“Since the outbreak of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict, the theme of energy security has returned to the center of attention, thanks to the collapse of gas imports from Russia, which fell from 40% to less than 10% in two years, a phase that we have overcome also thanks to Snam’s commitment, flexibility and redundancy guaranteed by its infrastructures, the diversification of methane supplies and the new role played by southern Italy, which has become strategic for the safety, affordability and sustainability of the country’s energy supplies”. Claudio Farina, Chief Strategy And Technology Officer of Snamwho spoke today in Naples at the opening day of Feuromed, the Euro-Mediterranean Festival of Economics.
According to Farina, who recalled the strategic plan with which Snam is unfolding 11.5 billion euros of investments over the period 2024-2027, there are four categories of key interventions for energy security: “(i) the increased storage capacity, (ii) the purchase of the two new floating regasification units and the consequent greater access of the country to the global LNG market (which rose from 15% of supplies in 2021 to more than 25% in 2023), passing through (iii) efficient management of the reversal of the prevailing flows via pipe, with (iv) the Adriatica Line project which will unbottle the south-north route, increasing the daily transport capacity up to 150 million cubic meters of gas”.
There is also space for the theme of the energy transition: “an unprecedented challenge in terms of time and depth – Farina further explained – which combines with that of security through gas infrastructures designed and built by Snam with a future proof perspective, to enable a multi-molecule system open to biomethane and hydrogen, also thanks to cross-border projects such as the SoutH2 Corridor (fully operational from 2030 to bring the renewable hydrogen produced in the southern Mediterranean to Italy and Europe). Without forgetting the transport of CO2 as part of carbon capture and storage projects, an essential lever for accelerating the decarbonization of hard-to-abate industrial sectors while avoiding deindustrialization phenomena”.
The reference here is to Ravenna CCS projectjoint ventures Eni-Snam, which will start in the next few months. “Keeping in mind – the Snam manager specified – that in the trajectory between now and 2050 all technologies will be necessary”, with renewable electrons and decarbonised molecules which will have to respond in substantially equal shares to future energy demand. “Foresight and timing in investments, and innovation – concluded Farina – will make the difference”.
Tags: Southern Italy central countrys energy security
