Our activities in Ravenna

Leveraging Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) technology, we aim to build one our biggest centres in the world for CO₂ storage off the coast of Ravenna. In fact, the Ravenna District represents an ideal environment in which to develop the CCUS model, similar to other European projects currently at various stages of their development, given that:

• Eni's natural gas production assets in the Adriatic offshore are characterised by depleted or depleting fields that can be reconverted quickly and safely;
• It has existing infrastructures both on land and at sea that are currently serving the fields in production and that will operate in synergy with the new CCS developments since a small part will be reused, allowing for a reduction in both the cost of and the time frame for implementation and moreover eliminating the need to use or commit new areas or land resources;
• Its location is favourable in terms of transport and connecting infrastructure (presence of a large industrial port, land connections with the railway line and the national gas network) and the presence of a developed industrial system and culture;
• It has specific technical competencies and knowledge of the subsoil acquired over decades of mining activity, which can be effectively converted for the purposes of decarbonisation and the energy transition;
• It benefits from the presence in the area of a highly competent industrial sector.

Phase 1 will start in 2023 and Phase 2 in 2027. During Phase 1, carbon dioxide will be captured by Eni’s natural gas treatment plant in Casalborsetti, then conveyed to the Porto Corsini Mare Ovest platform, and lastly injected into depleted gas field with the same name, off the coast of Ravenna, for an overall storage capacity of 25,000 tons of CO₂. In Phase 2, 4 million tons of CO₂ will be stored, to contribute to the decarbonisation of steel mills, cement plants, ceramic and chemical industries, and “hard to abate” sectors in general. Overall, the scheduled activities will help create new work opportunities, with a total estimate of over 500 new jobs during the first phase of the project alone. In Italy, for instance, in 2019, “hard to abate” sectors issued approximately 67 million tons of CO₂, out of a national total of 340 millions, that is, 20% of the total and 42% of the industrial sector, responsible for the emission of 158 million tons of CO₂ (ISPRA data 2021). The timeline is proceeding and, in December 2022, Eni and Snam signed an agreement to establish an equally owned joint venture to develop and manage Phase 1, also including the studies and preparation activities for subsequent development phases. 

The CCUS model in Ravenna represents a great opportunity not only for Eni, but also for Italian industry to create one of the world's largest CO₂ storage hubs.

The large storage potential of the Adriatic offshore fields, which, on the basis of preliminary assessments, is estimated to be up to 500 million tonnes of CO₂, gives the project flexibility for further industrial expansions with an annual storage capacity that can be easily increased from the initial one to meet the decarbonisation needs of additional national and even international industrial third-party sites. 

The Ponticelle project in Ravenna focuses on the regeneration of a disused industrial area outside the petrochemical plant which, following the environmental clean-up, will become a hub for sustainable reclamation, waste enhancement and the production of green energy. The project is a concrete example of how remediation can bring added value to the land and local communities through synergies between major companies like Eni and Hera.

The Ponticelle area:

• will drive the relaunch of the local economy;
• ensure the re-use and enhancement of previously urbanised areas;
• avoid the consumption of new land.

Eni Rewind, owner of the former industrial area, has designed and completed the permanent safety measures (MISP) with capping implemented on 18 of the total 26 hectares. The environmental measures, certified by Arpa Emilia-Romagna in August 2021, were implemented prior to the local development plan, which includes the application of innovative, sustainable and recovery technologies as well as urbanisation works. 

• Photovoltaic plant with storage lab  
  The plant, authorised in January 2021, will be built by Eni New Energy, a Plenitude company, on an 11-hectare plot of the area covered by permanent safety measures, with a solar tracking system with estimated power of approx. 5.6 MW and an annexed storage lab for energy storage, with a power of 1 MW.

• Soil bio-recovery platform 
  The plant, with a treatment capacity of 80,000 tonnes a year, works on the aerobic biodegradation of soils contaminated by hydrocarbons, coming mainly from the remediation of service stations, through the use of indigenous micro-organisms. The aim is to return the soil tot he same service stations, according to a circular recovery and reuse scheme. The platform, covering an area of 3 hectares, also includes a biolaboratory where preventive analytical tests will be performed on the conformity of incoming waste and periodic bioremediation monitoring surveys. 

• Multifunuctional platform for industrial waste management 
  The plant will cover an area of around 3 hectares and will be implemented by HEA, the joint venture of Eni Rewind and Herambiente. It will minimise waste disposal, promoting the recovery of energy and materials. The facility, which will replace the current HASI platform (Herambiente Servizi Industriali), will manage up to 60,000 tonnes per year of special waste coming from the environmental and production activities, with particular attention on local activities, in line with the European directives of the Circular Economy Package.

At our industrial site in Ravenna, we produce elastomers, a raw material suited for applications for the production of tyres, technical articles and paper. For these plants, we are implementing some portfolio renewals offering greater added value and improved environmental sustainability. In particular, we are completely renewing the range of products for high performance tyres and energy savings, guaranteeing improved performance during transformation and end use. Furthermore, we are optimising new thermoplastic rubber grades, using innovative technology, for applications with high added value in lubricating oil modification sectors. Finally, Ravenna is integrated with the other production sites in the Po plain area, and is home to a Research Centre specialised in elastomer development, currently working on several innovative projects, including new functionalised elastomers.

In March 2021, through Versalis, Eni’s chemical company and leader in the production and marketing of elastomers, we signed a joint agreement with Bridgestone EMIA for the research, production and supply of synthetic rubber with advanced properties. The Research and Development divisions of the two organisations will collaborate, using an Open Innovation model, to develop technologies and new elastomer grades, including Styrene Butadiene Rubber (SBR), for the production of high-performance tyres. Versalis will leverage the competencies of its research centres in Ravenna and Ferrara, while Bridgestone will use its European Technical Centre near Rome.