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Italgas

Italgas is a leading Italian and European gas distribution company focused on energy transition and network digitalization.

Lobbying Activity

Meeting with Bruno Tobback (Member of the European Parliament) and Invest Europe and

2 Dec 2025 · Investing into Europe’s Infrastructure Future

Italgas warns against relying exclusively on electricity for decarbonisation

9 Oct 2025
Topic — The plan identifies barriers to switching energy demand from fossil fuels to electricity.
Message — Italgas recommends setting clear EU-wide production targets for renewable gases and simplified permitting. They advocate for repurposing existing gas infrastructure rather than decommissioning it.12
Why — This strategy protects Italgas's distribution assets by keeping gas networks transition-essential.3
Impact — Heating, industry, and transport sectors face price volatility and expensive grid costs.4
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Italgas warns against sole reliance on electric heating

9 Oct 2025
Topic — The EU is developing a strategy to decarbonize heating and cooling systems.
Message — Italgas demands a technology-neutral strategy including renewable gases. They urge the Commission to prevent premature gas network decommissioning.12
Why — Repurposing existing grids would protect their infrastructure assets and market position.3
Impact — Poorer households lose out due to the high costs of electrification retrofits.4
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Italgas urges technology neutrality in EU energy digitalization

25 Sept 2025
Topic — The initiative focuses on leveraging digital technologies and artificial intelligence for energy.
Message — Italgas requests a strategy that treats all energy technologies equally and avoids discriminating against gas. They also recommend a European data-sharing framework and direct funding for corporate digital projects.123
Why — This would lower operational costs and protect the value of gas infrastructure.4
Impact — Environmental groups may see gas infrastructure longevity extended through these digital investments.56
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Italgas urges inclusion of biomethane in EU security framework

25 Sept 2025
Topic — The Commission is revising energy security rules for a more integrated system.
Message — Italgas recommends including biomethane and e-methane within the future energy security package. The organization also argues that premature decommissioning of existing gas distribution assets should be avoided.123
Why — This protects Italgas's infrastructure from decommissioning while securing incentives for renewable gas.45
Impact — Supporters of rapid electrification lose as gas networks are maintained as strategic assets.6
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Italgas urges technology-neutral approach for EU COP30 strategy

10 Sept 2025
Topic — The initiative defines the EU's global climate and energy strategy for COP30.
Message — Italgas argues that COP30 negotiations must involve businesses and follow a technology-neutral principle. They advocate for a transition that utilizes both green electricity and gas molecules.12
Why — This strategy would allow Italgas to preserve and repurpose its existing gas infrastructure.3
Impact — Advocates for a purely electricity-based energy system would see their policy influence diminished.4
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Italgas Urges Inclusion of Gas Infrastructure in 2040 Target

5 Sept 2025
Topic — Amending the European Climate Law to include a new 2040 climate target.
Message — Italgas calls for an explicit role for renewable and low-carbon gases in the 2040 framework. They urge the EU to prevent the premature dismantling of existing gas networks and avoid mandatory sub-targets.12
Why — Repurposing infrastructure would protect its strategic assets and lower future decommissioning costs.3
Impact — Proponents of full electrification may lose market share to continued gas use.4
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Italgas warns against premature gas grid decommissioning

31 Jul 2025
Topic — The consultation addresses protecting vulnerable consumers during the shift away from fossil fuels.
Message — Italgas demands a clear distinction between fuel phase-out and infrastructure decommissioning. They request ten years' notice for grid closures and financial support for residential heating transitions.123
Why — Italgas would avoid stranded assets and secure compensation for any decommissioning costs.45
Impact — Low-income households and tenants face higher costs from electrification and rising gas tariffs.67
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Italgas urges EU to repurpose gas grids for renewable molecules

