PROGRESSING TOGETHER TOWARDS A MORE RESPONSIBLE WORLD

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Immeuble Bora6 rue Raoul-Nordling

92270 Bois-ColombesTel.: +33 1 55 66 40 00

Since 2017, the “Gas. The energy of possibilities” campaign has been deployed with the aim of encouraging a new way of looking at gas and revealing

the full potential of a new generation of renewable gases. The ecological transition: some people talk about it, others make it happen.

Find these testimonials at:

GazEnergieDesPossibles.fr

As the latest IPCC* report reminded us, the planet is still not on the right track to reach the climate-related targets defined in the Paris Agreement. Faced with this threat which is becoming more concrete every day, and the growing mistrust amongst citizens, no-one can shrug off their societal responsibilities, and least of all companies. And particularly companies operating in the energy sector, like GRTgaz.It is essential to listen to our stakeholders, if we are to act with discernment. Previously, GRTgaz played a part in the opening up of the gas market. Now, it must clearly contribute to sustainable development and the energy transition, by reconciling European, national and regional challenges.The company’s declaration of extra-financial performance is much more than just a regulatory obligation. It is a means of taking stock of our actions in the realms of social and environmental responsibility and prioritising them according to what counts most to our stakeholders. Consequently, we have taken a coherent series of environmental, social and societal initiatives in a CSR action plan coordinated and overseen at every level of company governance, from the board of directors and the executive committee to the various divisions and business lines at GRTgaz.

Today, our CSR policy has become a genuine lever of the transformation of the company, based on two pillars: the quest for exemplary environmental and societal standards and a commitment to the energy transition of our regions by gradually replacing natural gas with biomethane or, ultimately, hydrogen. We have a number of virtues that can help to make a success of the third gas revolution: our values as a public service operator concerned about the public interest and an expert in managing the imperatives of the long term, our capacity to listen to and work with every stakeholder, our ability to innovate and our ambitions to connect the energy of tomorrow and work towards carbon neutrality.

*Intergovernmental panel on climate change.

Editorial

“Our CSR policy is a genuine lever of change for the company.”Thierry Trouvé, chief executive officer of GRTgaz

Continue the conversationhttps://bit.ly/2ZXT0XR

The cover of this report is made up of a diptych intended to illustrate GRTgaz’s commitment to the energy transition

through the actions that its teams take in the field every day, combined with an increased focus on environmental issues.

The 2018 activity and sustainable development report draws inspiration from the first declaration of GRTgaz’s extra-financial

performance. Extra-financial performance is based on information that is considered to be important for stakeholders. It is a strategic

tool in the fulfilment of GRTgaz’s CSR commitments.It is published on the GRTgaz website:

https://bit.ly/2ZhZYqk

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JANUARY 2018 — Creation of RICE, GRTgaz’s research centre.

HIGHLIGHTS Last year saw some significant progress in

the field of technological and social innovation. A new step forwards in our commitment to

a more responsible and humane world.

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1. MAY — Creation of a new natural gas import point at Oltingue, France. Strengthening security of supply, a new step towards the connection of the French and Italian marketplaces.

2. MAY

— GRTgaz steps up its commitment to diversity by signing the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender) charter of the association of LGBT professionals, “L’Autre Cercle”. Development and deployment of the “Éclairages” campaign combating prejudice, which received an award from COM-ENT in November.

3. JULY— GRTgaz continues to take action to protect biodiversity by joining the Act4Nature initiative alongside 64 other companies.

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1. SEPTEMBER — Inauguration of the Bassée Biogaz methanisation unit in Noyen-sur-Seine near Paris. Four biomethane units came on stream in the GRTgaz network in 2018.

2. AUGUST-NOVEMBER — Start-up of the Val de Saône pipeline and launch of the Trading Region France (TRF) of the single gas marketplace.

3. DECEMBER — Gas booster operation*. Methane emissions reduction: on target, with a 45% decrease compared with 2016.

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*A technique used to purge pressurised gas pipelines to proceed with works that avoids discharging natural gas into the atmosphere when decompressing. 09

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TOWARDS A SAFER AND MORE ETHICAL WORLD

TOWARDS A MORE OPEN AND INCLUSIVE WORLD

TOWARDS A MORE EFFICIENT AND GREENER WORLD

12 GRTgaz in brief

13 StrategyHow to rethink the role of GRTgaz and its missions in light of the energy transition

17 Governance

18Executive committee

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22Focus The safety of people: permanent vigilance

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23PerformanceThe transmission network of tomorrow...

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27FocusAnti-corruption action

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46 Culture How social innovation is working for harmonious development

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49Face-to-faceClose to our regions

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50In the fieldFuture projects for and with our regions

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52 ConversationSome good advice

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30 Performance Setting an environmental example: at the heart of GRTgaz’s CSR commitments

33 SPECIAL FEATURE HOW RENEWABLE GAS WILL REVOLUTIONISE THE GAS INDUSTRY AND RADICALLY TRANSFORM END-USES

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34Introducing green gas 03

39Behind the scenes of innovation in gas

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42 ExplanationSmart grids and intelligent networks

CONTENTS

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employees 3,014A market organiser with four families of customers:

150 shippers of gas (energy suppliersor traders) to the endcustomers

742 active industrialcustomers, including13 electricity productionplants using natural gas

7 producers of biomethane inject their output into the GRTgaz network

€520M investment in 2018

€1,884M revenue (IFRS standard consolidated data, excluding Elengy)

19 connecteddistributors (distributionnetwork managers or localdistribution companies)

IN BRIEF

A mission in the public interest governed by a public service contract:

• contribute to the energy security of France and Europe;• contribute to the efforts to improve energy efficiency and conservation, and to reduce emissions of greenhouse gases and pollutants in France; • set an exemplary standard for environmental conservation;• support the development of renewable gas.

A trusted third party

The activity is regulated by the Energy Regulatory

Commission: fixed access rates, verified costs and investment plans and harmonised

operating rules between all the European gas

infrastructures.

A leading operator of industrial assets that designs, develops, maintains and operates 85% of the French network.

32,548 km of pipelines

645.68 TWh transported

A network interconnectedwith the European networksand LNG terminals, of which90% is in rural areas

26compressor stations in France

95% of domesticconsumption

HOW TO RETHINK THE ROLE OF GRTgaz AND ITS MISSIONS IN LIGHT OF THE ENERGY TRANSITIONIn a fast-changing energy environment, GRTgaz has developed a business plan for 2020 that puts social and societal responsibility at the heart of its business model. Interview with Pierre Duvieusart, deputy CEO, Claude Jochum, transformation director, and Catherine Brun, general secretary, who is responsible for the public and regional affairs strategic domain.

Strategy

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The deployment of the energy transition heralds a new energy system. How is the landscape being redrawn? What are the impacts on GRTgaz?

Pierre Duvieusart: We are convinced that the transformation will be very significant in the long term. The State’s low-carbon strategy aims to achieve neutrality in 2050. The energy system is already moving towards less carbon, more decentralisation and more digital technology to control the entire energy system.

Claude Jochum: This transition will affect GRTgaz’s business. For example, our natural gas transmission network is being opened up to other gases that we are not yet familiar with, like biomethane and soon hydrogen. We will also have to combine our network with the electricity grid. Our network, which is our tool of trade, will change.

Catherine Brun: This more local, multi-player and multi-energy system does not exist yet. We have to invent and build it day by day. It demands interaction between all our stakeholders, from the producers to the regional authorities and farmers. We want to play this role as a coordinator and a stimulator of collective construction.

C. J.: Carriers like us will have to work more closely with many other players, and build the solutions of tomorrow with them. There will be more collaboration and shared responsibilities with other network operators, consumers and producing customers. The smart grid is one example of this kind of change. In western France, GRTgaz is at the heart of an ecosystem that is conducting numerous experiments. We are not inventing the tool alone. We are working with distributors, producers, consumers and local authorities to see what the smart grid of tomorrow will look like.

“Our raison d’etre must answer the question: “How does the existence of GRTgaz contribute to its ecosystem and in general to the major societal challenges of today?” Catherine Brun, general secretary, who is responsible for the public and regional affairs strategic domain

“We have to invent another way of going about our business, if this transformation

is to succeed. We must adopt other practices and tools, collaborate with

our stakeholders... This state of mind and this open stance are really decisive.”

Claude Jochum, transformation director

these changes throughout the entire company, because they are not yet visible to everyone.

C. J.: We also have to reconcile the rigour, the demands and the safety standards of our original activities with the need to invent new ways of working and, maybe, to depart from the rules that apply today. The ability to be rigorous in our current business and to be inventive in order to to prepare for our future activities is something new to us. The managers who are close to the operational teams are faced with the difficult task of maintaining the quality of our basic activity, while opening up to new activities at the same time. This is not easy, and we are really counting on them.

C. B.: There will be more and more experiments. We will have to try things, make mistakes, try again and make changes, while remaining responsible for our actions. We have to guarantee safety, while innovating at the same time, and we can only achieve this by finding new ways of working.

GRTgaz’s business plan for 2020 is built on two ambitions: to contribute to the energy transition and to become a leading player in the new European gas infrastructure that is currently being built. How can these two ambitions be reconciled in concrete terms?

