The Italian gas grid operator Snam has unveiled its 2022-2026 strategic plan, in which it plans to boost Italy's role in Europe’s gas system with new investments amounting to €10bn in the next four years, a 23% increase compared to its previous plan (€8.1bn over the 2021-2025 period).

 

Out of the total, €9bn will go to gas infrastructure, including €6.3bn in gas transportation (including the upgrade of the 430 km Adriatic Line onshore pipeline), €1.4bn in LNG infrastructure (purchase of of two new FSRU-based LNG terminals and development of related infrastructure), and €1.3bn in the expansion of gas storage capacity. The Adriatic Line, which will run from L’Aquila to Bologna, is expected to be completed in 2026 or 2027. It will help transport gas from the south, where pipelines from Africa and Azerbaijan arrive, to Italy's industrialised north.

 

Earlier in January 2022, Snam and Italy’s oil and gas company Eni entered a partnership to jointly manage their gas pipeline assets connecting Algeria to Italy and to study how to develop the network to support energy transition and promote the use of hydrogen.