Press releases

2018-12-20 Following up on the steps taken during the past few weeks in all Town Councils involved, the project aimed at integrating natural gas distribution between Inrete and CMV Servizi, as well as energy sales between Hera Comm and CMV Energia e Impianti, was approved today by the respective Shareholders Meetings. Hera Group: CMV Servizi and CMV Energia e Impianti Following up on the steps taken during the past few weeks in all Town Councils involved, the project aimed at integrating natural gas distribution between Inrete and CMV Servizi, as well as energy sales between Hera Comm and CMV Energia e Impianti, was approved today by the respective Shareholders Meetings. After the go-ahead given by the Boards of Directors on 24 October and the following phases completed in the Town Councils involved, today the Shareholders Meetings of the companies involved approved the project aimed at integrating the energy activities carried out by CMV Servizi and CMV Energia e Impianti into the Hera Group, respectively becoming part of Inrete Distribuzione Energia for natural gas distribution and Hera Comm for energy sales. Following the operation, which will allow a solid industrial project to be developed in the area surrounding Ferrara, the Municipality Shareholders of CMV Servizi and CMV Energia e Impianti, including the majority shareholder Municipality of Cento and the Municipalities of Vigarano Mainarda, Bondeno, Poggio Renatico, Terre del Reno and Goro, will increase their shareholding in the Hera Group. The integration concerns roughly 25,000 customers (21,300 in gas and 3,500 in electricity) and approximately 30,000 delivery points (26,500 in the Ferrara area and over 3,100 in the Bologna area) for natural gas distribution. The personnel currently employed in the two branches of operations carried out by CMV Servizi e CMV Energia e Impianti is expected to be maintained, as are the local service points, which will come together with other Hera Group activities in the same area. The integrated activities will be able to take advantage of Group solutions and policies, benefitting the quality and innovativeness of the services offered to customers. "The Ferrara area is one to which we are historically tied, and this double operation allows us to consolidate our presence here, following a rationale of valorising services that gives centre stage to the customers and communities concerned, creating efficiency and maintaining our local presence" states Stefano Venier, CEO of the Hera Group. "The actual integration of the companies involved will become operational within the first quarter of 2019. Our objective is to extend to the province of Ferrara a business model that, over time, has amply demonstrated the advantages it brings to all those participating, whether public or private." "I am particularly satisfied with the excellent outcome of the operation, and would like to thank all those who made efforts towards it, as well as Hera, for its precious collaboration" states the Mayor of Cento, Fabrizio Toselli. "Unquestionably strategic for our companies, it will allow them to become more balanced, and will guarantee the continuity provided by an industrial project, for the Local Administration, which among other things will free up a 6 million euro surplus for 2019. This will allow us to lower our debt (in loans) and implement significant investments for the entire area, in terms of employment, services, local presence and spin-offs. The path undertaken will now continue with the merger of Cmv Energia & Impianti into Area Impianti, as defined since the birth of Clara." 20181220_Gruppo_Hera_su_integrazione_attivita_energy_CMV_eng.1545991863.pdf 2018-12-20 16:50:00 CMV Servizi and CMV Energia e Impianti's energy activities part of the Hera Group as of 1 March

2018-12-10 Newco Lux-on created by Bio-on, alongside Gruppo Hera, to develop a revolutionary technology to produce biopolymers from CO2 (carbon dioxide). Newco Lux-on created by Bio-on, alongside Gruppo Hera, to develop a revolutionary technology to produce biopolymers from CO2 (carbon dioxide). Following 2 years of research by Bio-on scientists working in Italy and USA, the new technology uses CO2 freely available in the atmosphere as a carbon source to produce 100% natural and biodegradable bioplastic. CO2 is added to the other "raw materials" already used to make Bio-on bioplastic: sugar beet and sugar cane molasses, fruit and potato waste, carbohydrates, glycerol and waste frying oil. Using CO2 will also help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. Lux-on's bioplastic production will rely solely on renewable solar energy and, thanks to a hydrogen energy management system, will run 24/7. Bio-on, a leader in the high quality bioplastic sector, and Gruppo Hera, one of Italy's largest multi-utility providers, have reached an agreement to take 90% and 10% shares respectively (with the possibility of Hera increasing its share to 49.9%) in LUX-ON, the new company founded by Bio-on aiming to revolutionise the production of PHAs biopolymers using CO2 captured from the atmosphere and producing energy without using fossil fuels. The new technology developed by Bio-on envisages using carbon dioxide as a zero cost "raw material", in addition to those already used to produce Bio-on bioplastic: sugar beet and sugar cane molasses, fruit and potato waste, carbohydrates, glycerol and waste frying oil. Using CO2 will also help reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. The laboratories and first plant of the new Lux-on project will be built by the end of 2019 close to the Bio-on Plants industrial facility at Castel San Pietro Terme (Bologna). It will be designed entirely by Bio-on technicians in collaboration with Hera, with carbon capture plants and a production facility using renewable solar energy. The development of the technology will be aided by the fact that many of the principles and equipment used in the standard technology can also be used in Lux-on's new production systems. This is why the development and pre-industrial phase will be much faster than usual. The plant will occupy an area of 1,500 m2, 