P. D.: Our primary role as an actor in the energy transition is to bring the new gases into our network. We are already preparing to do this. The biomethane stations are there. We are designing and building the counterflow systems... And we are also playing a very active role with the public authorities and all our domestic and European stakeholders to promote the emergence of new industrial sectors.

C. B.: These two ambitions form a close fit. We must increase our influence in Europe – GRTgaz sits on numerous bodies – because it is Europe that defines the general framework, the rules of the game. Furthermore, the world of energy is totally interconnected. For example, what is the point of having totally carbon-free electricity in France, if we have to import German electricity produced from coal at times of peak consumption of cold? We need to take action at home and in Europe, because the rules laid down by Europe are adapted in turn to the situation in France, which is different from that in Germany or Belgium. It is important to take account of that dimension. Finally, we must also be present at regional level, because that is where the projects are developed.

How can the necessary transformations within GRTgaz be managed?

C. J.: The company has identified a number of values to support its business plan, which we call “transformation” values. Operational excellence and responsibility are closely linked to our activity today. Innovation and openness prepare us for the future. For me, openness is a very important value. We have to invent another way of going about our business, if this transformation is to succeed. We must adopt other practices and tools, collaborate with our stakeholders... This state of mind and this open stance are absolutely decisive. The final value is trust, which will be built on all our achievements.

How can the human factor be managed in times of change?

P. D.: The entire organisation of the company will undergo some deep-seated changes, but not everyone will be impacted to the same degree at the same time. The teams working on the front line on the convergence of the networks and the integration of new gases are already impacted. The other teams that are continuing our traditional activity, which earns us a living today, will be affected later on. So, it is important to raise awareness of 15

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74.6% of GRTgaz stock is owned by ENGIE, 24.8% by the Société d'Infrastructures Gazières, a public consortium consisting of CNP Assurances and the Caisse des Dépôts, and 0.6% by GRTgaz employees. The functions of the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer are separated. Board members are appointed for five-year terms. The board member charter sets out each member's rights and duties.

GOVERNANCE

P. D.: We have to learn how to cope with more uncertainty, about our destination and how to reach it. Our company has a long-term culture and vision. The targets we set ourselves a few years ago were not called into question. Now, there is much more uncertainty on the horizon. Senior management’s control of our targets has diminished, and we have to live with that. What does the company want for its energy activities? What are the guidelines our lawmakers will lay down? Of course, we are trying to influence them, but above all to adapt the company to these choices.

C. J.: We are already faced with employees who have lost their bearings and ask us: where are we going, and how? We must emphasise the meaning of our action and our determination, while at the same time accepting scenarios that are uncertain or improbable. It is something that we are learning collectively.

P. D.: This is also about the capacity to be open-minded that we mentioned earlier, envisaging how the company can look to the future according to the changes taking place in society.

Precisely. How will these changes affect GRTgaz’s business model in the long term?

P. D.: Obviously the business model will change in the medium or long term. We have to find other sources of growth and new activities. In the shorter term, if we consider the few years until the first phase of the multi-year energy programme in 2023, our business model will not change much. We will remain a regulated enterprise, whose revenue will come essentially from this regulated model.

C. B.: Our business model will be seriously impacted by the end of major investments and the development of more local renewable gases, that will more often be connected to the distribution network instead of the transmission network.

C. J.: Energy consumption in France and worldwide will change too, with a shift towards energy efficiency and performance, but also with the arrival of new uses, such as mobility

“Our employees are particularly sensitive to the meaning the company gives to its activity. They already strive to keep our environmental and societal promises, day after day.”Pierre Duvieusart, deputy CEO

fuelled by renewable gases. The decline in demand on our networks will be a challenge to our model. And our employees are also mobilised in this drive for energy efficiency. We have launched an internal project to consume less energy and to make savings.

Will the company’s social and societal responsibility change?

C. B.: In the short term, we plan to integrate CSR and company governance more tightly. In the past, we had a CSR action plan with indicators, but it was considered as being slightly outside our business model. Now, CSR must be a part of the company strategy and be incorporated in our business processes. Financial and extra-financial performance will be considered in parallel, as two elements of our global performance, starting from 2019. The change in the longer term will be even more profound, with the new notions of “raison d’etre” and “mission-driven company” introduced by the “Pacte” law recently passed by the French parliament. As we analyse our performance, we should examine whether our raison d’etre answers the question, “How does the existence of GRTgaz contribute to its ecosystem and to the major targets of social development in general?” Our raison d’etre gives meaning and coherence to our actions.

P. D.: Our employees are particularly sensitive to the meaning the company gives to its activity. They already strive to keep our environmental and societal promises, day after day. They talk about these promises with enthusiasm and show innovation and creativity in all these areas. I am convinced that the company’s future employees will also be keenly aware of these issues.

C. B.: Our raison d’etre is also built on the recognition of the efforts that the people in the company make every day.

3board membersrepresenting employees

9 representativesof the ENGIE group

2 independent board members

3 representativesof Société d'lnfrastructures Gazières

14board membersare appointed by thegeneral shareholders' meeting

A commissioner from the French government, the CEO of GRTgaz, a representative of the central works council and the compliance manager attend board meetings but have no voting rights (art. L.111-34 of the French Energy Code).

The board of directors has 17 members, seven of them women.

The investments committeeExamines investment policy and delivers an overall opinion on investment plans.

The audit committee Ensures that accounting methods are appropriate, examines and delivers an opinion on the accounts and financial plans, evaluates the efficacy and quality of the internal control process and examines significant risks and commitments, in particular with regard to the provisions applicable to an independent transmission network operator.

The remuneration and selection committee Examines and delivers an opinion on the remuneration of the board members and the CEO, while consulting on candidates for these positions.

Three advisory committees support the board of directors

Established in 2016, the stakeholder committee includes representatives from a variety of backgrounds – industry, agriculture, NGOs, specialists in the environment and biodiversity and experts in innovation, socio-economic development and the energy economy. The committee meets twice a year and meetings are attended by the CEO, the general secretary and the CSR director of GRTgaz.

The viewpoints of the stakeholder committee supplement those of the internal instances and provide input for a different outlook from the perspective of civil society, expressing external opinions on the raison d’etre of the company and the fulfilment of its societal responsibility, and acting as a spur in favour of CSR.

The stakeholder committee

Continue the conversationhttps://bit.ly/2ZXT0XR 17

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To enhance our agility and adapt to an energy sector undergoing deeply-rooted changes, GRTgaz has downsized its executive committee, created five strategic domains and set up a transformation division. Five key values have been adopted to manage change: innovation, openness, responsibility, excellence and trust.

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1 “Trust is an essential value in our relations, both within the company and with our external stakeholders.”

Pierre Duvieusart — deputy CEO

3 “Innovation that proposes an offer in an unprecedented configuration and trust to continue to manage our gas system efficiently.”

Pierre Cotin — commercial director in charge of the offer

5 “Faced with the numerous challenges awaiting us, the trust that drives us and our team spirit are our most valuable assets.”

Virginie Le Foll — chief legal officer

7 “We must be open, both inside the company and outside, to facilitate cross-functionality in our processes and to work resolutely in favour of development and innovation.”

Jean-François Plaziat — project director

8 “Offering a sustainably liveable world to our children is a collective responsibility, to which we want to make our full contribution.”

Catherine Brun, — general secretary, responsible for the public and territories affairs strategic domain

9 “It is essential to listen to our stakeholders, if we are to act with discernment.”

Thierry Trouvé chief executive officer

10 “Being open means listening to and learning from others and, most importantly, not keeping ourselves to ourselves, so that we can deploy all our energy.”

Anne-Sophie Decaux — technical director, responsible for the industrial performance and new technologies domain

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

2 “Responsible and committed to earn the trust of our customers, innovative to promote the development of our activities in the interests of our stakeholders.”

Benoît Mignard — deputy CEO, responsible for finance, purchasing and logistics

4 “Being open to digital technology, new ways of working, others and new horizons is crucial to making a success of our transition.”

Claude Jochum — transformation director

6 “Trust underpins our actions, excellence sets our standards and our responsibilities are economic, social and societal.”

Hervé Rambaud — director of human resources

11 “The commitment, creativity and pride of our employees prove that we can have confidence in ourselves, as we take up the challenges of the energy transition!”

Olivier Edmont — chief operating officer

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“Man has become too powerful

to allow himself to play with evil.

His excessive strength condemns

him to virtue.”Jean Rostand, author, moralist, biologist,

science historian and member of the French Academy (1894-1977)

A SAFER AND

MORE ETHICAL WORLD

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Towards the transmission network of tomorrow

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Guaranteeing transit, with optimal safety, costs, quality, availability and environmental protection. Industrial performance demands ever more efficient operational management, and the capacity to anticipate and manage the changes in an environment undergoing far-reaching transformation.

First, the industrial risks likely to damage facilities and endanger personnel safety must be kept under control. Risks incurred by works close to the network that could cause damage to underground pipelines. Risks incurred by defective facilities or metal corrosion. Consequently, regular preventive, maintenance and monitoring actions are taken. Hazard studies conducted before the installation of new pipelines can result in exceptional protective measures, such as choosing thicker steel or installing a protective slab. The regulations require work sites in the vicinity of a gas, electricity or water network to be declared in advance to a single point of contact. Once the operators of the network in question have been informed, they dispatch a technician to demarcate the transmission network and give instructions to avoid any incidents. Unfortunately, project and works managers do not always follow this procedure.As well as frequently reminding the parties concerned of the legal requirements, GRTgaz also constantly monitors its network, on foot, by car and even from the air, to detect the presence of any undeclared works. These monitoring operations are supplemented by a ten-yearly inspection of the network. The goal is to assess the overall condition of the facilities and to collect large volumes of data. 1,400 excavations take place every year to identify and, if necessary, repair the detected faults.

