Hera Group and Saipem launch strategic partnership to support the energy transition and circular economy of Italian industry
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Hera Group and Saipem launch strategic partnership to support the energy transition and circular economy of Italian industry
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
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The multiutility has won the tender launched by the Interuniversity Consortium. Located in northern Bologna, approximately 3 km from the DAMA Technopole, the new facility will provide renewable energy to the data center, helping to decarbonise its electricity consumption.
Bologna is taking another step towards a more innovative, sustainable and competitive future. Leonardo, the supercomputer co-funded by the EuroHPC Joint Undertaking and the Italian Ministry of University and Research and operated by CINECA at Bologna’s DAMA Technopole, will be partly powered by renewable electricity generated by Hera Group’s Energy Park agrivoltaic plant. This marks one of Italy’s first initiatives to combine environmental sustainability and technological competitiveness through dedicated green infrastructure, following the Group’s successful bid in the tender launched by the Interuniversity Consortium.
The agrivoltaic plant to be developed by Hera Group within the Energy Park will supply renewable electricity to the CINECA data center housing the Leonardo supercomputer. Once fully operational, the facility is expected to generate 30 GWh of electricity annually, avoiding approximately 7,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions, with electricity output equivalent to the consumption of 11,000 households.
The concession, awarded following the tender process in early summer, has a value of €73.5 million. In accordance with applicable regulations, Helisa (Hera Energy for Leonardo Improved Supercomputing Architecture), a wholly owned subsidiary of Hera, has been established to manage the concession.
“Thanks to the support of Minister Anna Maria Bernini and funding from the Ministry of University and Research (MUR), our supercomputing infrastructure has achieved another milestone, combining computing power with environmental sustainability,” commented Francesco Ubertini, Chairman of CINECA. “Our highly efficient closed-loop liquid cooling system, heat recovery plan, LEED Platinum certification for the data center and exclusive use of renewable energy will now be complemented by an innovative facility for on-site renewable energy generation. This represents a unique achievement at both European and international level.”
“Supplying the Leonardo supercomputer with locally generated renewable energy is an achievement of significant strategic value, made possible by the Group’s innovation and new green infrastructure,” said Orazio Iacono, Chief Executive Officer of Hera Group. “Hera’s Energy Park, a flagship initiative of Bologna Missione Clima—the Climate City Contract aimed at achieving climate neutrality by 2030—is tangible evidence of this. The project creates value for both the company and the community and reinforces our role in enabling the energy transition across the areas we serve.”
Bologna’s Energy Park is an innovative project and one of the first of its kind in Italy. Hera Group will develop the facility in the Navile district, in the northern part of the city, adjacent to Parco Nord and just a few minutes from the DAMA Technopole, home to the CINECA data center housing Leonardo, one of the world’s most advanced supercomputers. Its strategic location will enable the Energy Park to supply electricity directly to the Leonardo supercomputer through a dedicated connection linking the agrivoltaic plant to the existing infrastructure.
The Energy Park is one of Hera Group’s flagship contributions to Bologna Missione Clima, the initiative supporting the City of Bologna’s commitment to achieving climate neutrality by 2030. The project will cover approximately 90 hectares, of which almost 70 hectares will remain available for agricultural use.
An advanced agrivoltaic plant will be developed on approximately 30 hectares of this agricultural land to generate renewable electricity. The height and positioning of the photovoltaic panels will allow electricity generation to coexist with the continued use of the land for farming activities.
The southern section of the site, covering the remaining hectares, will be dedicated to biodiversity conservation. Known as the Urban Forest, this area will comprise a park largely accessible to the public, alongside zones specifically designed to protect plant and animal biodiversity. Approximately 4,000 trees and shrubs will be planted.
The authorisation and construction processes for the Energy Park have already been initiated and will progress throughout 2027–2028, with completion of construction expected during 2029.