes it possible to establish the systems and processes necessary to obtain the continuous improvement of its energy performance. The activities necessary to align the certification to the 2018 version of the standard were identified following an in-depth gap analysis carried out with the collaboration of Seaside, as the Group’s ESCo: in particular, a new document structure has been created, including the documents necessary to manage the energy system and objectives, thresholds and action plans identified to improve the energy performance. An annual activity plan has also been defined to maintain and continuously improve its EMS in compliance with the standard requirements.

In 2020, the installation, in IPRMs, continued of direct-drive meters inserted into the electrical panels, with an impulse link to the RTUs, making it possible to read consumption directly on the IOT platform. These devices 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.

Trials continued of innovative systems enabling the recovery of energy by means of microturbines at certain GRFDs (“Gruppi di Riduzione Finali Digitalizzati” – Final Digitised Reduction Groups). 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. For example, in one of these plants, in approximately 1 year of operation (November 2019 – November 2020), approximately 225 kWh were produced, avoiding network consumption (corresponding to approximately 60 kg CO2 emissions avoided).

At end 2020, the tender called to replace all traditional bulbs with LED bulbs for all IPRMs, IRIs and GRFs that are illuminated, both in internal and external areas, was concluded. The installation of outdoor astronomical twilight switches on all IPRMs, IRIs and GRFs illuminated, was also envisaged. Completion of the replacements is expected by the end of June 2021.

  • MOBILITYWEEK

To mark the 2020 European Mobility Week themed around “Zero-emissions, mobility for all”, Italgas presented the ItalBIKE, a new bike sharing service reserved to employees initially in Milan and thereafter also gradually extended to the other corporate offices. ItalBIKE allows Italgas staff to rent one of the bicycles made available, booking it through the Sherlock Bike app. With this initiative, Italgas invites its employees to lead a healthy lifestyle and choose green means of transport to the benefit of their health and, of course, that of the environment. The initiative comes under the scope of initiatives seeking to promote employee well-being, which also include Italgas having opened a gymnasium for employees in the Milan office and created another one in Turin and yet another in the restructured office of Rome – Monte Mario.

For years now, Italgas has been monitoring its emissions with a view to reducing the related environmental impact of such over time, according to a continuous improvement process.

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 increase of direct Scope 1 emissions seen in 2020, resulting from the expansion of the business scope, was limited to around 4% as compared with 2019, thanks to a series of actions taken, including:

  • reduction of vehicle fuel consumption. 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 , NOx e 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 KILOMETERS TRAVELLED IN 2018-2020

(MILLIONS OF km) 2018 201945 2020
Diesel 28.4 6.1 4.5
Petrol 8.4 11.5 7.1
Methane 5.6 21.7 26.2
Total 42.4 39.2 37.8

The results of this transformation are clear. In 2020, a total of approximately 37.8 million kilometres were travelled, of which more than 33.5 million relate to operative 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.

The total value of CO2 produced by the Italgas vehicle fleet comes to 5.695 thousand tonnes equivalent of CO2 (103t CO2), as compared with 7.59 in 201946.

The significant improvement in the total value of emissions is mainly due to the 2020 completion of the project to modernise the fleet and the disposal of the owned vehicles, which, last year, also involved the company Toscana Energia.

One significant parameter used to measure the results ensuing from the choice to renew the car pool is the value of CO2 emissions expressed in grams per kilometre travelled by the fleet. In 2020, this value came to 150.7 g/km.

The savings obtained in 2020, if the same number of kilometres had been travelled using a non bifuel fleet of operative vehicles, is quantifiable as ranging between 800 and 1000 tonnes CO2, equivalent to an increase of between 20 and 25 g CO2 per kilometre.

This indicator provides further representation of the capacity to reduce emissions levels, brought about by the fleet transformation project.

Considering the results achieved and with a view to pursuing even more challenging emission-reduction objectives, further actions have been identified for 2021. These include, in particular, the introduction of a new digital fleet management system that can implement proactive maintenance functions and optimise use of the vehicles; introducing hybrid (electricity-petrol) vehicles in the cars assigned for both personal and business use.

  • reduction of civil consumption thanks to the restructuring work carried out; note that LEED GOLD certification is currently being obtained for the site at Largo Regio Parco 11, in Turin, restructuring of which was completed in 2019. The building has also 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. The building was commissioned in January 2020. The consumption of Regio 11 recorded in 2020 has been compared with the electricity and gas consumption recorded in 2016, before its restructuring. The comparison of data has revealed a reduction in the consumption of methane gas in the amount of 155,689 Sm3 (-57.4%) and of 272,709 kWh (-25.7%) of electricity, which come together to make for the avoided release into the atmosphere of 382 tCO2eq.
  • reduction of industrial gas consumption to optimise the preheating process. From 2019 to 2020 the gas consumption for the preheating process of Italgas Reti reduced by approximately 9%; comparing the situation at like-for-like scope (thereby excluding the plants acquired in 2019 and 2020), we note an even greater reduction of approximately 12%. This reduction is partly linked to the decline in supply (-3%), but the bigger part is due to the optimisation of the preheating process.