23 Jul 2025
Topic — The European Commission is proposing measures to modernize and expand EU energy infrastructure.
Message — Italgas requests a technology-neutral approach integrating renewable gases alongside electrification. They advocate for repurposing existing gas networks to ensure cost-effective decarbonization.12
Why — Repurposing allows Italgas to protect its assets and lower its future investment requirements.34
Impact — Consumers and Member States face high costs if gas grids are decommissioned prematurely.5
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Meeting with Aldo Patriciello (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Mar 2025 · transizione energetica e neutralità tecnologica

Meeting with Giorgio Gori (Member of the European Parliament)

12 Mar 2025 · Presentation of priorities

Meeting with Andrea Wechsler (Member of the European Parliament) and Association Internationale de la Savonnerie, de la Détergence et des Produits d'Entretien

10 Mar 2025 · EU Energy and industry policy

Meeting with Annalisa Corrado (Member of the European Parliament)

5 Mar 2025 · Energia

Italgas calls for new EU fund to modernize water networks

4 Mar 2025
Topic — A European strategy to ensure sustainable water management and infrastructure resilience.
Message — The company wants a new financing instrument for water resilience in the next budget. They propose mapping water networks and strengthening independent parties to endorse tariff increases.123
Why — New EU subsidies and higher tariffs would help repay their planned five-hundred-million-euro infrastructure investment.45
Impact — Household consumers would face higher water bills if independent regulators bypass local political opposition.67
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Meeting with Stefano Cavedagna (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Mar 2025 · Introductory meeting

Meeting with Dario Nardella (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Mar 2025 · Priorities in the field of Industry, Research and Energy

Meeting with Mariateresa Vivaldini (Member of the European Parliament) and Confartigianato Imprese

27 Feb 2025 · Meeting conoscitivo

Meeting with Isabella Tovaglieri (Member of the European Parliament, Committee chair)

26 Feb 2025 · Politiche europee sul gas

Meeting with Danilo Oscar Lancini (Member of the European Parliament)

14 Nov 2023 · Energy

Italgas urges technology neutrality in heat pump rollout

26 May 2023
Topic — The Commission is consulting on actions to accelerate heat pump market deployment.
Message — Italgas calls for technological neutrality that integrates gas and electricity instead of relying solely on electrification. They recommend repurposing gas networks for hydrogen and biomethane to ensure system efficiency and flexibility.123
Why — This strategy protects the company's gas infrastructure from becoming obsolete assets.45
Impact — Citizens and industrial users face higher costs and energy grid instability.67
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Italgas warns methane rules will hike consumer energy bills

15 Apr 2022
Topic — EU proposal to regulate methane emissions monitoring and reporting in energy.
Message — Italgas calls for aligning rules with industry standards to avoid redundant reporting. They argue that proposed leak detection frequencies are unrealistic for distribution networks. Routine venting should be reported annually rather than for every single event.123
Why — Lowering inspection frequency and consolidating reports reduces administrative costs and operational burden.45
Impact — Energy consumers and families would pay more if expensive requirements are passed through.6
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Response to Revision of EU rules on Gas