49,800 third-party projectsdeclared in 2018

520 projects identified,but not declared

2 leak-free pipelineincidents in 2018,compared with 35 in 2000

The safety of people: permanent vigilanceWe must never take anything for granted when it comes to safety. Guaranteeing a working environment that is conducive to optimal safety for everyone, from employees to subcontractors and residents, is a top priority at GRTgaz.

GRTgaz’s “Shared safety culture” initiative, launched in 2011 in collaboration with the French institute for industrial safety culture (lcsi), is bearing fruit. There is a collective awareness of the main risks and teams are showing greater interest in the subject, by making no compromises when it comes to safety in their everyday activity. These very positive initial results are clearly illustrated by the lowest ever frequency and severity rates in 2018 rewarding the hard work and continual cooperation with company management over several years. The solution? The mobilisation of management and committed employees, internal challenges, an emphasis on preliminary risk analysis, the escalation and analysis of weak signals, sharing feedback, dialogue in the field and regular discussions with the risk prevention officers in the company. A continual improvement initiative that will not stop here. “Most accidents are due to an underestimation of the risks, due to routine or a lack of preliminary risk analysis,” points out Philippe Mannoni, risk prevention and management director. “Zero risk does not

exist. We must remain vigilant permanently and always seek out margins of progress.”The new road map for the next three years includes no fewer than 13 actions, to be developed and implemented by every division in the company. From “Dare to talk out and keep a cool head”, which aims to quickly escalate site incidents in order to react faster, to the selection of service providers according to their involvement in safety, not a single path of improvement will be overlooked.

“Zero risk does not exist. We must

remain vigilant permanently

and always seek out margins of

progress.”Philippe Mannoni, risk prevention

and management director

PREVENTING MUSCULO-SKELETAL DISORDERS Tendinitis, lumbago and carpal tunnel syndrome are all terms that refer to a set of conditions known as musculo-skeletal disorders (MSD), which affect articulations, muscles and tendons. MSD, which are the primary factors of unfitness for work and the most common occupational illness, occur for a number of reasons, including workstations and the working environment, repetitive gestures, the organisation of work and the social climate in the company in particular. GRTgaz is attempting to prevent their occurrence by organising awareness-raising sessions, followed by further instruction in team meetings organised by an occupational therapist. The goal is to identify high-risk situations and to encourage employees to adopt preventive practices.

3 accidentsduring service with lost timefor GRTgaz employees,compared with nineaccidents in 2017, i.e., a frequency rate* of 0.5 and a severity rate**of 0.01 10 accidentsduring service with lost timeinvolving our service providersand subcontractors,compared with25 accidents in 2017,i.e., a frequency rate of 4.4 *Frequency rate = the number of lost time accidents relative to the number of hours worked.*Severity rate = the number of days lost due to accidents during service relative to the number of hours worked.

Inspecting a gas pipeline by tomography.

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Focus Performance

FOperations agents

checking the Artois 1 and 2 pipelines

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In addition, the compression machines are permanently monitored, the performance of the machines is regularly tested and the assistance operations performed by external service providers are supervised. Every day, a total of 1,500 experts and operational technicians in the technical and operations divisions take all the actions required to guarantee the reliability and the performance of the network. “An effective combination of monitoring, awareness-raising and computer-aided maintenance that makes GRTgaz one of Europe’s top-performing carriers”, emphasises Daniel Horn, assistant director of industrial safety in the technical division.

and data specialists. This programme includes agile methods and design thinking, which puts use at the heart of the design process. The goals are advanced network monitoring, predictive maintenance and smart grids. Trials have been conducted with drones to test the possibility of inspecting pipelines over long distances or to make it easier to inspect so-called atypical portions. In the field of maintenance, GRTgaz’s teams of data scientists are looking into predictive solutions that combine big data(1) and deep learning(2) technologies. While the terms may be obscure, the goal is easy to understand: how to make use of the masses of collected data in order to anticipate failures and better target repairs. The team that won the 2018 GRTgaz Innovation challenge(3) has developed a predictive maintenance tool that came into service in September 2018. “This algorithm produces a probability of the presence of corrosion for every portion of a pipeline. It will supplement our traditional methods of analysis and enable us to optimise the detection of corrosion, repair the most serious faults and, ultimately, avoid unnecessary excavations”, explains the manager of the integrity department in the technical division of the expert analysis centre in Compiègne.

IMPLEMENTING AN ASSET MANAGEMENT STRATEGY Another challenge facing the industrial means of production consists of coping with the long-term drop in consumption and the arrival of new, locally produced

HOW DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY IS BOOSTING PERFORMANCE As part of a continual improvement process, this operational performance is enriched with new technologies every year. Numerous digital tools dedicated to the maintenance and monitoring of structures improve comfort and efficiency. Many operations can now be performed on tablets or smartphones, using applications that are updated in line with the latest technological developments. The company is seizing all the opportunities offered by digital technology through a digital transformation process, implemented jointly by the technical, operations, projects, engineering and information system divisions

“An effective combination of monitoring, awareness-raising and computer-aided maintenance that makes GRTgaz one of Europe’s top-performing carriers.”Daniel Horn, assistant director of industrial safety in the technical division

Identifying and locating coating defects using

radiodetection equipment.

4,000 remote transmissiondevices

1,000 items of equipmentfor the remote monitoringof corrosion

An average of2 million cyberattacksdetected and blockedper month.

90% of employeeshave followed thee-learning moduleon cybersecurity

CYBERSECURITYAn issue for the integrity of industrial and tertiary facilities, of people and of the information system. Thierry Robin, IS security and cybersecurity manager, explains.

Why has cybersecurity become a major concern?The security of computer systems now depends on recognising and anticipating external threats. This is a radical change of point of view. There is now a real cyberbusiness, in which stolen data can reach very high prices. Faced with the rise and the diversity of attacks, we must be able to guarantee security on three levels: protection, detection and an appropriate and rapid response.

What measures have you taken?In addition to the creation of an outsourced Security Operations Centre, we also regularly take actions to raise employee awareness, consisting of information days, a compulsory e-learning module and specific coaching for top management on measures such as document encryption. The age of “transparent” security is over. Everyone needs to be aware of the risks and play a role in the security process.

“We are only just starting to benefit from the

possibilities offered by data. Data will change the way

we work and have an impact on numerous activities.”

Sébastien Flourac, data and digital cluster manager, information systems division

More than 2,300 kmof pipelines

inspected per year

1,500 expertsand operational

technicians

1,400 excavationsper year

130 repairs and

180 connectionsmade per year

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gas, which modify the flows in the transmission network. It is now necessary to shift from a centralised source of production, conveyed from various border stations, to decentralised procurement from several injection points. This challenge is part of GRTgaz’s 2020 business project. The asset management policy pursues three goals: to align the industrial system with the demand, to control costs and to guarantee safety and quality of service in accordance with the stakeholders’ expectations. Scenarios predicting changes in demand and flows are used to build a vision of the network in 10 years’ time, to define its long-term structure, and to consider the financial and organisational impacts of this transformation. All the divisions contributed to the design of the company’s AM’élior asset management programme. “The goal is to coordinate all the actions taken by the company that help to adapt our operating modes to a single and common road map”, explains Agathe Lesigne, project manager in the technical division. “Knowledge of our assets, the definition of arbitration and decision-making processes aligned with our strategy, and the introduction of “second look asset management” all guarantee coherent and pertinent decisions that anticipate the expected developments.” A business game has even been specially designed to make every employee aware of the initiative, from senior management to field operatives. A technological and cultural revolution is afoot. And it will work for the future GRTgaz transmission network in 2020.

(1) A new technological field that addresses the explosion of volumes of data.(2) Deep Learning is one of the components of artificial intelligence (AI).(3) Category “Adapting our economic performance to the drop in consumption”, sub-category “Extending the life cycle of our structures”.

“The goal is to coordinate all the actions taken by the company that help to adapt our operating modes to a single and common road map.”Agathe Lesigne, AM’élior project manager

“This game-based approach makes

the complex mechanisms of asset management

more accessible. I am convinced that

the human and collective factors are both key

in the success of this initiative...”

Aicha Benamar, innovation project manager

300 gas analysers

200 automatic systems

more than

3,500 metering points

“Our ethical initiative is attracting more and more attention in the company.

It has enabled people to talk openly and

to strengthen prevention through dialogue.”

Danièle Hachemin, manager of the audit, risks and ethics unit in GRTgaz’s risk prevention

and management division

03

Preventing corruptionAs an operator of a public service, GRTgaz has always put ethical conduct at the heart of its business practices. A principle reflected in the company’s ethical charter that is already upheld day after day and is supported by the involvement and the exemplary behaviour of our employees. A principle confirmed and embodied in a new road map that complies with the Sapin II law.