To assess the effect of the optimisation of these system we can refer to the KPI of the specific consumption (SC), namely gas burnt for the preheating process per 1,000 Sm3 gas supplied by the plants (Sm3 preheating/103 Sm3 gas supplied):

2018 SPECIFIC
CONSUMPTION
(Sm3 PREHEATING/103
Sm3 GAS SUPPLIED)		 2019 SPECIFIC
CONSUMPTION
(Sm3 PREHEATING/103
Sm3 GAS SUPPLIED)		 2020 SPECIFIC
CONSUMPTION
(Sm3 PREHEATING/103
Sm3 GAS SUPPLIED)		 REDUCTION IN
SC
2020-2019 (%)
IPRMs with preheating optimisation system 2019/2020 (64) 47 1.59 1.66 1.31 -21%
IPRMs not yet equipped with a preheating optimisation system 1.42 1.44 1.38 -4%

We note that in plants in which these optimisation systems have been installed, the specific consumption reduced by approximately 21% from 2019 to 2020, whilst in the other IPRMs, only a small reduction was seen, connected with the other improvements made, such as, for example, replacing boilers with new models.

Instead, if we consider only the IPRMs in which these optimisation systems are installed from 2019 to 2020 (for which a reduction is recorded in consumption for preheating of approximately 319,000 Sm3), it has been estimated that the increase in efficiency obtained by these systems equates to a saving of approximately 250,000 Sm3 (corresponding to approximately 500 t CO2 in emissions avoided).

Also considering the works carried out in previous years, at the end of 2020, there were 99 IPRMs with preheating that make use of preheating consumption optimisation systems. In 3 of these plants, experimentation continues of a thermal plant management system that also includes a gas-powered heat absorption pump.

In 2021, the campaign for the installation of the new pre-heating system will continue in the other IPRMs.

  • reduction of grid losses, thanks to the 2020 use of a new scheduled natural gas fugitive emissions leak detection method, based on data collected using the Cavity Ring-Down Spectroscopy (CRDS) Picarro technology. The technology has a sensitivity 1000 times higher than the traditional system, and the related emissions calculation constitutes a more solid, robust evolution of the estimated parametric emissions – used previously – both in application terms and in respect of calculation. The new method is based on the determination of the flow of the individual gas fugitive emissions, as the result of in-depth analysis on big data collected following scheduled leak detection activities, carried out throughout the networks with CRDS laser spectroscopy technology. The accuracy and solidity of the instrumental method are guaranteed by the possibility of:
    • localising, classifying and precisely quantifying both the most significant and influential gas emission sources (super emitters) and the smaller ones;
    • quantifying the expected benefits/improvements, in view of targeted grid maintenance initiatives;
    • prioritising grid renewal interventions with a view to reducing the effects of gas leaks and ensuring an appropriate cost/benefits balance.

In order to obtain a value that is as complete as possible, in calculating the losses, leaks reported by third parties were also considered, taking into account the average daily volume of losses identified by the CRDS method and a maximum repair time of 48 hours.

In 2020, for the first time, use of CRDS technology was extended to the whole network (in 2019, 26% of the network was inspected with this technology), considering the spot value of emissions associated with each leak detected in the calculation and taking into account the effective repair dates.

In 2020, total fugitive emissions of the Italgas Group48 came to 8.46 million Sm3 and the gas leakage rate (calculated as the ratio of natural gas leaks and gas distributed) is 0.1%.

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

ITALGAS GROUP U.o.m. 2019* 2020
Total Natural Gas Fugitive Emissions 106Sm3 7.4 8.5
Total fugitive emissions in CO2eq 103tCO2 128.0 146.6
Gas distributed 49 106Sm3 8,001.0 8,477.0
Network consistency 50 km 70,484.3 71,184.5
Natural gas/network consistency Sm3 / km 104.9 118.9
Gas Leakage Rate (natural gas fugitive emissions/gas distributed) Sm3 / Sm3 0.092% 0.100%

* 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 reported in the 2019 Consolidated Non-Financial Statement, please refer to the document published on the Group’s website at https://www.italgas.it/export/sites/italgas/italgas-gallery/Documenti_it/Dichiarazione-Non-Finanziaria-2019.

