Italian energy company Eni and gas utility Snam, through its subsidiary Snam4Mobility, will build 20 new compressed natural gas (CNG) refueling stations for vehicles, according to a joint press release issued on Monday.
"The companies signed a second contract implementing the framework agreement signed in May 2017, aimed at creating 20 new CNG refueling stations for vehicles in Italy as part of both companies’ commitment to promoting sustainable mobility in the country," the statement read. The deal follows the contract signed a few months ago to create a group of 14 CNG stations, of which the first are due to open within the first quarter of 2019.
Under the agreement, Snam will design, create and maintain 20 new CNG stations within Eni’s national distributor network. The investment for these activities is expected to be within the region of €10 million.
According to the statement, natural gas is "one of the best technologies available to help reduce emissions in mobility, with benefits in terms of air quality, as well as significant financial advantages for consumers". "Mobility using natural gas is also becoming increasingly renewable through the gradual development of a biomethane supply chain that uses existing facilities," it added.
With this initiative, both Eni and Snam4Mobility aim to promote and strengthen sustainable mobility throughout Italy "to the benefit of both the environment and consumers".
According to the statement, within Eni’s network of 4,400 stations, 3,500 supply Eni Diesel+, the premium diesel with a 15 percent renewable component made from vegetable oils, including used vegetable oils, at the Venice bio-refinery using proprietary technology, while around 1,000 stations supply LPG and methane, two of which are LNG and 180 are CNG.