Stepping up prevention, training and in-house communications; raising awareness and training the employees, and the managers in particular, who are most exposed to ethical risks. Taking more specific actions to combat corruption in order to fulfil the requirements of the Sapin II* law. These are the priorities of GRTgaz’s road map for the three years to come. After publishing its ethical charter, drawing up a map of the risks of corruption and deploying an internal warning system, the

company has turned to the roll-out of a specific training programme, comprising classroom lessons for managers and online training for employees who are most exposed to corruption-related risks. A virtual ethical journey has been developed, combining a quiz, videos, role play exercises of frequent situations, such as receiving invitations or gifts, conflicts of interest, etc. 180 managers and more than 900 employees identified by the in-house ethics officers will have to pass their “certificate of good conduct” by the end of September 2019. Regular presentations are also organised for management committee meetings and open theme-based conferences. A due diligence process has been developed for the GRTgaz stakeholders most at risk. In 2018, 14 assessments were made of suppliers and business partners. “Our ethical initiative is attracting more and more attention in the company, and leads to lots of questions, for example about potential conflicts of interest”, says Danièle Hachemin with satisfaction. She is the manager of the audit, risks and ethics unit in GRTgaz’s risk prevention and management division. “It has enabled people to talk openly, because ethics is no longer a taboo.” A stronger risk-prevention system that ultimately aims to turn ethical rules into the fundamentals of the corporate culture, along the same lines as rules regarding safety.

*The Sapin II law (law n° 2016-1691 of 9 December 2016) pertaining to transparency, the fight against corruption and the modernisation of economic activity.

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THE EIGHT REGULATORY OBLIGATIONS OF THE SAPIN II LAW

• Establish an anti-corruption code of conduct

• Implement an internal warning system• Draw up a map of corruption-related risks • Implement procedures to assess third

parties (so-called due diligence)• Implement internal or external procedures

to verify the accounts• Offer a training programme• Introduce disciplinary measures• Set up an internal control and assessment

system

Focus

11E

PARCOURS ANTI-CORRUPTION

RECEVOIR UN CADEAU INVITER UN CLIENT

CONFLITS D’INTÉRÊTSFONCTIONNAIRES

OFFRIR UN CADEAU

ÉVÉNEMENTS ETRELATIONS PUBLIQUES

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“The future is not what will happen, but

what we will do.”Henri Bergson,

French philosopher, professor of the Collège

de France (1859-1941)

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G01

For an industrial company delivering a public service, being socially responsible primarily means acting in an ecologically responsible way. Working for the climate and the environment is one of the four main goals in GRTgaz’s charter of CSR commitments.

Setting an environmental example is at the heart of GRTgaz’s CSR commitments

GRTgaz wants to limit its environmental footprint. The company is pursuing its target of reducing its methane emissions by two thirds by 2020, compared with 2016 (60% of its carbon footprint). 2018 was spent diagnosing the potential sources of methane emissions during service or maintenance operations. Attention was focused on micro-leaks in the network and the compressor stations. The regular detection and diagnostic campaigns with infrared cameras to measure the effectiveness of the maintenance work were highly effective. GRTgaz also uses gas booster technology to reduce gas discharges into the atmosphere in spot maintenance operations on its networks, when it is necessary to cut the pipes. New repair techniques are used that avoid the need to cut the pipes and, consequently eliminate discharges of gas.All these efforts have been rewarded. GRTgaz exceeded its target for the end of 2018, with a 45% reduction of methane emissions, in comparison with 2016. 90% of emissions are now avoided during works and maintenance operations. This global energy performance is also largely due to the commitment and the professionalism of the men and women working in the field. In its quest for continual improvement, GRTgaz has adopted a global management system based on three ISO certifications for quality (ISO 9001), the environment (ISO 14001) and the company’s energy performance and consumption (ISO 50001), all of which were renewed in 2018.

PROTECTING BIODIVERSITY For GRTgaz, it is also important to reconcile the development and maintenance of its network with the conservation and continuity of ecosystems. As a partner of several organisations or institutions working in favour of biodiversity*, GRTgaz has included biodiversity as a fully-fledged issue in its CSR policy. Its 32,548 km of pipelines cross several regions – 90% of them in rural areas –, some of which, such as regional natural parks, are covered by specific protection policies. This is a long-term responsibility, because the pipelines can be beneficial to biodiversity in the ecosystems they cross, even if they are buried underground and discreet. Outside farmland, the vegetation on the wayleave corridors, which is cut to the ground to protect the integrity and

“Detecting, quantifying and processing methane emissions

from all our facilities are top priorities in our everyday activities.

Our systematic, ambitious and determined approach reflects

our commitment.” Pascale Guillo-Lohan, segment delegate in the technical division

the accessibility of the network, creates openings and corridors of biodiversity in environments that are often closed, like forests. The development of flora and fauna can be favoured by cutting the vegetation to the right height in the right season. This positive impact on biodiversity has been confirmed by the findings of the French state Museum of natural history and the Paris Basin national botanical conservatory (CBNBP).

TESTING NEW SOLUTIONSClose attention is also paid to the issue of weeding sites, and the company is testing new processes that avoid the use of chemical crop protection products. “The traditional solutions we have used in the past, such as weeding by hand, with machines or even with steam, to kill off plants with heat, are not really satisfactory and cannot be used on a large scale”, explains Pierre Billet, biodiversity project manager. “Which is why we are testing a cryogenic weeding solution (see opposite) proposed by the

90%

of gas savedduring maintenanceoperations

45%

reduction of methane emissionsbetween 2016 and 2018

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“We have set up a task force and made the detection of micro-leaks a top priority.”Denis Missud, senior network support engineer,Rhône-Méditerranée operations

“Our global management system reflects the company’s commitment to the prevention and control of risks and continual improvement.”Philippe BOSCUS, HSE expert

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“The monitoring of the flora by the Paris Basin national botanical Conservatory, the French state Museum of natural history and the Île de France regional council in the study “The exemplary management of the green sites of GRTgaz” assessed several methods for the management of these sites. They are listed in an operational guide, so that they can be deployed on other industrial sites on a larger scale.” Jérôme Wegnez, flora and habitats project leader at MNHN-CBNBP

start-up Netcryo, which won the 2018 GRTgaz Open Innovation challenge in the “Landscaping of industrial sites without crop protection products” “All our sensitive sites covered by environmental protection orders have their own specific action plan”, continues Pierre Billet. “The goal we share with the teams in the field is to create islands of biodiversity by choosing various options, such as planting hedges to blend in with the surroundings, creating nesting boxes and insect hotels, or the 150 hives we have installed for our partner bee-keepers. All these actions prevent the sites from becoming overly artificial and help to make our employees aware of the impact of our activity.” The diversified management of the wayleave corridors and the ambition to turn sites into ecological niches fit in well with another principle that is already well established in the management of worksites and maintenance operations and consists of avoiding, reducing and offsetting the impact of our activity.

What is cryonics?It is an innovative technology that is often compared with sand-blasting, but offers the advantage of being non-abrasive. It uses compressed air to project fragments of dry ice, called pellets that resemble grains of rice, at high speed. Since it does not use any water or chemicals, it is well suited to cleaning live electrical components. Cryogenic weeding techniques can be used without risk in the vicinity of the instrumentation installed on operational sites.

How can this technique be used on GRTgaz’s sites?Working in collaboration with GRTgaz’s teams in the field, we have analysed a number of production sites in order to identify the operational requirements that the operatives have to meet.. This has enabled us to come up with a solution that is perfectly suited to weeding these production sites. Looking further ahead, we hope to develop a processing plant to treat the carbon dioxide produced by methanisation stations, so that we can offer our customers a completely ecological weeding solution.

CRYONICS

An innovative alternative to crop protection products. Jacques Rigaill, director of Netcryo, SAS in Perpignan, France and winner of the 2018 GRTgaz Open Innovation challenge, explains.

*GRTgaz is a member of the linear infrastructures and biodiversity club (Clib), which brings together the main operators of linear infrastructures to discuss the question of biodiversity. As a member of this club, GRTgaz supports the Ittecop programme led by the French Ministry of the ecological and inclusive transition with the FBR (foundation for biodiversity research), which has committed to supporting 15 research projects between 2018 and 2020. GRTgaz is also supporting the ecological engineering resource centre of the AFB (French biodiversity agency) for a three-year period, starting in 2018. Finally, GRTgaz is a partner of the French state Museum of natural history and 11 regional natureparks: Vosges du Nord, Lorraine, Ballons des Vosges, Avesnois, Vexin français, Luberon, Brière, Brenne, Périgord-Limousin, Armorique, Pilat, and InterParcs Paca, which includes seven parks. On 10 July 2018, GRTgaz joined the 65 companies that have signed the Act4nature commitment to voluntarily consider the issue of biodiversity in all their activities. **Facilities classified for environmental protection.

300 sites converted to zerocrop protection productsin 2018

450 sites in 2020

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P. 34 Introducing green gas

P. 39Behind the scenes of innovation in gas

HOW RENEWABLE GAS WILL REVOLUTIONISE THE GAS INDUSTRY AND RADICALLY TRANSFORM END-USES

Special feature

Climate-related issues, low-carbon targets, green mobility… The gas industry is addressing these challenges and supporting the ecological transition by rethinking its model, which is currently centralised and depends on gas imports. The goal is to promote and integrate the energy of tomorrow in a global energy system. The solutions and projects supported by GRTgaz, which are based on the principles of the circular economy and the growing synergies between gas and electricity, are revolutionising modes of production and encouraging more responsible end-uses. These are radical transformations, developed as part of an open innovation process, with the aim of being 100% local, renewable and carbon-free by 2050.

