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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Strong interest from international investors in Hera’s first European Green Bond (EuGB) with a 6-year maturity, which will finance strategic projects of the multi-utility aligned with the EU Taxonomy. Orders received amouned to 7 times the offered amount.
The Hera Group, the first Italian company to issue a green bond in 2014, continues today its commitment to sustainable finance with the launch of its first European Green Bond (“EuGB”), under its “Euro Medium Term Note Programme” (EMTN). This bond issuance – in line with its European Green Bond Factsheet, published in the dedicated section of the Group’s website (https://eng.gruppohera.it/group_eng/investor-relations/debt-and-rating/green-financing-framework-e-opinion), together with the relevant Pre-Issuance Review, attracted significant interest from international investors, receiving orders for approximately 3.6 billion euros, nearly 7 times the offered amount.
With this issuance, which corresponds to the fifth green issuance overall considering all those carried out by the multi-utility over the last 12 years, the Hera Group has once again offered the market the opportunity to finance strategic projects aimed at the green transition and aligned with the EU Taxonomy, reaffirming its position as a benchmark company for sustainable finance, also at an international level.
“The issuance of our first European Green Bond represents a further concrete step in the Hera Group’s sustainability journey, confirming our commitment towards carbon neutrality and the development of the circular economy” – states Orazio Iacono, Chief Executive Officer of the Hera Group. “This new sustainable finance instrument allows us to fund investments fully aligned with the EU Taxonomy, accelerating strategic projects for the energy and environmental transition, from the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions to the increase in resource recovery and regeneration. This is a significant contribution to our business plan and to the Net Zero 2050 target, confirming our Group’s strategy, where business growth, value creation, and sustainable development are closely interconnected.”.
Characteristics of the Group’s European Green Bond (“EuGB”) and funded areas
The Hera Group’s first European Green Bond (“EuGB”) (rated Baa1 with Stable Outlook by Moody’s and BBB+/A-2 with Stable Outlook by Standard & Poor’s), amounts to a total of 500 million euros, repayable in 6 years with a coupon of 3.50% and a yield of 3.574%. The settlement date of the new issuance is expected on 4 June 2026.
The EuGB is represented by senior, non-convertible, unsecured notes, intended for circulation among qualified investors and governed by English law. Furthermore, the European Green Bond (EuGB) is expected to be assigned a rating in line with that of Hera.
The transaction saw significant participation from international investors (in particular, United Kingdom, France, Germany). Substantially all of investors were green and sustainable, confirming the interest in the Group also beyond national borders.
The European Green Bond is expected to be listed on the regulated market of Euronext Dublin from the issue date, as well as on the regulated markets of Euronext Milan and the Luxembourg Stock Exchange.
In accordance with the provisions of Regulation (EU) 2023/2631, the proceeds from the issuance are expected to finance or refinance the projects indicated in the Hera Group’s European Green Bond Factsheet, fully aligned with the EU Taxonomy.
In particular, the use of proceeds will cover three main areas:
- Sustainable management of water resources and wastewater: including construction, expansion and management of water collection, treatment and supply systems (economic activity 5.1 of the EU Taxonomy), as well as construction, expansion and management of wastewater collection and treatment systems (economic activity 5.3 of the EU Taxonomy);
- Circular economy, pollution prevention and control: including initiatives for the collection and transport of non-hazardous waste in source-segregated fractions (economic activity 5.5 of the EU Taxonomy);
- Energy efficiency and energy infrastructure: including (i) the generation of electricity using solar photovoltaic technology, (ii) the transmission and distribution of electricity, and (iii) installation, maintenance and repair of energy efficiency devices (economic activities 4.1, 4.9 and 7.3 of the EU Taxonomy).
To ensure the correct and transparent allocation of funds, Hera has adopted a monitoring and reporting process that provides for the publication of relevant information through a “Green Bond Report” which will include the “Allocation Reporting and the Impact Reporting”.
Transaction partners
The issuance of the Hera Group’s first European Green Bond (“EuGB”) was coordinated by BNP Paribas, Crédit Agricole CIB, Mediobanca, UniCredit, BBVA, Intesa Sanpaolo – IMI CIB Division, Banco Santander, Banca AKROS, Deutsche Bank, BPER Banca, Montepaschi di Siena, Barclays, Caixabank and Goldman Sachs as Joint Bookrunners. The law firm Legance assisted Hera, while the law firm Linklaters supported the Joint Bookrunners.