Hera Group acquires control of SEA
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Hera Group acquires control of SEA
Through Herambiente Servizi Industriali, national leader in industrial waste treatment, the multi-utility increases its stake in the Ancona-based operator to 83%. A significant opportunity for the local area, with employment expected to double
The 52% acquired today adds to the 31% already held by Herambiente Servizi Industriali.
Hera Group further consolidates its leadership in industrial waste treatment following the acquisition by Herambiente Servizi Industriali (HASI) of a controlling stake in Servizi Ecologici Ambientali (SEA), based in the province of Ancona. SEA operates a multi-functional platform for the storage and treatment of special waste located in Camerata Picena (Ancona). Today’s transaction concerns the 52% share capital of SEA held by Fermas (owned by the Massi family), in addition to the 31% already acquired by HASI in 2021. HASI (a subsidiary of Herambiente, which in turn is part of the Hera Group) therefore increases its total holding in SEA to 83%. The current ownership, represented by Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Alessandro Massi, will remain within the new corporate structure with key operational responsibilities, and the existing management team will also remain in place.
Revamping: a technologically advanced investment with very low environmental impact and positive employment effects
The transaction finalised today forms part of the framework agreement signed by the parties in 2021 and follows SEA’s receipt of authorisation to carry out a full revamp of the Camerata Picena plant, creating a centre of environmental excellence for Central Italy. Once operational, the new hub will have a significant positive impact on local employment, with the workforce almost doubling. In addition to the increasing of staff numbers, consideration should also be given to the economic impact generated by the planned investments and the involvement of consultants and third-party companies that will collaborate both during the construction phase and in the operation of the new facility.
Operational details of the revamp. Completion by 2031
The project, scheduled to commence by the first half of 2026, will be developed using Best Available Techniques (BAT) and will prioritise material recovery from industrial waste, in line with European Union circular economy principles. The aim is therefore not to dispose of more waste, but to dispose of it better – transforming waste into a resource. The new project will also ensure energy independence and significantly reduce environmental impacts by deploying best-in-class technologies across all areas of the new installation.
The added value of the transaction
This strengthening will primarily benefit manufacturing supply chains in the Marche region and more broadly across Central Italy, an area characterised by a significant infrastructure gap in the environmental sector, particularly with regard to industrial waste. For HASI, consolidating SEA and carrying out the revamp will generate important operational synergies for customers in Marche, Umbria and Abruzzo. These customers will also benefit from HASI’s wide range of value-added services, including global waste management and improvement projects aimed at reducing waste volumes and maximising recovery.
Hera Group’s recent development in the environmental sector
With SEA, Hera Group continues its growth trajectory in the environmental sector. In the past 12 months alone, this has included the acquisition of Ambiente Energia (industrial wastewater treatment) and Gerotto EAR (a business unit specialising in remediation and industrial cleaning, integrated into ACR Reggiani). These transactions follow the binding agreement signed on 19 January for the acquisition of the Sostelia Group (water treatment plant construction). They add to the M&A transactions completed in recent years involving, among others, Recycla (Friuli), Vallortigara (Vicenza), ACR Reggiani (Modena) and TRS (Piacenza), pursuing a development strategy aimed at strengthening both specialist know-how and local presence for the benefit of customers. Thanks to this strategy, Herambiente is now Italy’s leading provider of environmental services for both municipal and industrial waste, treating over 8 million tonnes of waste through a network of around 100 certified facilities.
Ramonda: “Transaction with significant operational and commercial synergies”
“This important transaction, also thanks to SEA’s central geographical location, will first and foremost enable us to extend our services across a wide area of Central Italy, rich in industrial districts that often face a shortage of solutions for the treatment and recovery of their waste,” explains Andrea Ramonda, Chief Executive Officer of Herambiente. “We will also be able to generate significant operational and commercial synergies within the Marche region by optimising flows, sharing HASI’s technical expertise and offering cross-selling opportunities to SEA’s customers for the value-added solutions developed by the Hera Group.”
