The European Association of Natural Gas Distributors, which is called GD4S (acronym for Gas Distributors for Sustainability) and has appointed as president Eduard Sauvage, CEO of GRDF (France) and as vice president Paolo Gallo, managing director and director general of Italgas. Already active for some years in the form of an informal coalition, the GD4S Association has decided to adopt an official and legally recognized form to be the main interlocutor of the European institutions on matters that impact the natural gas distribution system and, more generally, on topics such as decarbonisation and sustainable mobility.
The Association is today formed by the five founding members – Distrigaz Sud Retele (Romania), Galp Gás Natural Distribuição (Portugal), GRDF (France), Italgas (Italy) and Nedgia (Spain), which, in addition to being the leaders in their respective countries, serve around 26 million end users and manage 200.000 kilometers of network. The CEOs of the GD4S Association have so far met the EU Commissioners Miguel Arias Cañete and Violeta Bulc in order to represent the commitment of the 5 distributors to effectively facilitate the transition to a low-carbon energy model. A realistic perspective especially when it comes to sustainable mobility since the use of natural gas or biomethane allows environmental performance on a par with other technologies.
Paolo Gallo underlined how “GD4S is a stable and credible interlocutor on gas issues, both on the European and Italian fronts, thanks to the experience of the major European players. We are ready to formulate proposals and share our positions with the Commission, the European Parliament and national institutions, on the use of gas, also renewable such as biomethane, to favor the energy transition, towards a more sustainable future. We will ask the European institutions for a strong commitment in favor of the development of renewable gas, in compliance with the principle of technological neutrality. The European Association of Gas Distributors – continued Gallo – will be the instrument to strengthen the collaboration between industry and national and European institutions, in order to favor the development of cleaner, safer and cheaper energy supplies to millions of citizens.”