600 m2 of which is covered, and will have a flexible production capacity that is rapidly expandable. The electric energy used in Lux-on's innovative production process will be produced by photovoltaic systems which, aside from directly powering production, will also provide storable energy for nocturnal power (24/7 production). For energy storage, partnerships will be entered into with international experts in hydrogen (H) technology. Hydrogen, a nonpolluting gas, will be produced from solar energy, stored and then converted to electric energy to power the plant hen the solar panels are not running, i.e. at night or when light levels are poor. "We are extremely pleased to work with HERA," explains Bio-on S.p.A. Chairman and CEO Marco Astorri. "The great technological innovation used at Lux-on enables us to increase the industrial sustainability of a new production concept. We are particularly proud to realise humanity's dream to capture CO2 from the atmosphere and produce innovative materials like our PHAs biopolymer. We are ready to face this new challenge, which will further extend our client base in the coming years, consolidating Italy's global leadership in high quality biopolymer production." Following a year of major agreements, fast-growing company Bio-on, is set to begin 2019 with new strategic projects,including its collaboration with Hera. The agreement also envisages a second development line aimed at identifying sustainable by-products for biopolymer production. Renamed PHA-CEL by Hera, this consists in transforming cutting and pruning cellulose into simple sugars that can then be used in fermentation following an enzymatic treatment. This process is made possible by the treatment technology, developed by Gruppo Hera, which is also assessing how to apply it to biogas and biomethane production from cuttings and prunings. All the PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) developed by Bio-on are made from renewable plant sources with no competition with food supply chains, and from CO2 in the coming years. They can replace a number of conventional polymers currently made with petrochemical processes using hydrocarbons; they guarantee the same thermomechanical properties as conventional plastics with the advantage of being completely eco-sustainable and 100% naturally biodegradable. The agreement between the two companies has come out of a highly dynamic territory that represents the technological cutting edge in Italy to be exported around the world. "For Gruppo Hera, which uses innovation and sustainability as the foundations of its multi-utility business," explained Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano, Executive President of Gruppo Hera, "taking a share in the new company founded by Bio-on is the representation of a natural coming together of intentions and an alliance that we believe can be developed successfully beyond our territory and across various sectors. With the breadth and quality of our services, this agreement will give further, fundamental green credentials to a project like Lux-on, which aims to change the bioplastics world, not to mention the joint commitment to transform cuttings and prunings. Considering that Hera collects 200 thousand tons of cuttings and prunings every year, which can be transformed into bioplastic using our technology, this sector has huge growth potential." Further technical information is available in a video at: www.lux-on.com Gruppo Hera It is one of Italy's largest multi-utility providers working in Environment (waste collection and treatment), Energy (electricity and gas distribution and sale) and Water (waterworks, sewers and purification). The Group employs over 9,000 people and works every day to meet the many and varied needs of over 4.4 million citizens. It serves over 350 local municipalities mainly in the Emilia Romagna, Marche, Tuscany, Abruzzo, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia regions. Bio-on S.p.A. Bio-on S.p.A., an Italian Intellectual Property Company (IPC), operates in the bioplastic sector conducting applied research and development of modern bio-fermentation technologies in the field of eco-sustainable and completely naturally biodegradable materials. In particular, Bio-on develops industrial applications through the creation of product characterisations, components and plastic items. Since February 2015, Bio-on S.p.A. has also been operating in the development of natural and sustainable chemicals for the future. Bio-on has developed an exclusive process for the production of a family of polymers called PHAs (polyhydroxyalkanoates) from agricultural waste (including molasses and sugar cane and sugar beet syrups). The bioplastic produced in this way is able to replace the main families of conventional plastics in terms of performance, thermo-mechanical properties and versatility. Bio-on PHAs is a bioplastic that can be classified as 100% natural and completely biodegradable: this has been certified by Vincotte and by USDA (United States Department of Agriculture). The Issuer's strategy envisages the marketing of licenses for PHAs production and related ancillary services, the development of R&D (also through new collaborations with universities, research centres and industrial partners), as well as the realisation of industrial plants designed by Bio-on. CS_69_BIO_ON_10_12_2018_final_E.1544431372.pdf 2018-12-10 08:00:12 lux_on_110x150.1544432143.jpg

