Background To meet the EU objective of an overall eight per cent reduction in its greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from 2008 to 2012 - in accordance with the Kyoto Protocol - each Member State should implement a cap-and-trade type system applied to their industrial sectors characterised by high emission levels, which overall generate 40% of the GHG emissions in the EU. At the end of 2008, the EU strengthened its commitment by adopting a new strategy, which stated three objectives to be reached by 2020: 1) primary source consumption reduced by 20% compared with trend forecasts; 2) GHG emissions reduced by 20%; and 3) a 20% increase in energy from renewable sources for final consumption. Gas leaks are not only a waste of resources, but also an important contributor to GHG emissions. Scientific evidence has shown that losses of methane and carbon dioxide - the GHGs contained in natural gas - are directly proportional to network operating pressure. This quantity is kept constant at an over-dimensioned value with the current operating method. Objectives The LIFE GREEN GAS NETWORK project aims to demonstrate the applicability of a new management and control system to regulate pressure levels in natural gas distribution networks. It hopes thus to achieve a reduction of GHG emissions resulting from gas leaks from the system of at least three per cent. The project will develop a new management and control system, including new devices for measuring and regulating pressure in natural gas distribution networks. It will implement new software to manage remote communication between devices on the network and a control centre and process data in real time to optimise pressure on each branch of the network. The project expects to demonstrate successful implementation of the new management and control system on a working natural gas distribution network. It expects to be able to maintain pressure above a minimum threshold at all times across the tested network and guarantee that off-peak pressure is lower than current values. The team will test the system with all kind of pipes, including steel and polyethylene. By achieving more regulated pressure levels in the system, the project hopes to reduce gas leaks by at least three per cent. It also expects to show maintained or improved service quality levels compared with the previous management method and demonstrate compliance with all relevant safety standards. Expected results: Develop and implement a new automated pressure regulation system for natural gas distribution networks; A pressure level in natural gas distribution networks which is never less than 18 mbar at all delivery points on the tested network portion; Off-peak pressure values that are significantly lower than current constant values - both on medium pressure (MP) and low pressure (LP) - of the network; Reduction of no less than three per cent in physical gas leaks, and hence GHG emissions; The total amount of gas recovered from the network test portion will be equivalent to 467 CO2 TEQ; and Compliance with the safety standards required by the EU Directive 94/9/EC on equipment and protective systems intended for use in potentially explosive atmospheres (ATEX legislation).