Eni focuses on Just Transition in its energy transition pathway

• To replicate bioenergy in its operations

Sopuruchi Onwuka

Italy’s major energy multinational company, Eni, has declared that it would give priority to just transition as it takes measures to smoothen the path towards net zero emissions by 2050.

A statement from the company which holds significant business interests in Nigeria holds that it is paying particular attention to initiatives to promote access to energy and education in its host countries.

Eni published Eni for 2022 – A just transition, the company’s voluntary sustainability report; describing its contribution to efficient and sustainable energy, sharing the social and economic benefits of the path towards net zero emissions by 2050 with employees, suppliers, communities, and costumers with an inclusive and transparent approach.

In the just transition plan, according the statement made available to The Oracle Today from its Nigerian office, the company states that it driving projects that would afford local households access to clean domestic fuel sources.

The Oracle Today reports that Eni owns affiliate Agip companies in Nigeria which are partners to government in a string of joint venture and production sharing agreements in petroleum exploration and production.

Agip is a partner to Shell in the operated Bonga fields which hit a billion barrel production milestone from the Nigerian deepwater basin. It is also a partner in the Shell operated joint venture with the Nigerian National Petroleum Company (NNPC) Limited; and it operates a separate NNPC/Agip/Oando joint venture in the onshore and swamp terrains in the Niger Delta basin.

Nigeria Agip Energy (NAE) operates Nigeria’s first deepwater production from its Abo field under a production sharing contract (PSC) with NNPC. It is also positioned to operate the giant Zabazaba field deep offshore Niger Delta.

And with European and American companies herded into compliance with home regulations for climate responsibility and energy transition, international oil companies (IOCs) are balancing the different demands from host countries and their environmental and social governance (ESG) commitments.

Nigeria has stridently called for just transition in the prevailing global sentiments against fossil fuels, pointing out that the country and the rest of Africa are still energy poor, underdeveloped and incapable of switching to renewable green energy at a scale that would drive economic development.

Eni stated in its report that it is taking just transition into its overall operating outlook in order to assist host economies around the world deliver on their aspirations of providing energy to homes and businesses in a manner that meets global ESG standards.

“These include the projects in Côte d’Ivoire, Mozambique, Nigeria, and Ghana to facilitate access to clean cooking,” the company declared.

“In Côte d’Ivoire, more than 20,000 cooking stoves were distributed in just six months, reaching more than 100,000 beneficiaries. In Nigeria, the company improved access to water through the commissioning of 22 water wells powered with photovoltaic systems.

“Furthermore, Eni has promoted the right to education in Congo, Ghana, Iraq, Mexico, Mozambique, and Egypt, where it opened the Zohr Applied Technology School to significantly increase the number of youths with upgraded technical and professional skills in the energy and technology fields.

Eni’s Chief Executive Officer, Claudio Descalzi, declared that the company is in collaboration with a broad range of partners in solving the multiple need of energy supply, environmental protection and local development.

“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.

“The success of our strategy cannot be achieved without collaboration with our stakeholders, from private individuals to the public sector, international organizations, civil society associations, and research institutes. Today, more than ever, it is necessary to pool resources and human capital, through a broad vision that allows us to align our common goals, to reduce geographical gaps and promote global human progress”, he said. 

With regards to the carbon neutrality strategy, Eni stated that it remained firm in its commitments towards net zero emissions by 2050 and confirmed all its decarbonization targets, which are anchored on sound investments.

According to the statement, Eni achieved a 17% reduction in Scope 1, 2 and 3 emissions, compared to 2018 levels, and 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.

Eni stated that it launched the first net zero offshore field development with an “FPSO that will be used for production from the Baleine field in Côte d’Ivoire, the most important discovery ever made in the country and the first net zero development for Scope 1 and 2 emissions in Africa.” 

“In Eni’s strategy, the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals are a fundamental reference for conducting activities in the countries of operations. Agri-business projects, for example, embodies the fundamental pillars of Eni approach for the just transition, an energy transition with a strong innovative component combined with a concrete focus on the social dimension.

“In this context, Eni is committed to ensure that the decarbonization process offers opportunities to convert existing activities and develop new production chains with significant perspectives in the countries where it operates.

“In 2022, the first cargo of vegetable oil produced in Kenya not competing with the food production chain, from waste and raw materials produced on degraded land, was delivered to Eni’s biorefining plant in Gela, with substantial positive impacts on employment and local development. The model will be replicated in other countries,” it stated.