Massi: “Industrial value that enhances the attractiveness of the region”
“Joining the Hera Group, thanks to the know-how and resources the company has decided to invest in the Marche region, will make it possible to create a technologically advanced, low environmental impact plant hub serving Marche’s manufacturing companies, increasing their competitiveness in extra-regional, national and international markets,” says Alessandro Massi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of SEA. “It is a source of pride for the Marche region and for me personally as a local entrepreneur, long rooted in my home territory, that Italy’s largest multi-utility has chosen to invest in our region – both to support the local industrial sector and to boost employment. Beyond its investment in SEA, Hera believes in me, in our management team and in the company’s highly skilled workforce, which has always been a guarantee for the Marche production system. We will therefore continue to deliver increasingly competitive services thanks to Hera’s significant expertise, which will allow us to close the gap with more industrially developed territories. Our objective is to develop new, technologically advanced facilities capable of managing the entire special waste supply chain in the best possible way, now and in the future – an area that has always been central to my entrepreneurial activity.”
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A collaboration agreement has been signed to support companies and local areas on their path towards the energy transition and circular economy, through innovative solutions that combine sustainability with competitiveness
Saipem, a global leader in the engineering and construction of major projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors, and Hera Group, one of Italy’s leading multi-utilities, have signed a strategic collaboration agreement, initially lasting three years, with the aim of supporting Italian companies in their energy efficiency, decarbonisation and circular economy journeys.
The partnership draws on Saipem’s engineering and technological expertise and Hera Group’s long-standing experience in waste, water and energy services. Both companies share a firm commitment to sustainability and emissions reduction.
The agreement between the two organisations aims to support companies and local areas in the energy transition, offering concrete, integrated solutions to reduce emissions, improve consumption efficiency and enhance resource recovery. Particular attention will be paid to the needs of the most energy-intensive industrial sectors, such as ceramics, glass, paper, chemicals, cement, steel and other industries characterised by processes that are difficult to electrify, all of which face an increasingly complex and challenging path towards Net Zero.
Through this partnership, Saipem and Hera Group will make their multidisciplinary expertise available, offering a comprehensive portfolio of technologies and integrated solutions for energy efficiency, renewable energy, hydrogen and carbon capture systems. The objective is to identify, on a case-by-case basis, the most effective energy transition pathway from a technical, energy and economic perspective.
Interested companies will be able to benefit from a free preliminary audit designed to assess the best possible decarbonisation pathway from an energy and economic standpoint, as well as support in evaluating incentive schemes available at national and European level to help make projects feasible. This represents a concrete contribution across the entire energy transition value chain, a rapidly evolving sector that is increasingly strategic for the competitiveness of the production system.
For Saipem, the agreement with Hera Group forms part of its strategy to support the energy transition of the most complex industrial sectors. The partnership enhances the Group’s engineering and technological expertise and its ability to integrate innovative solutions, strengthening Saipem’s role as a technology partner for Italian industry. It also broadens access to solutions for energy efficiency, renewables, hydrogen and CO₂ capture, in line with Saipem’s evolution towards increasingly sustainable business models.
This agreement is fully aligned with the path outlined by Hera Group in its Business Plan to 2029, which envisages €3 billion in investments dedicated to the energy transition and circular economy of local areas and businesses. Also moving in this direction is the cutting-edge project for the capture of CO₂ emissions at the Ferrara waste-to-energy plant, proposed by Hera Group as lead partner in collaboration with Saipem. The project was selected in October 2024 to receive funding under the fourth call for mid-scale projects of the EU Innovation Fund, confirming the multi-utility’s commitment to promoting advanced technologies and strategic partnerships to make a concrete contribution to national and European climate targets.
Hera Group
Hera Group is one of Italy’s largest multi-utilities and operates in the environment, energy and water sectors, with over 10,500 employees. More than 7.5 million citizens receive at least one service provided by the Group. Listed since 2003, it is among the top 40 Italian companies by market capitalisation, is included in the FTSE MIB index and has been part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index since 2020, recently renamed the Dow Jones Best-in-Class Index.
https://eng.gruppohera.it/group_eng/
Saipem
Saipem is a global leader in the engineering and construction of major projects in the energy and infrastructure sectors, both offshore and onshore. Saipem is a “One Company” organised into business lines: Asset Based Services, Drilling and Sonsub, Energy Carriers, Offshore Wind and Sustainable Infrastructures. The company has five fabrication yards and an offshore fleet of 17 owned construction vessels and 12 drilling rigs, nine of which are owned. Always focused on technological innovation, the company’s vision is “Engineering for a sustainable future”. For this reason, Saipem is committed every day to supporting its clients on their energy transition journey towards Net Zero, using increasingly digital means, technologies and processes geared towards environmental sustainability. Listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, Saipem operates in more than 50 countries worldwide and employs around 30,000 people of over 130 nationalities.
Website: www.saipem.com