Eni Reiterates Emissions Plan after Climate Suit

Eni SPA insisted Wednesday it was pursuing a “just transition” toward net zero emissions by 2050, following a lawsuit claiming the state-controlled global energy giant has breached Italy’s international climate commitments.

It said it has curbed direct and indirect emissions by 17 percent against 2018 levels.

Eni “continued implementing the necessary measures to achieve Scope 1 and 2 net zero emissions in the Upstream by 2030, by investing in emission-reduction technologies and developing low-carbon projects”, the Rome-headquartered company said in a press release.

Scope 1 emissions in business and industry commonly refer to carbon footprint directly from activities overseen by a company while indirect emissions such as that derived from outsourced company resources commonly fall under the other two scopes. Under guidelines by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, Scope II emissions come from buying electricity, heat and steam. Scope III covers business travel through flights and public transport, among others.

Eni’s statement comes after environmental campaigners Greenpeace Italy and ReCommon, as well as 12 Italian citizens, have taken the company to court over what Greenpeace International said are “past and potential future damages resulting from its contribution to climate change”.

The Rome Court suit seeks to compel the company “to revise its industrial strategy to reduce emissions by at least 45 percent by 2030 compared to 2020 levels, as indicated by the international scientific community to keep the average global temperature increase below 1.5 degrees Celsius according to the Paris Agreement”, Greenpeace International said in a news release Tuesday.

Italy’s economy ministry, which controls Eni, has also been named as a respondent to have it “adopt an ambitious climate policy to guide its participation in the company in line with the Paris Agreement”.

Cassa Depositi e Prestiti SPA, which holds over 26 percent of Eni’s share capital, has also been named a respondent.

Eni was quoted by The Associated Press on Wednesday as saying in a statement the suit was groundless and that it would prove before the court the “correctness” of its decarbonization plan anchored on balancing sustainability, energy security and competitiveness.

On Wednesday Eni in a 2022 operations report outlined its progress in its emissions reduction roadmap.

“In addressing the challenges in the energy sector that Eni faces, we keep our priorities firmly on track with an ongoing commitment to promote energy access, local development, and environmental protection”, chief executive Claudio Descalzi said in a press statement accompanying the report.

The company said in the statement: “To achieve a just transition, particular attention was paid to initiatives to promote access to energy and education in the countries of operation. These include the projects in Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, and Ghana to facilitate access to clean cooking”.

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