12 Apr 2022

Italgas welcomes the introduction of this new Gas Package. Our vision fully aligns with a net zero economy by 2050. Natural gas, and later on renewable gases (including biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic methane) are a crucial part of our energy systems, and it is critical to accelerate their path to decarbonisation. To do so, much of the gas value-chain is convinced that a renewable gas target would be very important to establish at an EU level, much like is currently the case for renewable electricity. This would further encourage the deployment of biomethane and other gases, which are essential both from an environmental standpoint as well as energy security ones. In addition, recent geopolitical events put the EU’s energy security into question. Renewable gases represent a homegrown alternative to imports, with a potential to significantly reduce imports from third countries. To this last regard, provisions for the connection of facilities to the gas networks should be simplified and fewer constraints placed on operators. Investments in this field should be allowed to all entities regardless of their nature as infrastructure of market operators and the regulator should allow for remuneration for these investments within the existing regulatory framework. Considering a future of decentralised renewable energy production, it is our opinion that distribution grids will play an important role in the uptake of biomethane and H2, particularly for collecting local and decentralized “small scale” production. This vision is not in contrast with the development of hydrogen valleys, interconnecting large electrolysers with industrial “hard to abate” users. Conversely, local H2 production comes in addition to the former and, if not injected at the DSOs level, it will simply be lost for economic reasons. For the above reasons, we believe that gas DSOs representation should be better guaranteed in a separate Gas DSO Entity, rather than being merged into one for both electricity and gas. Still, if this operation must go ahead, we believe that rules must be put in place in order to allow for a balanced representation of both electricity and gas DSOs, and for shared and fair decision-making methods. The structure of EU legislation for H2, which establishes one H2 network operator along the lines of gas TSOs is a clear step in the direction the Commission foresees. We do not agree with this perspective and think that such a rigid setup risk delaying the development of this vitally important market. In any regard, we believe that the separation of the RAB for services offered simultaneously in more than one market will hinder the development of H2. This because to foster (and not to curb) the H2 technology, it is not advantageous to split the costs (both CAPEX and OPEX) needed to its development from the remaining in the gas and electricity fields. For this reason, operators that invest in this technology must have the possibility to insert the related costs in the current energy frameworks, and, at the same time, consumers served by this form of energy should not be (over)burden with costs for a technology that in the future will be used by a vast number of customers. Finally, regarding compulsory collaborations amongst DSOs and TSOs for booking capacity, it ought to be considered that the characteristics of the distribution and transport grids may differ from each other. Therefore, the development of the H2 grid, as well as the possibility to book H2 capacity must consider potential bottlenecks in DSO grids. In this sense, more than a simple cooperation should be required. We believe that collaboration between TSO and DSOs in the development of a H2 ready grid since inception should be foreseen. This would avoid any conflict caused by a lack of coordination, leading to a de facto impossibility to reach final consumers with H2.
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Response to Revision of EU rules on Gas

12 Apr 2022

Italgas welcomes the introduction of this new Gas Package. Our vision fully aligns with the idea of a net zero economy by 2050. Natural gas, and later on gases (including biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic methane) are a crucial part of our energy systems, and it is essential to accelerate their path to decarbonisation. To do so, much of the gas value-chain is more than convinced that a renewable gas target would be very important to establish at an EU level, much like is currently the case for renewable electricity. We believe a minimum target of 35 BCM by 2030, which is in line with the Commission’s latest commitment for that date within the RePowerEU Communication, should be sufficient. This would further encourage the deployment of biomethane and other gases, which are crucial both from an environmental standpoint as well as energy security ones. Recent geopolitical events put the EU’s energy security into question. Renewable gases represent a homegrown alternative to imports, with an estimated potential to significantly reduce gas coming from third countries. To this regard, provisions for the connection of facilities to the gas networks should be simplified and fewer constraints placed on operators. Investments in this field should be encouraged to all entities regardless of their nature as infrastructure or market operators and the NRAs should allow for remuneration for these investments within the existing regulatory framework. From the standpoint of the organisation of the market, we believe that the strategic role of gas DSOs should be taken more into consideration in the development of the Hydrogen market. The extensiveness and characteristics (pressure) of our networks make them the prime solutions for the integration of renewable gases - whether it be biomethane of hydrogen - from decentralised production. On the contrary, the possibility to distribute hydrogen at the DSO level does not seem to be considered in the proposal. For the same reason we also strongly believe that an EU gas DSO Association should have been created. Gas DSOs strategic role should also be more consistent with regards for the Ten-Year Development Plans (TYDPs) which are to be developed by TSOs. We believe that the Directive should provide assurances for a more direct participation of DSOs in this planning process. This question directly leads to the market organisation proposed for the nascent hydrogen network. In this sense, we do not think that the unbundling provisions contained in the proposed Directive will favour the rapid upscaling of this energy vector. In particular, we see the proposed provisions for unbundling for gas infrastructure operators and hydrogen production as detrimental to the development of the market, at least in its initial phase. It is also detrimental to the deployment of energy efficiency measures: constraints applied to the companies operating in the gas sector in relation to the production of electricity should be removed in all those cases in which the produced energy is aimed at either the recovery of efficiency (such as in turboexpander) or the production of hydrogen or renewable gases (power to gas technology). We assess that account unbundling should be sufficient to avoid market distortion and at the same time guarantee the necessary flexibility to allow for a rapid scale-up. In conclusion, we believe that the role of NRAs could be enhanced, allowing to flexibly apply potential regulatory barriers such as unbundling models, and restricting the cooperation between the electricity and the gas sector and the exclusion of a unique RAB or of a remuneration within the actual framework should be removed and/or excluded. Finally, we fully welcome the introduction of energy communities for gas, but we are convinced that DSOs should play a facilitating role in their deployment and specify the mechanisms for DSO remuneration in the case this is different from that of traditional gas distribution activities.
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Meeting with Nicola Danti (Member of the European Parliament, Shadow rapporteur)

