Italy is a world leader in the sector of automotive methane: for over 50 years it has been the European country with the most methane vehicles (today estimated at about 640,000 vehicles).
The distribution network for methane fuel is also expanding: in Italy the target of 1000 distribution outlets will be achieved in a few years, with more and more facilities along motorways. Moreover, in some Italian regions, such as Lombardy there are incentive programmes encouraging conversion or acquisition of natural gas vehicles, as well as for construction of new service stations.

There are 775 methane distribution facilities presently operational in Italy of which 45 supply  private company fleet. 520 service stations,  equivalent to around 67% of the total, are supplied by Eni.

Eni's strategy for consolidating its leadership in this sector includes information campaigns aimed at promoting the use of automotive methane by explaining the environmental and financial benefits of using a cleaner and cheaper fuel, training activities with leading car manufacturers and consultancy and technical assistance activities addressed to the external market.

Eni supports the local institutions for the development of the distribution facilities network and for the definition of actions to promote an increase in automotive methane vehicles on the road. In 2009 an agreement was reached with the Lombardy Regional authority, that will run until 2012, in which Eni committed itself to the installation of at least 30 service stations.

Eni also cooperates with the Radio 2 Caterpillar program to inform listeners about the benefits and characteristics of methane as a vehicle fuel and adheres to the International Energy-saving Day “M’illumino di meno‘. 2009 also saw the third edition of the competition for car drivers “Solo 5 euro di metano per un pieno di premi‘ (Only €5 of methane for a tank full of prizes).

In 2009 a “White Paper on Methane for Transport‘ was produced and presented, on 30 September 2009,  to political parties, the press and operators in the sector at the Chamber of Deputies. The White Paper was also created to support the legislative proposal N° 2172 “Measures regarding the use of methane as fuel for transport‘ which aims to clarify the regulatory framework with the inclusion of new norms.

From 8 to 10 June 2010, Rome will be host to the world conference on natural gas vehicles NGV 2010, organised by the IANGV (International Association for Natural Gas Vehicles), the association for the development of this sector, at the Nuova Fiera in Rome. The conference will also feature an exhibition area for the producers of the best technology in the sector. The conference is the biggest event of its kind in the world and attracts operators from around the world. Eni is the principal sponsor of the event.

Eni runs 4,474 service stations in Italy, 130 of which located along highways with average supplies of 2.5 million litres, in line with other European stations. Eni’s stations, besides providing assistance and automobile maintenance, are true multifunctional centers that offer a range of merchandise for sale.

In 2009, to mark the opening of the 100th service station with a photovoltaic generating plant, products powered by solar energy were included in the catalogue of prizes.
An initiative was also launched involving cooperation with the large retail chain Coop, that foresees 30% discount on a range of food products with the purchase of at least €30 of fuel.

There was also great success in 2009 for the Iperself project which offers the possibility of refuelling outside of normal opening hours with a discount of 6 cents per litre which, in certain periods of the year, increases to 10 cents.

The company is currently running the Quality of Service projects, which defines the standards to which all service stations must comply and promotes training and control activities. This has resulted in an improvement in the performance of the service stations: between 2007 and 2009 there was a huge increase in the number of stations judged as “excellent‘, from 18.3% in 2007 to 29.3% in 2009.

The You&Agip Loyalty Program was replaced in 2009 by the You&Eni Loyalty Program for car drivers and motorcycle riders. The Program provides new rewards, such as the conversion of points into fuel discounts for all score thresholds, as an alternative to the prizes, the option of donating points to charity, choosing from a list of non-profit organizations who are Eni partners, and co-marketing agreements that grant a maximum number of You&Eni points for the purchase of products and services from other companies.

In order to promote energy efficiency, Eni has established a programme that provides for photovoltaic panels to be installed in service stations with an average power of 15.7 kw  which will allow the emission of 1,319 tonnes of CO2 to be avoided.

By taking part in the "Zero Regio" project, which is supported by the European Commission, Eni has built four innovative multiEnergy service stations for the refuelling of and experimentation with "zero emissions" hydrogen-powered vehicles.

On the petroleum side, multiEnergy is an innovative modular concept that integrates hydrogen refuelling with an offer of conventional liquid and gaseous fuels, including biofuels, with the aim of encouraging the development of the new generation of low/zero emission vehicles that the automobile industry is bringing to market.

In terms of energy saving, multiEnergy stations can, in the short term, become a platform for bio-construction and bio-architecture for the experimentation of recycled materials with a low impact, electrical and heating systems, and more efficient conditioning and lighting solutions that will reduce electricity consumption by kWh/m2/year.

Among Eni's objectives is the launching, both nationally and across Europe, of a hydrogen-methane blend as an immediate alternative, exploiting Italy's competitive advantage in terms of infrastructure and know-how in methane compared with the rest of Europe.

In 2003 Eni restructured and expanded the Multienergy station on the western Milan bypass motorway in the municipality of Assago and installed 180 square metres of solar panels that provide the station with part of the energy necessary for its functioning.

In July 2006 a world-leading Agip MultiEnergy service station was opened at Collesalvetti (LI). The station uses the following energy sources:

• a photovoltaic plant of around 20 kWp (with estimated annual production of 24,000 kWh);
• a 60 kWp eolic plant (three 20 kWp generators with an estimated annual production of 84,000 kWh);
• a 30 kWe methane-powered micro-turbine plant for the production of 188,000 kWh and 85.000 kWh (thermal recovery savings);
• an electrolyser production plant for the supply of hydrogen for a mini fleet of internal combustion engines.

In 2006 a MultiEnergy service station was opened at the Infraserv Höchst industrial park in Germany, in the Frankfurt area. The station, which is in the south of the industrial area, is supplied by a specially-constructed 1.7 km pipeline that connects the station to the hydrogen production plant. An innovative technology has been used for the first time for the compression developed by Linde and based on an ionic liquid compressor. The station is also equipped with photovoltaic panels installed of the station's roof and cover and produced with Eni technology.

In 2007, in Mantua, a fourth Multienergy station was opened providing hydrogen produced on-site with a natural gas-powered 20 mc/h reformer. The technology uses a high-temperature catalytic process with a pre-blended flow of steam and natural gas that is transformed into hydrogen in successive stages. The fleet of vehicles is made up of three fuel cell driven Fiat Pandas, bought by the Lombardy Regional Council on behalf of the City of Mantua.