Estra, in two years 46 million to extend biomethane

The Tuscan multi-utility Estra is focusing on the diffusion of biomethane: with an investment of EUR 46 million over the two-year period 2024-2025 through its subsidiary Centria, the group's gas distribution company, it plans to strengthen its distribution infrastructure in order to increase its reception capacity. In the coming months, it plans a massive extension of the network through the laying of new pipelines, to reach users not yet served, more peripheral, and new connections between existing networks, in order to create an extensive and capillary network, able to increase the resilience of the network and the continuity of supplies, even in the event of exogenous events.

Again through Centria, Estra also announces by 2025 the connection of a plant in Cortona (Arezzo), which produces biomethane from agricultural and food waste, biomass, and livestock manure. For the multi-utility, this will be the fourth biomethane production plant nationwide to be connected to its networks. In March 2024, the Asciano (Siena) power plant was in fact connected after those already in operation in Arezzo and Mosciano Sant'Angelo (Teramo). The total production of the three power plants, as of June 2024, was over 2.4 million cubic metres of biomethane, equivalent to about 25 GWh of renewable energy released for consumption through the natural gas distribution network. This resulted in the saving of over 4,400 tonnes of CO2.

"For years, Estra has set as one of its primary objectives the pursuit of an energy transition process capable of enhancing and strengthening the infrastructures present," explains Francesco Macrì president of the group that through its four partners (Alia, Coingas, Intesa and Viva Energia) represents most of the municipalities in the provinces of Ancona, Arezzo, Florence, Grosseto, Macerata, Pistoia, Prato and Siena. It has 850 employees and in 2023 recorded EUR 1.2 billion in turnover with an Ebitda of EUR 142.9 million and a net profit of EUR 28.1 million. Macrì continues: 'In the two-year period 2024-2025 we have planned major investments that testify to our desire to accelerate the decarbonisation of the natural gas distribution networks through the introduction of biomethane, which guarantees significant savings in terms of CO2 emissions. If we treated the organic fraction of waste, agricultural waste, sewage sludge and everything else that contributes to producing biomethane correctly, we would cover 10% of our country's gas needs. This could be achieved in a very short time if permitting times were reduced: currently it takes five years for a biodigester'.

In January, Centria obtained a EUR 1 million contribution from Arera for the Twist (Two-Way Inlet STation) project, which envisages the design, construction and management of a reverse-flow grid plant for the recompression of biomethane from the distribution network to the transport network, effectively creating a two-way distribution network for the first time. It will be connected within the year to the biomethane production plant from Forsu (the organic fraction of waste) in Asciano. And for the future, there is no shortage of further applications: 'There is a project being studied for the construction of charging stations for electric cars connected to the gas network: they can run on biomethane, which produces electricity through a generator for recharging,' Macrì says.