Energy savings in processes

The efficient use and saving of energy resources are among the main objectives of the medium- and long-term Business Plan of Iren Group, pursued across all Business Units with increasing efficiency in processes and services, through solutions to guarantee stakeholders a reduction in energy consumption and the use of technological systems, monitoring and guidance of correct behaviour.

The total energy savings generated by the Group in 2021 stood at about 740,000 TOE (equal to about 31 million GJ), with contributions from various areas of operation.

¹ Values are calculated in accordance with the criteria indicated in the notes to each table item. In some cases, the energy saved may increase/decrease in a manner that is not directly proportional to the increase/decrease in production, due to a change in the specific consumptions used for calculations;
² Comparison between gross production and actual fuel consumption of the Group with the consumption that the national electricity grid and the “national average” production system would have recorded to produce the same quantities of electricity and thermal energy;
³ The calculation was based on the assumption that there was zero fuel consumption and compared the consumption recorded by the national electricity grid for the production of the same quantities of electricity;
⁴ Sum of electric and thermal energy production converted to electric, according to specific factors (PAI=1/6.88, Piacenza=1/6, TRM=1/4.5), multiplied by the coefficient for electric energy (187 TOE/GWh);
⁵ Cubic metres of natural gas produced (60% of biogas) multiplied by the scm/TOE conversion factor 0.836;
⁶Energy consumption avoided for the primary production of the main materials collected separately and recovered in the Group’s plants;
⁷ Fuel not consumed in the production of the stored heat;
⁸ SThis includes savings obtained from activities of energy efficiency of production processes, from the district division of networks, from water houses, from projects to reduce the impacts related to the mobility of employees (IrenGo, Ecoviaggio, smart working and teleworking).

The goals of the Strategic Plan to 2030 include increasing energy savings from manufacturing processes to 1,740,000 TOE over the plan period. For this reason, Iren Group invests in internal projects and initiatives which, in 2021, concerned the waste-to-energy plants of Parma and Piacenza, with a saving of around 2,500 TOE, and the interventions planned as part of the ISO 50001 Certification for energy production plants, with a saving of around 2,300 TOE.

Energy efficiency certificates (EECS) and incentives

Thanks to the high efficiency cogeneration plant of Torino Nord, 107,817 Energy Efficiency Certificates (EECs) were obtained in 2021, equivalent to an equal amount of TOE of energy savings.

The requirement to produce (or purchase on the market) and supply Energy Efficiency Certificates to the GSE (Electricity Services Provider) is the sole responsibility of Ireti (as distributor) and is valid for 2021 (with maturity 31 May 2022).

Approximately 86 EECs were thus purchased at the average price of 256 Euro/EEC to fulfil the cancellation obligation provided annually for the distributor.

During the year, around 3,205,000 CO₂ allowances (EU Allowances) were purchased in order to comply the obligations provided for in the Emissions Trading System (ETS) legislation related to emissions generated by Iren Group’s plants.

Green Certificates were replaced by equivalent incentives which, in 2021, the Group matured in the volumes below: