Energy management

The methods adopted by IMA S.p.A. to reduce energy consumption vary from the adoption of responsible behaviour by the staff (the company regulation recommends that technological devices be switched off at the end of the working day), to investments in plants, machinery and devices with efficient and/or low energy consumption (regarding general and auxiliary production services), passing through the implementation in technological systems of supervision systems for the continuous control and monitoring of energy carriers (mainly electricity and natural gas), with the possibility of programming of operating parameters and ignition times, and with receipt of feedback in the event of leaks and/or failures. The most energy-intensive installations at IMA plant are used for heating and cooling (e.g. air-conditioners, refrigeration units, heat pumps), steam generation and the treatment of process waters (e.g. purification and demineralisation reverse osmosis), lighting, UTA (air filter units), as well as forced ventilation, compressed air, powering of back-up power (UPS) and emergency units, frequency converters, production and testing machines and the technological devices typically used in offices.

IMA is implementing an energy management system compliant with the ISO 50001, standard, initially on the production sites relating to the oldest buildings; Their subjection to certification by a third party will consequently be assessed for the years to come. During 2021 there was an increase in the total consumption of electric energy mainly due to the Italian and European companies of IMA. At the same time, in line with previous years, there was a further simultaneous expansion of the number of IMA’s industrial sites, which in 2021 again marked a growth in terms of personnel and production area. Per capita energy intensity, being electricity consumption divided by the Italian companies and the total number of IMA employees in Italy, is calculated to be 8,068.07 kWhe in 2021. The number is 6,899.62 kWhe at IMA Group level. IMA’s consumption of natural gas, diesel oil and LPG is mainly due to the operation of plants and machinery, as well as in service to production; especially, for the most part, for the supply of thermal systems for space heating and the production of domestic hot water. The trend in terms of increased consumption of natural gas by the Italian and American companies of the IMA Group reflects the change in the reporting scope. Energy intensity, calculated as the consumption of methane gas by the Italian company divided by the usable surface area of IMA in Italy, was equal to 9.52 Smc/m2 in 2021, while the global energy intensity number for IMA was equal to 7.64 Smc/m₂ . On the other hand, the energy intensity for 2021, calculated as the ratio between the consumption of methane gas by the Italian companies and the volume of IMA’s workplaces in Italy was equal to 1.55 Smc/m3 and equal to 1.22 Smc/m3 for the whole Group. The remaining fuel consumption (petrol, in addition to those mentioned above) can be attributed to refuelling of vehicles from the company pool. In 2021, the values of the energy intensity indices increased compared with 2020, mainly due to the increase in consumption attributed to resumption of the Group’s activities.