Italy's Snam is optimistic about receiving approval from the European Commission for two major energy projects, according to CEO Stefano Venier. The initiatives, involving a hydrogen pipeline from southern Italy to Austria and Germany, as well as a French-Italian plan for liquefying, transporting, and storing carbon dioxide, are anticipated to qualify as EU Projects of Common Interest (PCI). Venier announced this at a press conference during an event for the future liquefied natural gas terminal in Ravenna, Italy.
The PCI designation offers expedited permitting processes and potential access to specific EU funds. Snam expects to learn the outcome when the European Commission releases its updated list of PCI projects later this year.
“We have recently had a meeting with (EU) Commission officials, and we are confident that the two projects can get the PCI status by the end of this year,” stated Venier.
The hydrogen pipeline project aims to supply gas and hydrogen to Bavaria in southern Germany, with preliminary talks already underway. Additionally, Italy intends to export energy to Austria and Hungary, in alignment with its broader European energy cooperation plans.
To facilitate the transportation of green hydrogen, potentially originating from North Africa, Snam and fellow transport system operators plan to construct a 3,300 km pipeline connecting Italy to northern Europe, utilizing more than 70% repurposed infrastructure.
Snam's second major project, known as CALLISTO, envisions a network transporting carbon dioxide from high-emission companies in France to a carbon storage site set to be built in the Adriatic Sea next year by Snam and energy group Eni. Snam, in its business plan, has allocated 4 billion euros for hydrogen initiatives.
