Snam Rete to expand Italian gas pipeline network

Oct. 23, 2007
Snam Rete Gas plans to invest as much as €4.2 billion during 2007-10 in its Italian gas transport networks to meet growing demand for gas.

Uchenna Izundu
International Editor

LONDON, Oct. 23 -- Snam Rete Gas plans to invest as much as €4.2 billion from its initial public offering in its Italian gas transportation networks during 2007-10. During 2001-06, the company spent €3 billion from its IPO.

Snam's primary network transports 88 billion cu m/year of gas, with a daily capacity of 290 million cu m. Snam has forecast that capacity will exceed 340 million cu m/day by 2011 and will exceed 400 million cu m/day in 2015. Snam said the number of shippers operating on the network has risen to 56 from about 20 in 2001.

Gas consumption in Italy is expected to hit 95 billion cu m in 2010 and 106 billion cu m in 2015.

Snam will invest in different technologies in its compressor stations to improve efficiency and safety and environmental and sustainable development standards.

The Snam Rete Gas transportation network consists of 8,500 km of national pipelines, 22,400 km of regional pipelines, and 10 compressor stations. It is remotely controlled and adjusted in real time by a dispatching center to distribute the correct volumes of gas along the network at any time.

Contact Uchenna Izundu at [email protected].