Italy's Network of Gas Filling Stations Grows

Italian gas transmission system operator Snam and the country's biggest filling-station operator IP have agreed to build a series of 26 natural gas refuelling plants along highways. They will come into operation next year.

The new openings comprise the first phase of the 2018 framework agreement between IP and Snam to build up to 200 new methane stations in Italy. The initiative is part of the companies’ commitment to promoting sustainable mobility, they said July 29.

Italy already leads Europe in terms of gas-fuelled transport, with 1mn vehicles and around 1,350 service stations.

Snam and IP have jointly identified the fueling stations with IP branded fuel, at which they will install methane supply for cars (CNG, compressed natural gas). Two of these stations (in Veneto and in Emilia-Romagna) will also supply LNG  for heavy goods vehicles.

The new stations add to the 46 existing methane stations on the IP network, demonstrating a concrete contribution to the construction of the infrastructure supporting the country’s transition to sustainable mobility. The investment in new LNG stations in particular represents an important step for the network’s ability to support heavy transport.

The agreement with IP is part of Snam's commitment to boosting the growth of the Italian distribution network of CNG and LNG, through direct investments and agreements with other operators.

Snam4Mobility, a 100% subsidiary of Snam, has delivered six plants and contracted over 70 under a plan that provides for an overall construction of around 300 new CNG and LNG stations in the coming years. In its strategic plan to 2022, Snam plans to spend €200 ($222) mn on infrastructure for gas and biomethane-fuelled transport.