Italian energy infrastructure operator Snam, in collaboration with Confindustria, has officially launched a market demand test for hydrogen in Italy and, in collaboration with Eni, is collecting non-binding expressions of interest for the transport and storage of CO2 in the Ravenna Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) project.

The collaboration with Confindustria will help identify and explore two strategic markets linked to the manufacturing and energy-intensive sectors in order to achieve Italian and European decarbonisation targets. The information gathered will be shared with the relevant institutions involved in defining the regulatory framework and will serve as a key reference for planning the development of the hydrogen and CCS sectors in Italy, Snam said.

A dedicated hydrogen market test is underway to gather technical and economic data and information to delve into the current and future state of hydrogen consumption and production, both as an energy vector and a feedstock. This information will also be used to assess market alignment with national and European targets.

The collection of expressions of interest for CO2 transport and storage is designed to inform stakeholders about the Ravenna CCS project, jointly developed by Eni and Snam. It is a collection of baseline data from interested emitters and, in a non-binding way, their interest in this decarbonisation solution. Both initiatives will end on 5 April and the results will be shared in aggregate form by the third quarter of 2024.

"In the current energy scenario, security and energy transition are two sides of the same coin. In addition to ensuring an uninterrupted energy supply, Snam is committed to developing an infrastructure system to ensure the transport of decarbonised molecules in Italy and Europe," said Piero Ercoli, Executive Director of Decarbonisation at Snam.

"By launching a dedicated hydrogen market test and gathering expressions of interest for the Ravenna CCS project, we aim to confirm Snam's key role in facilitating the achievement of Italy's decarbonisation objectives, taking into account the characteristics of its industrial structure."

The Ravenna CCS Hub project, also known as Italy's first CCS project, was launched in October 2023. Phase 1 of the project involves the capture of 25,000 tonnes of CO2 emitted from Eni's Casalborsetti gas treatment plant. Once captured, the CO2 will be piped to the Porto Corsini Mare Ovest platform and injected into the eponymous depleted gas field offshore Ravenna.

More than 500 new jobs are expected to be created during Phase 1 of the project. The project is expected to start in 2026.

Text and photo source: Snam