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Numerous renewable gas production and recovery processes have been developed in recent years. Today, works are concentrated on three particularly promising processes: methanisation, pyro-gasification and power-to-gas, or the use of renewable electricity to produce hydrogen that is injected into the gas network. Ultimately, the energy mix of tomorrow could be shared equally between these three processes.

BIOGAS. THE REGIONAL ENERGY SOURCEBiogas is produced locally. This new renewable energy has a bright future and offers a source of sustainable growth to agriculture and the regions. Today it is produced by methanisation, which entails fermenting organic matter in the absence of oxygen. The methanised waste comes from agricultural or agrifood effluents, household waste or the sludge from urban wastewater treatment plants. Biogas contains 60% methane and 40% carbon dioxide (CO2). Once it has been purified, it turns into biomethane that is comparable with natural gas, because it contains more than 97% of methane. Methanisation contributes to the circular, agricultural and local economies, offering a number of positive externalities. The most important of these are local reuse of waste, improvement of the resilience of the agricultural and agrifood economic fabric, decarbonisation of the energy and agricultural sectors, return of the digestate to the soil as a natural fertiliser, innovation and creation

02

Renewable gases have a bright future. Since they are produced locally from organic waste or materials available in large quantities, or from recovered energy, they have numerous virtues. They make a major contribution to the reduction of greenhouse gases and promote green mobility.

Introducing green gas

100,000 householdsThis is the annualconsumption covered by the current productioncapacity of injected biogas 100 sites connectedto the transmissionnetworkThis is the target for 2030

METHANISATION KEY FIGURES

NThe Bassée Biogaz agricultural

methanisation unit in Noyen-sur-Seine, France of new local jobs that cannot be relocated

(three to four local jobs on average per facility). Certain farmers and companies in the agrifood sector already use methanisation to recover their waste. In Essarts-en-Bocage, in the Vendée region of France, local duck breeder, Ernest Soulard, treats his organic matter with the Bioloie methaniser. Every year, this methaniser converts 73,300 tonnes of agricultural and agrifood organic matter into biogas, equivalent to the consumption of 13,500 inhabitants,.Biogas is produced locally close to the point of consumption, and can be used in cogeneration motors to produce heat and electricity, or can be purified and injected into the gas supply network. It is transformed into biomethane by removing all the impurities. GRTgaz has been looking into the technical question of counterflow in order to develop its capacity to inject this biomethane into networks. The purpose of counterflow is to send the biomethane to the transmission network from the distribution network, when local gas consumption is less than the supply. This “right to inject” biomethane was one of the most significant new developments in 2018, following discussions between all the

players in the sector, supervised by Sébastien Lecornu.Ratified by the EGalim law, which was passed on 1 November 2018, it will facilitate the connection of biomethane to the natural gas transmission and distribution networks, and reinforce the gas networks at a reasonable price. Biomethane projects in areas where the gas network topology limits the injection of biomethane will now be able to inject their entire output into the network, so that it can be distributed to neighbouring regions.

BIOGAS: A FUEL OF TOMORROW Biomethane can also be used to fuel natural gas vehicles (NGV). It is used as fuel in buses, waste collection trucks, light commercial vehicles and trucks. It his case, we talk about bioNGVs. BioNGVs significantly reduce emissions of CO2, nitrogen oxide and fine particles. This solution helps to improve air quality and to protect our health and the environment. Over a complete life cycle, the CO2 emissions from a bioNGV are 80% lower than those from a diesel vehicle. It is also a competitive fuel. Since it is cheaper than diesel, the use of bioNG for vehicles has grown strongly in the transport sector.

76 methanisation sitesin operation at the endof 2018, of which sevenare connected to theGRTgaz network

661 projects being examinedin France, of whichtwo-thirds are in agriculture

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According to Vincent Rousseau, director of the GRTgaz mobility project, “bioNGVs address a genuine demand amongst road hauliers and their customers, and in particular the mass retail chains (Carrefour, Casino, Monoprix). These outlets want to reduce their carbon footprint and polluting emissions at a competitive price that does not affect their operational performance. This is possible with bioNGV fuel. Urban public transport operators (e.g. RATP) are also very interested in bioNGVs.”

In 2018, GRTgaz was operating 76 sites that inject gas into the French transmission and distribution networks. And the 661 projects in the capacity register show that expectations are high. Methanisation is the most mature and the most promising process in the short term.

POWER-TO-GAS, OR HOW TO AVOID WASTING GREEN ELECTRICITYFor most energy suppliers, hydrogen is a promising source of energy for industrial applications, storage of electricity and cogeneration. One of the most interesting use cases consists of transforming excess renewable electricity into gas, so that it can be stored. Hydrogen is produced by water electrolysis. The “Hydrogen for the energy transition” plan, published in June 2018, describes this future solution as “a tool that maximises the integration of renewable electricity into the energy system and offers an energy storage solution between seasons”. There are two ways to integrate hydrogen into infrastructures: direct injection in a mixture with natural gas, or conversion of hydrogen into methane by combining it with locally captured CO2. The latter solution is currently being tested in the Jupiter 1000 demonstrator operated by GRTgaz. This new energy that combines gas and electricity will optimise the global energy system and stimulate the development of renewable gases. The GRTgaz network will become the solution that is used to recover vast quantities of renewable electricity.

PYRO-GASIFICATION: A PROCESS FOR DRY BIOMASSPyro-gasification is another means of producing gas locally that can then be injected into the existing gas network. The process uses waste from the dry, non-food biomass, or solid recovered fuels that were not reused in the past because it was technically and economically difficult to treat them by methanisation. The synthetic methane and hydrogen produced by

16% less CO2

than a diesel heavy goodsvehicle, 80% less CO2 thana diesel with bioNGV fuel bioNGV fuel will accountfor 20% of consumptionof NGVs in 2023 These are the targets forFrench NGVs (the targetof the current public energyprogramme), and 40%in 2030

KEY NGV FIGURES IN 2018

NGV (NATURAL GAS VEHICLE) AND BIONGV FUEL

The natural gas used as a fuel in NGVs is the same as the gas used for heating or cooking. BioNGV fuel, produced from methane, is also used in vehicles.

BIONGV FUEL80% LESS CO2

COMPARED WITH DIESEL

Waste collection Injection into the network

Methanisation purification Shipment

POWER-TO-GAS

ELECTRICITY GRID Fatal CO2 produced by methanisation or industrial processes

Synthetic methane

Injection of hydrogen

H2 CH4

CO2

water electrolysisMethanisationhydrogenation of

CO or CO2

Injection

GAS

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50 %

of urban zones with morethan 150,000 inhabitantsoperate gas-powered buses

10 %

of the gas consumptionfor mobility in France is fromrenewable sources (bioNGVfuel).vs. 90% in Sweden

BIOMASS OR WASTE (SRF*)

Tar, pollutantsBy-product (char)

Water, CO2, N2

PYRO-GASIFICATION PROCESS

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Compliance with specifications

to reach the GCV**Injection

*Solid recovered fuels. **Gross calorific value.

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pyro-gasification can then be injected into the gas network. They then benefit from the exceptional flexibility of the gas network, which offers a broad range of uses, from heating and cooking to mobility. “Pyro-gasification is a process that complements methanisation in terms of resources and the other renewable gas processes. It is a non-intermittent source of energy, because it works all year round”, explains Philippe Hugeron, chief financial officer of Etia and chairman of the pyro-gasification Club. “There are projects abroad. In France, this process still needs the support of demonstrators to pave the way to the first industrial applications in 2021-2022.”

THE SUPERPOWERS OF ALGAEAnd what if the methanisation of algae could produce gas? Algae consume a lot of CO2 and nitrogen, grow by photosynthesis and produce oxygen. GRTgaz is currently working on the preparation of a pilot project to methanise algae grown at sea and microalgae grown in open tanks or in photobioreactors. On an equivalent surface area, the productivity of these organisms is five to ten times higher than that of growing cereals on average, and they can be grown on surfaces unfit for agricultural use. The biomethane produced can be injected into the gas network and used in industrial processes, in service stations as a renewable fuel or in homes.

SUPPORTING PROJECTS IN THE REGIONSGRTgaz is playing its role as a coordinator in order to develop these processes in the regions, by supporting projects with players from agriculture, companies in the agrifoods sector, transport service providers and local authorities. Once connected to the sites

460 TWh The estimated potential ofinjectable renewable gasthat could cover 100% ofdemand in France by 2050using three productionprocesses:

KEY FIGURES RENEWABLE GAS

03

The mission of RICE is to help achieve the ambitions of the gas industry in terms of operational excellence, industrial safety and the energy and ecological transitions. Design, control, inspection, maintenance and information: the digital revolution is also sweeping through gas infrastructures, which are becoming ever smarter. “The centre permanently develops new tools to operate the network and to perform our operational activities, with a clear focus on the possibilities offered by robotics and digital modelling techniques”, enthuses Éric Courtalon, director of RICE. His team designs and deploys new solutions to optimise the lifespan of pipelines and to improve the safety of gas systems or the control of combustible gases by metering, odorisation and leak detection. “This year, we launched a major effort focussing on long-term expectations. 13 flagship R&D programmes for

Behind the scenes of innovation in gasJanuary 2018: some 100 world-class researchers and experts, equipped with leading-edge technical resources, joined the RICE (Research and Innovation Centre for Energy). GRTgaz’s new research and innovation centre was born.