Indirect emissions of Scope 2 decreased in 2020 by 97% compared to 2019 following the purchase of electricity produced from certified renewable sources, as attested by the Management System of Guarantees of Origin (GO). The location-based method based on the average Italian emission factor, provided by the Higher Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA), was used to evaluate the emissions due to the consumption of electricity in 2019. For the same type of emissions, in 2020 the market-based method was used, whose calculation provides that the emission quota relating to renewable sources is zero and that the residual mix emission factor is used for the portion not covered by such contracts. It should be noted that the residual emissions of 2020 also contain the contribution due to the purchase of heat from district heating.

ITALGAS GROUP U.o.m. 2019 2020
Scope 2 emissions location-based 103tCO2 7.5 7.3
Scope 2 emissions market-based 103tCO2 12.9 0.2

Scope 3 emissions are slightly up insofar as the Group scope has increased on 2019. Scope 3 emissions deriving from outsourced activities, calculated by associating a conversion factor of the expense value in CO2 emissions for each product class, have increased following a 16% increase in expenditure.

Please note that as regards indirect Scope 3 emissions, the method used to calculate the emissions deriving from the outsourced activities has changed, based on the value spent and not that ordered. In detail, this method associates a conversion factor of the value spent in CO2 emissions for each product class. It is also noted that the installation of smart meters, with the consequent remote reading of volumes consumed, has avoided scope 3 emissions due to the readings of meters through external companies. This reduction in emissions generated CO2 savings from 2019 to 2020 of 192 tCO2. In order to guarantee the principle of comparability, the 2019 data has been recalculated using that same method.

45 2019 includes Toscana Energia for 3 months.
46 The calculation of CO2 emissions in 2020 is based on the characteristic emissions of each type of vehicle model supplied by the Long-Term Rental providers. This approach makes it possible to obtain a truer value with respect to the effective consistency of the vehicle fleet and in line with the technological innovation introduced by manufacturers to reduce emissions.
47 In these IPRMs, the optimisation systems were installed in 2019 and 2020; therefore, the specific consumption reduction can only be seen form a comparison of these 2 years.
48 Please note that CRDS (Picarro) technology was used for Italgas Reti and Toscana Energia, while for Medea, the previous parametric calculation method was used.
49 Note that the gas distributed used for the 2019 KPIs differs from that reported in the 2019 Italgas NFS insofar as data has been recalculated to take into account, on the basis of the new method used, the company Toscana Energia for 12 months. For the value reported in the 2019 Consolidated Non-Financial Statement, please refer to the document published on the Group’s website at https://www.italgas.it/export/sites/italgas/italgas-gallery/Documenti_it/Dichiarazione- Non-Finanziaria-2019.
50 Note that the km of network used for the 2019 KPIs refer to operational data communicated to ARERA in 2020. The network consistency includes the consolidated companies.

In October 2020, use began of the Atlantide app, to computerise the administrative management of waste of Italgas Reti. The adoption of this tool makes it possible to speed up and facilitate completion of the documents required by regulations (loading/unloading register) and to standardise data collection for the Integrated Report.

In all, for the company as a whole, in 2020, waste deriving from production came to approximately 571.7 tonnes; the total value of waste sent for recovery or disposal for 2020 comes to 629.7 tonnes, 94.5% of which are not hazardous, including any stocks in 2019. 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.

In 2020, Italgas continued its monitoring, reclamation and environmental restoration works on 32 sites (the same identified in 2019), on the basis of national environmental regulations governing the reclamation of polluted sites, represented by Ministerial Decree no. 471/99, thereafter superseded by Italian Legislative Decree no. 152/06 “Environmental standards”.

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 32 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; in particular, they are geographically located as follows:

  • 6 in Piedmont
  • 9 in Liguria
  • 8 in Veneto
  • 2 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 Environment and Land and Sea Protection (Ministero dell’Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare, MATTM), 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 32 sites can be grouped together into five clusters:

  • 5 have active sites and operating groundwater pumping systems;
  • 3 have active sites;
  • 5 have active groundwater reclamation and safety systems;
  • 5 have post-operam monitoring in progress;
  • 14 are under design or approaching start-up of operations.

The Italgas Reti Environmental Analysis, 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. 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 approximately 98 thousand cubic metres. As regard civil drains, all 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.

The Italgas Reti 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.

Medea also uses water, which is heated to vaporise the LPG in liquid phase as it leaves 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 2020, as part of the reclamation work, approximately 230,670 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.

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43 Please note that 2018 data does not include the company Toscana Energia and that relating to 2019 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.
44 Please note that 2018 data does not include the company Toscana Energia and that relating to 2019 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. It should also be noted 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).