Snam's presence in transmission in Italy

Snam, through its subsidiaries Snam Rete Gas S.p.A. and Infrastutture Trasporto Gas, is the leading Italian natural gas transportation and dispatching operator, and owns almost all the transportation infrastructures in Italy, with over 32,600 kilometres of high- and medium-pressure gas pipelines (approximately 94% of the entire transportation system). Snam manages the gas pipeline network via 8 districts, 48 maintenance centres throughout Italy, 13 compression stations, including the two plants in Minerbio and Sergnano that came into operation in 2018, and a new dispatching unit that has recently been renovated in terms of structure and technology. Gas coming from abroad is injected into the network at nine entry points, in correspondence with the 6 methane pipeline interconnection points (including the TAP pipeline which began operating in November 2020) and the three interconnection points for the LNG regasification terminals. Once it has been imported or regasified, the gas is transported to the local distribution networks, the regional network redelivery points or large end users such as thermoelectric power stations or manufacturing plants.

Snam awards transportation capacity to shippers who apply. In this way, users acquire the right to inject or withdraw a quantity of gas not exceeding the daily rate allocated on any day of the thermal year. The conditions for access to the service are contained in the Network Code. Shippers have the possibility of making gas sales and trades at a Virtual Trading Point (PSV) of the National Network, thanks to the dedicated IT platform.

The transportation capacity of the network again covered all user demand in 2020. In addition to the average transportation capacity offered at entry points connected with foreign countries and with LNG terminals equal to 363.1 million cubic metres/day; Snam has made further transport capacities available at entry points interconnected with national producers for a total of 22.0 million cubic metres average/day and with the production of biomethane for a total of 0.6 million of cubic metres average/day.

Over the last 17 years transportation operators have been constantly increasing, going from around 30 operators in 2003 to around 213 operators in 2020 (including shippers and traders).

In 2020, 103 connection agreements were entered into for the creation of new delivery/redelivery points or for upgrading existing ones, 19 contracts for the injection of biomethane and 35 relating to CNG service areas.

The natural gas transportation sector information includes figures for Snam Rete Gas, Infrastrutture Trasporto and Enura.