GRTgaz’s business lines and RICE’s other customers have been identified”, explains Marie-Ève Defauwe, innovation project director at RICE.

Innovation and partnershipsAnother major challenge consists of controlling and monitoring the quality of biomethane, hydrogen and synthetic methane, so that they can be injected into the gas infrastructures. For example, RICE is helping the competent authorities to define the necessary specifications, and is devising solutions, such as counterflow systems. By reversing the direction of flow of the gas and channelling it from the distribution network to the transmission network when local consumption is too low, we enable producers to inject more and more renewable gas by adapting the network settings. Numerous studies are looking into new processes to produce green gas – methanisation of fermentable waste, gasification of biomass or waste, power-to-gas – in order to store and reuse future excess renewable electricity. An open innovation initiative has been launched with several public and private partners. “We call on our partners when we need additional skills in areas where we are not the leading experts. For example, we fund doctorates with French

Extraction of dissolved gasby the dissolved analytes

extraction system (Sextand) in the compound trace physics

laboratory in the gas analysis and metering unit at the RICE.

Microalgae, a promising resource to rise to the challenge of the energy transition.

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producing the new gas, the gas transmission network offers the opportunities required to develop these processes. “Four new sites were connected to the GRTgaz network in 2018, which saw strong growth in the number of projects being examined and a two-fold increase in the capacities reserved by the projects. In the next four years, GRTgaz is preparing for the connection of 70 more methanisation sites”, explains Antony Mazzenga, director of the renewable gas activity at GRTgaz. According to an Ademe - GRDF - GRTgaz* study published in January 2018, with methanisation, pyro-gasification, power-to-gas and the gasification of algae, France has the potential to produce enough renewable gas to cover all its needs by 2050.

*”Un mix de gaz 100% renouvelable en 2050?”, Ademe, GRDF, GRTgaz, January 2018.

100 men and women,doctors, engineers, projectmanagers and technicianswork at the RICE 54 inventions and330 patents in the fieldsof transmission, storageand distribution of gas

Quality control of biomethane in the RICE laboratory truck

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universities, we also co-fund research to benefit from leverage and gain access to results that we would not have been able to achieve on our own”, points out Sylvain Lemelletier, the RICE partnerships delegate. “We also take part in international research programmes with organisations like the Pipeline Research Council International and the European gas research group.” The open innovation initiative also enables us to submit business problems that cannot be solved by standard solutions to SMEs, start-ups, mid-caps, laboratories and schools. Since 2016, the initiative has generated a significant dynamic to propose innovative solutions for our businesses.

Finally, a number of measures have been taken to reward innovation internally and to facilitate the transformation of ideas into industrial projects. The “Oser” platform is for employees who want to propose an idea or a good practice (10% of the initiatives are mature and close to the prototyping stage). The “Jeune Pousse” programme is for emerging ideas and the “Accélération de projet” programme is for development projects that need a helping hand in order to be deployed on a large scale or that are facing technical and/or regulatory problems.

4 centres of excellence

3 sites in greater Paris:Saint-Denis, Alfortvilleand Bois-Colombes

“RICE is working for excellence in the gas industry, and is resolutely engaged in the energy transition.”Éric Courtalon, director of RICE

THE 2018 OPEN INNOVATION CHALLENGES

7 challengesin 2018 74 applications received 23 companiesselected €757,000 allocatedto all the prize-winnerssince 2016 €346,000 of ordersin 2018 to fund the launch of innovative projects

Who will help GRTgaz’s business lines to take up the challenges of tomorrow? Since 2016, more than 300 SMEs, start-ups, mid-caps, laboratories and schools have taken up this challenge. The result: 74 solution pitches presented by the companies to juries made up of members of the management committee, and 16 partnerships signed. GRTgaz launched seven challenges for the third edition. 74 applications were received, 23 companies were selected and five prize-winners were designated. Catalyse won the prize in the category “Protecting GRTgaz’s steel networks against the effects of hydrogen”, and the ParisTech Mine materials centre won the jury’s special award in the same category. For one of the other prize-winners, the start-up Srett, the challenge was even the start of a success story. After some conclusive tests, trials with the company’s solution are due to start in 2019, in readiness for full-scale deployment. The Open Innovation Factory, as the challenges are now known, supports all the prize-winners until their solutions go

into industrial production. It makes the resources of RICE available to develop and test their innovations, and finances the solutions or the possible application for patents as part of co-development with GRTgaz. The winners retain the industrial ownership of their solutions and benefit from heightened visibility at the major trade exhibitions where the company is present, such as Vivatech or the exhibition for French local councils.

View the video https://openinnovation.grtgaz.com

SRETTBased in Boulogne-Billancourt near Paris, Srett won the 2018 GRTgaz Open Innovation challenge on the theme of the “industrial internet of things in the gas industry”.

“The Open Innovation challenge is a fantastic opportunity for us to innovate, to discover uses and to enter into constructive discussions with users. To define appropriate solutions, it is essential to start from the need. Throughout the experimental phase, we were permanently in a partnership not a customer-supplier relationship. Highquality discussions took place about uses, in particular with the innovation project manager, Frédéric Guilliou, who supervised this project.”

Philippe Salamitou, Founder and CEO - Srett

THE OPEN INNOVATION CHALLENGES (WHICH BECAME THE OPEN INNOVATION FACTORY IN 2019)

Calibration bench for distribution meters - industrial performance and safety unit.

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he grid is the interface between all the players, whose primary purpose is to provide access to the best energy for all users as economically

as possible. Today, more than 30 million items of data flow through GRTgaz’s dispatching centres every day to achieve a permanent balance between the gas supply, most of which is imported, and the demand. This situation will change as the energy of tomorrow comes on stream. How can the multitude of local centres of production of green gas be incorporated? How can the different electricity and gas networks be connected to form a genuine energy system? How can a highly centralised network with just a few injection points be turned into a decentralised network with a multitude of injection points? How can the balance between increasingly local output and

seasonal energy consumption be dynamically managed? How can the right information be provided to take decisions and action at the right time? The network, which interfaces many different players, will have to become smarter. At the crossroads between the digital and energy transitions, GRTgaz’s Smart Grid programme intends to achieve all this by coordinating all the actions designed to assess and implement the gas system of tomorrow. The goal is to bring technical innovations, like power-to-gas or biomethane counterflow, closer to the development of the information system, the development of algorithms and the production, processing and supply of information. Our ambition is to turn the digital transition into an opportunity to improve the efficiency of the network and the sharing of information with regional authorities and all the stakeholders in the energy ecosystem.

SMART GRIDS AND INTELLIGENT NETWORKS

What is the West Grid Synergy programme? The programme consists of several projects in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire region of France that were certified by SMILE* in October 2017. The goal is to develop the first European demonstrator of smart grids that incorporates biomethane on a massive scale. The number of local methanisation sites has risen sharply in these agricultural regions, to the point where supply sometimes exceeds demand. Therefore, production is currently limited. This is the reason why GRTgaz is developing a smart transmission-distribution interface with a “counterflow” function that will significantly change the operation of the gas system. Future networks will be “two-way”, and the biomethane produced in one region will be injected into the gas transmission network and redistributed to the neighbouring regions.

How will the regions benefit from this? First, the long-term future of the renewable gas production facilities will be secured. Producing biogas is an additional source of income for farmers and can enable small farms to turn a profit. The agricultural waste is methanised and part of the digestate is

reused as an organic fertiliser. Civil society is also sensitive to the fact that the energy it consumes is produced locally. The data from these smart grids have upped the level of engagement of regional authorities in the energy transition. Finally, smart grids make it easier to install CNG stations and stations where NGVs can refuel in the regions.

Was any concrete progress made in 2018?The Mauges gas backbone, built by Sorégies, was inaugurated in June 2018, after 18 months of works. This 40 km distribution network collects the biomethane produced in the region and connects an industrial site to the network. The operation of the backbone will be tested as new methanisation projects are implemented in the region. Ultimately, biomethane will account for 40% of total gas consumption in the pilot regions.

THE WEST GRID SYNERGY PROGRAMME

BY EMBRACING DIGITAL TECHNOLOGYThe players are more connected — Sharing of data and new digital technologies allow the players to better control their activities: connected maintenance, remote control, open data, smart sensors, etc.

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2 BY IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF THE GAS NETWORKSThe network becomes two-way — The output in the region will outstrip local consumption increasingly frequently. One of the solutions to this imbalance consists in sending the gas back into the network.

1 BY INTRODUCING RENEWABLE ENERGIES INTO ITS TERRITORYBiomethane

The West Grid Synergy project is a world-class demonstrator that enables a region to become smarter.

Alain Bissonnier, smart grid project manager in the GRTgaz information system division

* SMart Ideas to Link Energies is an organisation chaired by the Brittany and Pays de la Loire regional authorities. It has 190 partners, including about 100 companies and major groups (Enedis, RTE, Schneider, Orange, GRDF, GRTgaz, etc.) and some emblematic digital start-ups (Niji, Energiency, NKE Watteco, etc.).

