Rome, June 25, 2024 – The Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security has begun work on implementing the first European regulation aimed at controlling and reducing methane emissions in the energy sector. The news was announced by Francesca Di Macco of the Energy Department at the end of a meeting organized by Friends of the Earth and Environmental Defense Fund Europe (EDFE). The meeting, held yesterday at the headquarters of Comin & Partners, was attended by the main Italian players, both public and private, interested in the issue.
The new Regulation, which will enter into force upon its publication in the European Official Journal, requires Member States to adopt a series of preliminary measures. These include the recognition of the “competent authorities” responsible for its implementation, the introduction of new forms of control of natural gas infrastructure (fields, pipelines, regasification plants), and the preparation of detailed reports and communications based on actual rather than estimated data. Raffaele Piria of the Ecologic Institute Germany presented the list and technical-administrative feasibility analysis of these requirements, available on the website.
The event was attended by representatives of institutions such as ARERA, ISPRA, and CIG (Italian Gas Committee), which are expected to become the competent authorities in the future, together with representatives of the business associations PROXIGAS, UTILITALIA, and Assorisorse, which represent the entire national natural gas supply chain, the most developed in Europe. Since 2021, these entities have been part of the Italian Roundtable on Methane Emissions Reduction in the Natural Gas Supply Chain. During the discussion, Italy’s leading international role in reducing methane emissions was recognized, with concrete commitments made within the G7 Energy and Environment and in the recent final document of the G7 leaders in Borgo Egnazia, Puglia.
Alessia Clocchiatti, team leader for international methane and fossil fuel phase-out at the European Commission, stressed the importance of Italy’s role, highlighting the collaboration offered over the last two years in drafting the Regulation. She also drew attention to the importance of the European initiative on the environmental quality of imported natural gas and relations with producer countries, given that Europe is responsible for only 6% of emissions on its territory. These aspects were also reiterated by Giulia Ferrini, program manager at IMEO (International Methane Emissions Observatory), a UN body established by the G20 under the Italian presidency in 2021.
The full recording and materials from the event are available on the Friends of the Earth website at this link.
