News

Cesena_110 The Hera Group, one of the largest Italian multi-utilities, has reached an agreement with Amadori, a leading group in the national agri-food sector and a specialist in the poultry sector, to build a cogeneration plant that will provide clean energy for the Cesena production site. An energy efficiency measure that will provide about 15% of primary energy savings with a high overall efficiency in terms of energy conversion, at 70%. Amadori signed the agreement with Hera Servizi Energia, Hera Group's energy service company of reference for the industrial sector, which over the years has built cogeneration production plants using the best technologies available on the market, so as to achieve not only noteworthy energy and economic savings but also major environmental benefits. This new plant, designed to serve Mangimificio Amadori, will be operated striving for optimization and efficiency, and will be supported by 24/7 remote management and control, and emergency services. The plant'score is a 900 kWe cogeneration plant that, thanks to special connections, will also be able to feed - as steam - several thermal users: to transform and process the feed, and to heat offices. This technological complex designed to serve Mangimificio Amadori, will supply electricity and thermal energy in the form of steam and hot water. Hera Servizi Energia will build, operate and maintain the plant, investing a total of over one million euro, under an agreement lasting10 years (or 60,000 hours of total operation of the cogenerator). With this plant Amadori will thus be able to improve the efficiency of its production cycles and positively impact the environment, in line - moreover - with Hera Group's long-standing focus on energy efficiency, which for some years now has been geared towards developing its businesses and those of its partners in line with the ambitious roadmap laid down by the UN's 2030 Agenda. When fully operational the energy complex will be able to provide excellent environmental performance, avoiding each year the consumption of about 400 toe and the emission of 900 tonnes of CO2, equal to the absorption capability of one year of a 150 hectare forest. An environmental benefit that can also be likened to more than 600 fewer diesel cars on the roads. Cesena_870 20181217_HSE_e_Amadori_final_rev_def.1564384756.pdf 2019-07-29 cesena_870x320.1545124289.1564384755.png The increase in the efficiency and sustainability of the production cycles will avoid the emission of about 900 tonnes of CO2 every year, the same "absorbing" power a forest of over 150 hectares has in the same period.The savings of about 15% in terms of primary energy is also significant, achieved thanks to high standards of overall performance of the plant Read more Cesena_110

Bio-On-GH_110 Bio-on, a leader in the high quality bioplastic sector, and Hera Group, 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 when the solar panels are not running, i.e. at night or when light levels are poor. Bio-On-GH_870 CS_69_BIO_ON_10_12_2018_final_E.1563287329.pdf 2019-07-16 Bio_On_GH_870.1563287261.png The Newco created by Bio-on will be owned by Hera Group Read more Bio-On-GH_110

Chioggia_110 To extensively reclaim Chioggia's port area and renovate the area to bring it back to life. This is the commitment of a temporary association of companies (ATI) led by Herambiente, a member of the Hera Group and the foremost Italian waste treatment operator, which was awarded a contract to renovate the strategic areas linked to this important seaport. The tender, worth 28.5 million euro, was launched by A.S.Po Azienda Speciale del Porto di Chioggia, owned by the Venice-Rovigo Chamber of Commerce. CGX Costruzioni Generali Xodo Srl, Idea Srl, and Rossi Renzo Costruzioni Srl, all companies in the Veneto region, are technical partners of the temporary association of companies. The contract, which kicks off the work, was signed this morning by Damaso Zanardo, president of A.S.Po, and Andrea Ramonda, the CEO of Herambiente. In particular, the work will begin in 2019 and lead to an overall renovation of some areas of the river-maritime terminal in Val da Rio di Chioggia. On the one hand, the operation will reclaim a 6-hectare area, used as a landfill for solid waste produced in the municipality of Chioggia from 1961 to 1984. This is a strategic intervention for the area because the contract, in line with the circular economy principles that the Hera Group is pursuing on several fronts, also involves recovering inert material amounting to 80% of the total waste, which will be used to build some of the docks in the port, thus increasing the operation's overall sustainability. By doing so, Herambiente will make available to this area all of its know-how in the field of land reclamation, a field in which the Hera Group company has consolidated experience and very high quality and safety standards. Its research, analyses, and projects enable the best possible definition of the scope of each measure. Herambiente's reclamation department, from this point of view, offers an integrated service that at every stage of the process ensures full respect for the environment, for current regulations and, indeed, for the fundamental circular economy principles. Chioggia_870 20181207_Herambiente_awarded_the_reclamation_of_the_port_of_Chioggia_def.1564384226.pdf 2019-07-29 chioggia_870.1564384158.jpg The tender, worth 28.5 million euro, was won by a temporary consortium led by Hera Group, the leading Italian waste treatment operator. The work will begin in 2019 and will lead to an overall renovation of the port area, with new docks using inert materials coming from the reclamation of land previously used as landfill Read more Hera

Oscar_bilancio_2018_110 The Hera Group has won the 2018 "Oscar di Bilancio" award. The 54th edition of the event promoted by Ferpi (Italian Public Relations Federation) to reward virtuous companies for their reporting activities, awarded Hera the prize in the category of "Medium-sized companies listed in the stock market segments FTSE MIB and FTSE ITALIA MID CAP" and, for the first time, a special mention in the new "Innovation in reporting" category. The ceremony was held in Milan, in the main auditorium of the Bocconi University, attended by its Rector Gianmario Verona. One of the strengths that convinced the Oscar's external commission to award Hera among the medium-sized listed companies was, in particular, the overall quality of its financial communication as a whole, both concerning the economic aspects of the content and its social dimension. The jury's motivation was, specifically, "strategy, well-defined objectives supported by the actions, full coverage of sustainability issues, excellent communication impact. Completeness of the statement both for its economic/financial part and for the other topics it covered. The data was also accompanied by an effective 'narrative'". The ability to measure shared value, as gross operating margin from business activities that respond to the drivers of the UN Agenda, as well as the innovative thematic sustainability reports that supplement the annual report were also particularly appreciated, as initiatives that earned Hera its ranking among the most avant-garde Italian companies, obtaining special mention in the new category. Oscar_bilancio_2018_870 20181129_Oscar_di_bilancio_rev_def.1564381357.pdf 2019-07-29 Oscar_bilancio_2018_870.1564381356.png The multi-utility wins the prize for the "Medium-sized listed companies" and a special mention for "Innovation in reporting". Award-winning strategy, completeness and effective storytelling in its reporting activities Read more Oscar_bilancio_2018_110