Explanation

Expert opinion04

The sharp increase in computing and communication capacities and the emergence of new consumer uses and habits in a fast-changing energy environment have prompted the appearance of increasingly smart energy grids.

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“Today, the most necessary solidarity is

that of all the inhabitants of planet Earth.”

Albert Jacquard,French biologist, geneticist

and scientist (1925-2013)

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Equal opportunities, the promotion of diversity, career development, listening to employees: the company’s social policy aims to enable everyone to be themselves and to realise their full potential in a positive climate. A policy that combines dialogue, benevolence, support, training and creativity.

How social innovation is working for harmonious development

“It is important to remain open,

to experiment, to listen and to be

prepared to adapt permanently.”

Valérie Deviers-Komonski, deputy HR director

“We continue to work on stereotypes and prejudice at every level of the company.”Gaëlle Eouzan, manager of the recruitment and career management unit in the human resources division85 %

of employeeswould recommendGRTgaz as a good employer

80 % think that GRTgaz is asocially responsiblecompany

Women representWELCOME!

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BETTER TOGETHERGRTgaz has been committed to the cause of professional equality for a long time. The company broadened the scope of discriminations it addresses following the Diversity Label awarded by AFNOR in 2015. Sexism, origin, religion or sexual orientation are no longer taboo subjects in the company. People can speak out openly and actions are being taken to raise awareness. The company’s commitment is strong. It encourages and promotes good employee initiatives and signed the LGBT charter (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender) drawn up by the “L’Autre Cercle” association of LGBT professionals in 2018. This charter sets out a formal framework for the policy to promote diversity and prevent discrimination.

The 16-episode web series created by GRTgaz, Éclairages, Lumière sur la diversité, was broadcast on social media. Last November, this initiative was rewarded in the “HR campaign and employer brand” category at the Grands Prix of the COM-ENT (formerly “Communication et Entreprises) trade association.

99 disabled employees, of whom:

15 were recruited in thecourse of the year

Happy TraineesGRTgaz 20184.18/5global score83.7%of favourable opinions

23 %

of the statutoryheadcount

45 %

of interns

35 %

of the managementcommittee members

View the video www.youtube.com/user/ GRTgazOfficiel/videos

Culture

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“Our regional delegations are determined to promote a virtuous energy transition, from which the regions will benefit.”

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LET’S TALK ABOUT GASA programme that aims to turn every employee into an ambassador for gas and GRTgaz. The community of almost 600 employee ambassadors, who have all been trained in the specifics of the gas chain in the “Expérience gaz” MOOC, and one quarter of which is particularly active, meets up on the toGAZ’er platform. Once they have received their “ambassador’s passport”, they have access to a number of resources to take action inside and outside the company, in schools, forums or on social media.

DISCO’VR: WORK IN VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality is an innovative way of introducing our operational activities, attracting new talents and encouraging internal mobility. Users are immersed in two of GRTgaz’s typical professional environments: a cathodic protection facility and a compressor station.

Work experience: the best way

Taking “in-house trained” youngsters onboard means we can offer them the knowledge acquired by our employees, promoting the employment of young people and preparing for the future. Trainees learn about the specifics of the gas business during work experience contracts. The skills ramp-up of employees can be made easier by the business incubators created in 2014.

The “Parlons Gaz” rally attracted

5,200 viewson LinkedIn An engagement rateof 24%

150,000 viewson Twitter

11,400 viewson FacebookAn engagement rateof 6%

1,500 employeesinteracted on Yammer,more than 40% of thecommunity’s members

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92 employee ambassadorstook a seat in four NGVsentered in the first “ParlonsGaz” rally between 8 and18 October 2018.They took turns to drivemore than 13,000 km in nine days, visiting theircolleagues at more than 47GRTgaz sites along the way.

ÉLAN PRO

Developing employee employability, fulfilling their aspirations to develop and encouraging mobility are principles that are deeply rooted in the company’s culture. Career development based on dialogue and consultation, that meets the needs of the company and encourages the diversity of activities, open-mindedness and personal fulfilment.

What role do the GRTgaz regional delegations play?Our regional delegations implement our policy listening closely to our stakeholders. They are determined to promote a virtuous energy transition, from which the regions will benefit. GRTgaz hopes to become a trusted and useful partner through these delegations, that work by their side.

What are their missions?GRTgaz’s regional delegations have three key missions: to help local decision-makers draw up their energy plans, while promoting a multi-energy energy transition that favours the circular economy, and also promoting

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Face-to-face

200 work experiencelearners are welcomedevery year

the benefits of natural and renewable gas; to promote the flexibility of the gas system in the regional energy projects of tomorrow; and finally to contribute to the emergence of new sources of renewable gas.

In concrete terms, what forms can this support take?It can take the form of partnerships in R&D projects with institutions, energy syndicates, SMEs, schools and universities. For example, this is the case in the Titan 5 and Minerve projects that are currently being developed in Nantes. It can also take the form of forward multi-energy studies or simulations of the installation of NGV stations that provide input for the regional authority’s deliberations and help them to prepare their energy policies and their Sraddets*. This is what we did for the energy scenarios in the greater Paris region, for the town of Troyes and in the PACA region, where we studied the density of the network of fuel stations for NGVs. Finally, we also support the business developers at GRTgaz marketing with projects to convert to gas, such as the Cristal Union group’s sugary refinery.

Who do the delegations talk to?As a general rule, we talk to all the social and economic players who want to work together on the energy transition of their region: the regional authorities, energy syndicates, chambers of commerce and industry, major ports, urban development agencies, NGOs, start-ups, industrial companies, farmers, etc.

What conclusions can you draw from 2018?2018 saw the acceleration and the implementation of numerous projects, including the ones I have just mentioned. Many major cities and urban communities have committed to green mobility, with plans to convert their bus fleets to NGV fuel and then to bioNGV fuel on a massive scale. Today, our regional delegates are clearly identified as being the preferred points of contact with local players, and as the point of entry to GRTgaz.

Close to our regions

GRTgaz plans to play a leading role in the regional energy transition. We talk to Bettina Hortal, who manages the regional delegations unit in the public and regional affairs strategic domain.

*Regional programmes covering land management, sustainable development and equality of territories (SRADDET). 49

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GRTgaz supports the projects and the energy requirements of the regions in an approach based on dialogue and consultation with its stakeholders. Future projects designed to encourage the emergence of new sources or to support R&D in the energy transition.

Future projects for and with our regions

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“MULTI-ENERGY SCENARIO” FORWARD STUDIES

“We regularly provide our expertise and our experience to the regions to help them define the outlines of their regional policy for sustainable development. We conducted this study with RTE, GRDF and Enedis for the Greater Paris region, as part of its regional climate, air and energy plan.”

Frédéric Moulin, regional delegate for Val de Seine

JUPITER 1000

“Jupiter 1000 is an industrial power-to-gas demonstrator. The demonstrator transforms renewable electricity into gas that can be stored. The electricity consumed is produced directly by the wind turbines at the Marseilles Port Authority. Jupiter 1000 will help the entire storage chain by overcoming technological obstacles and finding efficient business models.”

Georges Seimandi, regional delegate for Rhône-Méditerranée

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WEST GRID SYNERGY

“This demonstrator in western France is sponsored by the SMILE project. It is co-managed by the gas network operators and the local authorities. The aim of the project is to maximise the production of renewable gas at regional sources, while facilitating its integration into the gas distribution and transport networks. It is deployed in three regions that are interconnected by the same gas transmission network, located in three departments in Brittany and the Pays de la Loire.”

Amaury Mazon, regional delegate for Centre Atlantique

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Listen to the podcast

https://bit.ly/2ZXT0XR

ENERGY NETWORKS OPEN DATA, the first multi-energy open data platform in France.

THE PARTNERSHIP WITH CERTIMÉTHA®, the innovation and performance platform for a sustainably competitive biogas and methanisation process, and Biogaz Vallée®, the French cluster dedicated to methanisation.

MINERVE, a power-to-gas demonstrator.

SUPPORT FOR THE NICE CÔTE D’AZUR URBAN COMMUNITY to optimise the energy and ecological management of the region thanks to the gas networks, and in particular by starting the modernisation of the fleet of natural gas buses in line with the production of biomethane by the wastewater treatment plant in Cagnes-sur-Mer.

THE PARTNERSHIP WITH ÉTIA, a specialist in heat treatment processes, to promote the production of synthetic methane by gasification.

A SHAREHOLDER IN SIGEIF MOBILITÉS, for the construction of a network of fuel stations for NG heavy goods vehicles in the Greater Paris region.

TITAN V, a biological methanisation prototype on a Leroux & Lotz gasifier, with our partner Terrawatt. TECHNICAL SUPPORT FOR FUEL STATIONS FOR NGVS for the Paris City and Greater Paris transport authorities.

R&D PROJECT IN LYON WITH INSAVALOR covering biological methanisation.

MÉTHAGRID (BIOLOGICAL METHANISATION), the winner of the French environmental agency’s (ADEME) Graine call for projects, in partnership with GRTgaz, Cristal Union, ARD, the European centre for biotechnology and bioeconomy (with the biotechnology chairs of AgroParisTech and Centrale Supélec) and TMA-Process. CONVERSION OF BUS FLEETS TO NGV for the Greater Rheims urban community and the town of Grand Troyes

And many more actions in the regions

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THE REV3 INCUBATOR

“In the Hauts-de-France region, local politicians are encouraging development of the activities of tomorrow. The REV3 incubator (which stands for the third industrial revolution) was set up by the region’s chamber of commerce and industry and the regional authorities with a view to supporting start-ups. We wanted to be a partner of this business incubator, alongside other major industrial companies and service providers.”

