Snam: from 10th January, the corporate communication campaign 'Piccoli gesti, grande impatto' aims to raise awareness among Italians about adopting responsible behaviour in gas[...]

Snam: from 10th January, the corporate communication campaign "Piccoli gesti, grande impatto" aims to raise awareness among Italians about adopting responsible behaviour in gas consumption

• Fourth quarter 2022 gas demand was down by 5.6 billion cubic metres. In distribution networks, which feed mostly residential users, there was a drop of 3.1 billion cubic metres, of which 1.8 billion was due to milder weather

San Donato Milanese, 11 January 2023 - "Piccoli gesti, grande impatto", the campaign to raise awareness of conscious and responsible energy use to ensure Italy's energy security and a sustainable future, kicked off on 10th January. Conceived by Snam, Europe's leading operator in natural gas transportation and storage, it aims to promote the adoption of small daily behaviours in gas consumption that will enable citizens to save money, be more sustainable and also contribute individually to the better management of the country's energy reserves, i.e. natural gas "storage". Small actions can make a difference, for our own good, for the good of the community and for the environment.

The initiative was created in agreement with the ItalianMinistry of the Environment and Energy Security (MASE) and is part of the broader context of the EU regulation and the plan drawn up by the same ministry, which has laid out a series of actions aimed at reducing energy consumption. The MASE plan refers, among other things, to containment measures such as the introduction of limits on room temperatures, daily hours of lighting and the length of the heating period according to climate zones in the country.

Geared towards and disseminated in major national, print and digital media, Snam's campaign is being launched to coincide with the winter months of January and February. These are statistically colder periods that experience an increase in demand that must be met by drawing heavily on gas storage. A "meter" on the website www.snam.it provides an estimate of daily national gas demand, showing the days on which it is even more important to reduce non-essential consumption by applying certain tricks and practical tips. These tips and tricks are part of the energy-saving handbook created by Renovit, the Snam subsidiary operating in energy efficiency of which CDP Equity is a shareholder.

Based on preliminary final data, gas demand in the last quarter of 2022 was 16.9 billion cubic metres, compared to 22.5 billion cubic metres in the last quarter of 2021. This is a significant contraction (-5.6 billion cubic metres), more than half of which (-3.1 billion cubic metres) can be attributed to the drop in demand from distribution networks, which mainly supply domestic utilities. The effect of the milder weather in the latter part of 2022 contributed 1.8 billion cubic metres to the reduction. Lower industrial demand (-0.8 billion cubic metres) combined with a drop in thermoelectric demand (-1.5 billion cubic metres, also attributable to the switch of some utilities to alternative fuels to natural gas) contributed to the overall decline for the quarter.

A comparison with the whole of 2021 shows a decline in overall gas demand, from 75.1 billion cubic metres in 2021 to 67.4 billion cubic metres in 2022. A less significant decrease (-0.8 billion cubic metres) in relation to thermoelectric uses, but more substantial in relation to distribution networks (-4.5 billion cubic metres) and industrial uses (-2.1 billion cubic metres).

The focus on energy consumption is part of the actions Snam is taking in its commitments to becoming carbon neutral. In addition to its 2040 decarbonisation target for Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions, Snam has made a firm commitment to reducing Scope 3 emissions. These are emissions primarily related to the supply chain and associated companies, which will be able to extensively benefit from the measures proposed in the responsible consumption campaign. Snam also plays a key role as an enabler for third-party emission reductions. This activity is currently happening through Renovit's energy efficiency interventions and biomethane production from BioEnerys. It will continue in the future when hard-to-abate sectors reduce energy consumption thanks to hydrogen transported in the Snam network. Renovit has accumulated experience in residential energy upgrading, having managed more than 800 sites (more than 600 currently in progress and around 200 already closed) with savings in the range of 30%-40%. The company also has more than 30 MW of installed distributed generation (cogeneration and photovoltaic) systems at industrial customers that result in average energy savings of 10%-20%. Compliance with responsible consumption suggestions reinforces Snam's role in this area and allows for an overall increase in the amount of "avoided emissions" in the Italian system.