Hera Group: excellent quality of water service confirmed
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Hera Group: excellent quality of water service confirmed
The results of the incentive mechanism for the integrated water service for the two-year period 2022-2023, recently published by ARERA, show Hera among the top positions in the Italian ranking for both asset and service quality. Second-largest national operator in this sector, the Group has consistently ranked among the top “quality” positions since 2018, thanks to significant investments made over the years to improve the efficiency and resilience of its infrastructure.
For 2022-2023, the Hera Group is once again among Italy’s top companies for the technical quality of its water service, as appears in the ranking recently published by the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment (ARERA), which recognises the high standards achieved in infrastructure efficiency and service levels and confirms Hera’s presence in the top positions for the third consecutive two-year period, that is, since the ranking was established, with the Ferrara area ranking second.
The significant results achieved in the various local areas, from Emilia-Romagna to the Triveneto and Marche regions, confirm the Hera Group as one of the country’s most virtuous operators and reward the improvement projects and the investments made over the years in the integrated water service: over 1 billion euros in the past five years, with a further acceleration planned in the coming years. In fact, 1.5 billion are the allocated resources for the five-year period 2024-2028, primarily aimed at increasing the efficiency and resilience of networks and plants, to cope with the increasingly frequent and intense extreme weather phenomena.
One of the multi-utility's key strengths is its ability to combine the typical levers of a large industrial operator, such as significant investment and the use of innovative technologies, with strong local roots and ongoing dialogue with local institutions, which have distinguished the Hera Group since its inception. The stated goal is to foster the development of territories that are increasingly liveable for citizens, more competitive for businesses, and more resilient to meet the challenges of climate change.
26 total technical quality awards earned by the Hera Group
ARERA, based on the evaluations carried out, gave the Hera Group 26 overall awards for the technical quality results achieved, a particularly significant achievement because it covers all of the managed territorial areas in 4 italian regions. Highly significant results were achieved with regard to reducing water losses in Bologna, Ferrara and Ravenna, while the Modena area and the Triveneto area were also awarded for the quality of purified water, with particular reference to the city of Trieste. The Group company AcegasApsAmga has received a double award for the parameter measuring performance in urban wastewater treatment: one for achieving the targets set for the 2022–2023 period, and a second, even more significant, for recording the highest percentage improvement at the national level compared to the previous two-year period. This recognition highlights the profound transformation of wastewater treatment system in Trieste, thanks to the Servola plant, a milestone of technological innovation, operational sustainability, and environmental vision.
Six indicators to assess the technical quality of the service
For the 2022-2023 two-year period, ARERA used six indicators to evaluate technical quality (i.e. the standards and technical performances that must be met to guarantee a high-quality and efficient service). For each, it identified annual maintenance or improvement objectives: leakage in aqueduct networks, service interruptions, drinking water quality, efficiency of the sewerage service, disposal of sewage sludge, and the quality of purified wastewater. The objective is to guarantee an efficient service, adequately meeting the needs of human consumption with a minimal environmental impact.
Excellent results in terms of customer service quality
Not only in technical quality but service quality objectives, that monitor the initiation, management and termination of contractual relationships and accessibility to this service, the Hera Group proved its ability to maintain excellent quality levels over time.
In all areas served, ARERA recognised excellent contractual quality results, rewarding the performance in managing relationships with customers. This is a further sign of reliability and strengthens the link between operational efficiency and attention to served areas.
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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