Thierry Daniel, regional delegate Nord Est

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“I discovered a company looking for partnerships,

determined to generate a really

positive dynamic.”Olivier Dauger,

climate and energy expert at the FNSEA

Why did you agree to sit on the stakeholders’ committee right from its inception?

Claude Conrard: I have been a major energy consumer throughout my career in the metallurgy and chemical industries. So, reflecting on the issues related to the energy transition seemed to be relevant.

Olivier Dauger: I was attracted by the principle of a global approach to the subjects and the openness of mind that it represented. There is a real paradigm shift in climate-related subjects, with the exit from fossil fuel and the emergence of renewable energies. For our future, it is essential to forge ties between all the sectors concerned, and especially between agriculture and energy, which are two completely different worlds.

Pascale Hebel: GRTgaz wanted to understand what citizens and society want. I don’t know much about energy and the problems of a gas carrier seemed to be far removed from the end consumer. But I was convinced, and I still am, that businesses have a major role to play in reducing our impact on the planet. By changing the game in large corporations, we will help to protect the public interest.

Which major subjects does the committee discuss?

P. H.: First, we worked on the image of GRTgaz. Then, we gradually addressed all the issues related to corporate social responsibility, and the discussions became more forward-looking.

C. C.: For example, we built different scenarios around the crucial question of long-term changes in the flows supplied by GRTgaz. Everything related to these political decisions with serious consequences: opting for all-electric, or choosing a more balanced energy mix, given that France will remain a corridor for the transmission of gas. And every time, we analysed the consequences for GRTgaz’s business model.

O. D.: GRTgaz is not only concerned about the development of its product or its short-term financial profits. All our discussions looked at how the company can continue to exist and be useful, while its environment is undergoing deep-seated changes.52

They are from backgrounds as diverse as agriculture, industry and research, but they share a keen interest in the major societal changes we are going through. They also want to share their experiences and compare their views in order to encourage a global and common approach to issues. We spoke with Olivier Dauger, climate and energy expert at the FNSEA, Pascale Hebel, director of consumption at the Crédoc, and Claude Conrard, director of energy public affairs at Solvay France, who are all members of the GRTgaz stakeholders’ committee.

SOME GOOD ADVICE

04

Conversation

What are you views of the company, and have its actions changed?

C. C.: Gas is an old business that now has to change at top speed. Regarding GRTgaz, I had already been attracted by its mode of governance of “Concertation Gaz”*. By the open-minded stance that is totally independent from the rest of the energy sector, in particular with regard to its biggest shareholder, ENGIE. I am convinced this is the key to the success of this initiative.

O. D.: I discovered a company looking for partnerships, determined to generate a really positive dynamic. A company convinced that it is easier to find solutions, if everyone makes a contribution.

P. H.: Its capacity to look to the long term is quite rare in the world of business these days. GRTgaz asks questions about the role it will be able to play in France, but also in the rest of Europe. By avoiding the temptation to look inwards and to resist the changes that are taking place. Many industrial companies have public relations strategies that aim to prevent change. But not GRTgaz, which, on the contrary, wants to change the rules of the game by introducing innovative ideas and is not afraid of following new paths.

Are these discussions of any use in the fulfilment of your responsibilities?

C. C.: As a public affairs officer, I admit that I find the very open, very constructive and very visionary stance of GRTgaz and its senior management inspiring. The expertise in biodiversity and agriculture, and the opposition of points of view made it clear to me that a certain number of options deserve to be defended more than others. In particular, I am thinking of intensive gas consumers that we must absolutely keep in Europe. The relocation of factories abroad is harmful to France’s carbon footprint. When the aluminium used to build an Airbus is made in China, the CO2 emissions are increased eight-fold. And the same is true of the plastic in our smartphones!

O. D.: It's true also for agriculture, which can be relocated too. This is the reason why this vision of a regional circular economy is so interesting. We already

have resources that are available locally. So we have to learn how to use them. It is quite clear that we cannot approach the energy transition with the attitudes that existed in the 1950s. At that time, there was a shift towards globalisation, driven by emerging technologies. Today, new technologies might help us to make a shift in the opposite direction.

P. H.: Addressing complex subjects, about which I knew very little, in a very instructive manner was very helpful. Most importantly, I realised that inviting researchers, industrial companies, farmers and economists to debate together was a good idea! These debates produced some very innovative ideas that would never have emerged in more conventional bodies. I often refer to this experience with the directors of companies, where the board of directors is not very open, in reality.

Do you think that this model of dialogue with the stakeholders can be transposed to any company?

P. H.: Yes, I think so. But we feel that this is easier at GRTgaz than elsewhere. The company director and his team are really open-minded and prepared to listen. For this to work elsewhere, directors must be prepared to listen and to call themselves into question, if necessary.

C. C.: The situation of GRTgaz is rather special, because the Energy Regulatory Commission guarantees an annual

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“Today, the paradigm is shifting, so we all

need to produce a long-term vision

and invent new ways of thinking.”

Claude Conrard, director of energy public affairs

at Solvay France

“These debates produced some very innovative ideas that

would never have emerged in more

conventional instances.”

Pascale Hebel, director of the consumption

department at the Crédoc

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Continue the conversation https://bit.ly/2ZXT0XR

Follow GRTgazon social media

twitter.com/grtgazlinkedin.com/company/GRTgaz

youtube.com/user/GRTgazOfficielfacebook.com/GRTgaz/

Useful linksopendata.grtgaz.com

entsog.eucre.fr

concertationgaz.comgasinfocus.com

ademe.frinstitut-economie-circulaire.fr

fdbiodiversite.orgmnhn.fr

parcs-naturels-regionaux.fr ffrandonnee.fr et randomobile.org

GRTgaz online grtgaz.com

www.gazenergiedespossibles.fr

Check out our application

GRTgazRegistered head office:

immeuble Bora 6, rue Raoul-Nordling

92277 Bois-Colombes Cedex, France Tel. +33 1 55 66 40 00

Procurement, supply and logistics department:

immeuble Clever 7, rue du 19-Mars-1962

92322 Gennevilliers Cedex, France Tel. +33 1 56 04 01 00

remuneration in return for the accomplishment of its public service mission. This probably offers more room for manoeuvre than in companies that are faced with their shareholders’ demands for immediate profitability. But today, the paradigm is shifting, so we all need to produce a long-term vision and invent new ways of thinking. Especially since the change will be lengthy and complex. So, let’s make the most of the time we have.

O. D.: The culture of secrecy is a thing of the past. Now that we are all hyperconnected, we all know that we can no longer keep information to ourselves. We can make progress much faster by sharing information. The subject of the reuse of waste is one good example. The circular economy is essential to our future. But every actor is playing their own hand. It is only by transparently sharing the challenges and the potential that we can build a new win-win model for everyone.

C. C.: I think that waste processing companies will have an open attitude when they are faced with extremely sudden change and uncertainty. The energy transition laws have changed the regulations on waste. And around 2025, there will be a radical change. For example, landfill will certainly be outlawed in France, just like it has been forbidden in Germany for 20 years. When that time comes, the business of certain companies will just disappear. So they will have to listen to everyone in order to survive and to invent a business model that is more collectively responsible.

P. H.: Major retailers are already facing this dramatic situation. They all have their backs to the wall! I think that GRTgaz needs to communicate on the way it operates and to share its best co-production practices with its stakeholders.

Any ideas about the subjects up for debate in the coming months?

P. H.: I think that the question of waste is important. Maybe GRTgaz could work with waste processing companies, since it will transport the gas produced by biowaste one day. Finally, I regret that I am the only woman on the committee. We all benefit from greater parity.

C. C.: We need to examine the fit between the different type of energy, which is absolutely crucial. We could also work on the subject of energy storage. For the moment, the messages

coming from the European Commission are very (too) electric. They seem to think that electric hydrogen will save Europe and the world! We must be realistic. We cannot immediately rely on sufficient stocks of hydrogen. To store, we need power (the capacity to release as much energy as possible, as quickly as possible), that will be available in the long-term. Today, the storage of natural gas in France is highly efficient from this point of view. We must defend the position of gas in the future energy landscape and develop combined use of the electricity and gas transmission infrastructures. Education will also be necessary. Electric batteries will only be sufficient in 15 or 20 years. Thanks to its high storage capacity, gas still has an important role to play.

O. D.: It becomes quite clear when you analyse life cycles. We must accept that we will progress in stages. The short-term solutions may not be the best 30 years from now, but they are better than the ones we use today. Take the example of biofuels, which offer an improvement of 50% to 60% in comparison with fossil energies, and biomethane, which reduces CO2 emissions ten-fold in comparison with natural gas. They may be just the first step, before the other solutions (hydrogen or others) are ready.

*A forum for exchanges between players in the gas sector (suppliers, consumers, storage operators, carriers, traders, etc.) set up by the Energy Regulatory Commission in 2008.

GRTgaz is a limited liability company with capital of €620,424,930. ISSN no. pending.

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