15 Feb 2022 · EED

Meeting with Gerassimos Thomas (Director-General Taxation and Customs Union) and EUROGAS and

22 Nov 2021 · Videoconference - Energy Taxation Directive in Fit for 55 package

Italgas urges lower taxes for gas and sustainable biogas

18 Nov 2021
Topic — The EU is updating fuel taxation to support the transition to climate neutrality.
Message — Italgas requests lower taxes for natural gas and LPG to reflect their transition role. They also want all sustainable biogases taxed at the lowest possible rate.12
Why — Lower taxes would ensure Italgas's gas infrastructure remains competitive during the energy transition.34
Impact — Consumers lose because uniform taxes on electricity fail to reward usage of cleaner energy.5
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Italgas urges EU to include biomethane in infrastructure targets

18 Nov 2021
Topic — The EU is revising rules to expand recharging and refuelling infrastructure for transport.
Message — Italgas calls for the re-introduction of targets for CNG and similar standards for biomethane-based fuels. They argue the Commission should facilitate mature technologies that contribute to accelerating the decarbonisation of transport.12
Why — This would allow the company to utilize its extensive gas distribution network for renewable fuels.34
Impact — Poorer citizens suffer from high fuel and vehicle costs without affordable gas-powered alternatives.5
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Italgas urges gas inclusion in new energy efficiency rules

18 Nov 2021
Topic — Revision of the Energy Efficiency Directive to reach higher EU climate goals.
Message — Italgas wants the directive to support the full exploitation of renewable gases. They argue savings from natural gas systems should count toward efficiency certificates. The company seeks to recover costs for tackling network methane emissions through tariffs.123
Why — This would protect the value of gas infrastructure and reduce compliance costs.45
Impact — Consumers may pay higher energy bills to cover costs of updating gas networks.67
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Italgas advocates for technology neutrality in renewable energy rules

18 Nov 2021
Topic — Review of the Renewable Energy Directive to meet increased 2030 climate target goals.
Message — Italgas requests specific renewable gas targets and an expanded tracking system for fuel sustainability. They argue for technology neutrality, claiming gas infrastructure can be repurposed for green energy. They also seek to remove regulatory barriers to better integrate gas and electricity sectors.123
Why — Repurposing gas networks for renewable fuels protects their infrastructure investments from becoming obsolete.4
Impact — Advocates for a total phase-out of gas boilers may see their policy goals undermined.5
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Italgas urges inclusion of hybrid heating in building renovations

22 Mar 2021
Topic — A revision of the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive to accelerate building renovations.
Message — Italgas urges including hybrid heating in the renovation wave. They recommend that efficiency calculations integrate the ability to respond to flexibility demand.12
Why — Italgas would benefit from the continued use and optimization of its existing gas infrastructure.3
Impact — Developers of new energy infrastructure may lose out as the proposal limits additional investments.4
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Response to Revision of EU rules on Gas