2018-12-07 The tender, worth 28.5 million euro, was awarded to a temporary association headed by the Hera Group, Italy's leader in waste treatment. Work will begin in 2019 and will lead to an overall redevelopment of the port area, with new quays constructed using inert materials deriving from reclaimed areas previously containing landfills. The tender, worth 28.5 million euro, was awarded to a temporary association headed by the Hera Group, Italy's leader in waste treatment. Work will begin in 2019 and will lead to an overall redevelopment of the port area, with new quays constructed using inert materials deriving from reclaimed areas previously containing landfills. Undertaking significant reclamation works in the Chioggia port area, redeveloping it and thus bringing it back to life. This is the commitment that brought a temporary association of businesses led by Herambiente, a Hera Group company and the country's foremost operator in the waste treatment sector, to be awarded a public tender for the reclamation of strategic areas linked to this important seaport. The tender, amounting to 28.5 million euro, was announced by A.S.Po, Azienda Speciale del Porto di Chioggia, owned by the Venice-Rovigo Chamber of Commerce. The technical partners included in the temporary association are CGX Costruzioni Generali Xodo Srl, Idea Srl and Rossi Renzo Costruzioni Srl, all companies located in the Veneto region. The tender contract, which launches the works, was signed this morning by Damaso Zanardo, chairman of A.S.Po, and Andrea Ramonda, Herambiente CEO. More specifically, the works will begin in 2019 and will involve a general redevelopment of some areas of the fluvial-maritime terminal in Val da Rio di Chioggia. On the one hand, an area of 6 hectares will be reclaimed, which from 1961 to 1984 had been used as a landfill for solid waste produced in the municipality of Chioggia. This operation is strategic for the entire area, since the tender, in line with the principles of a circular economy and the many senses in which the Hera Group works towards it, also calls for inert materials to be recovered. Coming to 80% of the total waste, these materials will be used to create some of the port's quays, thus increasing the project's overall sustainability. In this way, all of Herambiente's know-how regarding reclamation is made available to the Chioggia area, this being a field in which the company belonging to the Hera Group can boast a large amount of experience and extremely high quality and safety standards. Its research, analyses and projects allow the parameters of each and every intervention to be clearly defined. Herambiente's reclamation department, from this point of view, offers an integrated service that in every phase of the process guarantees full respect for the environment, for current regulations and, to be sure, for the basic principles of a circular economy. "To reclaim an area", explains Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano, Executive Chairman of the Hera Group, "a significant amount of knowledge, resources and professional skills is required. Acting through Herambiente, we are proud to be able put all of this to the service of Chioggia. Our goal is to work towards an overall redevelopment of the port area, taking one specific step at a time, as defined by in-depth studies of the context in which we are about to operate. Moreover, the Adriatic coastline is an area we prize highly and on which we have done a great deal of work, not only in the Veneto region but also in Emilia-Romagna and Friuli Venezia Giulia. The experience we have accumulated will allow us to apply to Chioggia as well a model that is able to guarantee a high degree of efficiency and environmental and economic sustainability." "The deal signed, intensely pursued by the Board, is fundamental in giving new impetus to the Chioggia seaport as a Commercial, Fluvial, Maritime and Tourist Port", comments Damaso Zanardo, chairman of A.S.Po Chioggia. "It will give continuity to the marketing initiatives we have launched in the last few months, demonstrating both how attractive this port is and that a few initial, concrete signs can now be seen that the international economic crisis is being overcome. The professional skills possessed by a group such as Hera, Italy's leader in waste treatment, guarantees that the operation will be carried out with high levels of quality, efficiency and environmental sustainability". CS_69_BIO_ON_10_12_2018_final_E.1544517804.PDF 2018-12-07 12:28:00 Herambiente si aggiudica la bonifica del porto di Chioggia

2018-11-26 Nuova_Palazzina_1_870x.1533219432.jpg The remaining 51% of the company, headquartered in Atessa (Chieti) and providing natural gas sales to approximately 7,000 customers, has now been purchased. The transaction, completed under the same terms as the first stage of the acquisition as finalised last March, allows the Group to further consolidate its presence and local roots in Abruzzo. Hera Group acquires 100% of Sangroservizi The Hera Group, through its subsidiary Hera Comm, has acquired the remaining 51% of Sangroservizi form the Municipalities of Atessa, San Vito Chietino and Paglieta, reaching a 100% shareholding. The transaction was carried out under the same terms as the first stage of the acquisition, completed on 20 March 2018. Established in 2003 and legally headquartered in Atessa, Sangroservizi is a company operating in natural gas sales with roughly 7,000 customers. This transaction follows up on the acquisitions of Fucino Gas, Alento Gas, Julia Servizi Più, Gran Sasso,Verducci Servizi, Enerpeligna and Blu Ranton over the last three years, thanks to which the Hera Group has become a reference operator for the Abruzzo and nearby Marche regions. The company already provides electricity and gas services to over 250,000 customers in these areas. Hera thus continues to develop a model that brings the local, material presence typical of smaller companies together with the potential for innovation in services and offers and the competitiveness ensuing from being part of a Group that is among the major players in Italy's energy market. "We are glad to welcome Sagroservizi's customers, confirming our commitment to a maintained presence in this area", remarks Cristian Fabbri, Hera Comm CEO. "In the upcoming months, we will gradually introduce numerous new services and new offers for gas. Furthermore, it will become possible quite soon to choose offers for electricity supply and services aimed at saving energy and optimising energy and gas management. We are at work every day to offer a service ever more closely tailored to the needs of our most demanding customers". Hera Group acquires 100% of Sangroservizi 20181126_comunicato_su_acquisizione_Sangroservizi_ok_eng.1543238511.pdf 2018-03-09 12:48:00 Read more Hera acquires 2.5% of Ascopiave's share capital from Amber