10 Mar 2021

Italgas welcomes the possibility offered by the Commission to react to the Roadmap on the Hydrogen and Gas markets Decarbonisation Package. We share the Commission's vision of the future long-term role of gas in Europe's energy supply, which states that gas will provide roughly the same contribution in 2050 as it does today, remaining an essential balancing source in a system increasingly relying on RES generation. We also share the Commission's view that, despite the growing role of renewable electricity, full electrification is not a technically and economically feasible solution. Finally, we agree with the basic goals set in the Roadmap, regarding the need to facilitate the production of renewable and low-carbon gas, to ensure their access to gas infrastructure and to grant a more integrated and inclusive approach to infrastructure planning. In detail, we support the revision of the current gas market design to include renewable and low-emission gases and to facilitate their market development. The current regulatory framework does not consider the production and injection of such gases into the gas DSO networks, while almost all existing renewable gas plants and electrolysers are currently locally connected to the gas DSO network. In this regard, it is necessary to guarantee the role of gas DSOs in the infrastructure planning process, starting with their direct involvement in the drafting of the TYNDP, and a gas DSO Entity similar to that established for electric DSOs is required. In order to maximise the decarbonisation potential offered by renewable gases and accommodate their growing production and variable quality, capacity expansion of distribution grids and investments in digitalization and reverse flows must also be granted. Final uses of renewable and decarbonised gas should be supported, for example by promoting hybrid systems offering high efficiency, in turn of modest adaptations in building structures and consumer habits. When it comes to H2, we think that the repurposing of natural gas TSOs and DSOs grids is the most valuable and cost-effective solution. Repurposing must include adaptation of current gas grids to manage H2 and H2 blends, as it is by far the most immediate way to allow the uptake of the H2 market. Blending, at least up to a given percentage, does not require substantial changes in grids components and structure and enables H2 to be immediately and safely delivered to end users for consumption as a replacement for natural gas. In fact, gas grids penetration among families and industries is ideal to accompany an H2 production which, at least initially, will be limited and mainly decentralized. To facilitate the scaling-up on relevant technologies and increase H2 supply, we call for EU Institution to consider the support of all R&D and pilot projects aimed at achieving a progressive opex and capex reduction and at accelerating injection and blending tests. With this in mind, the possibility should be granted for regulated entities to invest directly in pilot projects, if necessary subject to market tests. To encourage the development of a liquid H2 market, we also consider useful the previous definition of the quality specifications of the gas injected into the network, in terms of calorific value, WI and purity. Finally, we consider coordination and consistency in European legislation to be extremely important, particularly with regard to the revision of RED III currently underway. In this context, we call for a clear classification of renewable gases on the basis of their decarbonisation potential: this will allow the functioning of a guarantees of origin system capable of certifying a “green molecule” status consistent with the ETS. When in place, a gas traceability system and the possibility of exchanging the related Guarantees of Origin will facilitate the monetization of the environmental benefits linked to renewable gases and therefore the economic sustainability of the related projects.
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Italgas Urges EU to Include Gas Networks in Taxonomy

17 Dec 2020
Topic — This consultation defines environmentally sustainable economic activities to guide climate change mitigation investments.
Message — Italgas requests that gas distribution grid expansion be classified as enabling decarbonization. Future-proof investments for hydrogen and low-carbon gases should qualify as sustainable. Digitalization and smart meters should be recognized as consistent with environmental goals.123
Why — Italgas would gain access to green capital for expanding its distribution networks.4
Impact — Alternative energy developers lose investment as capital remains tied to gas infrastructure.5
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Meeting with Dominique Ristori (Director-General Energy) and Gas Distributors for Sustainability and

18 Feb 2019 · The role of gas DSOs in the context of European gas markets

Meeting with Miguel Arias Cañete (Commissioner) and

15 May 2017 · The Clean energy package, gas market design