Inrete Distribuzione Energia acquires Soelia’s gas network
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Inrete Distribuzione Energia acquires Soelia’s gas network
The Hera Group, through its subsidiary operating in the natural gas distribution sector, strengthens its presence in the area served
This morning, at the Hera Group’s headquarters, the Group, acting through its subsidiary Inrete Distribuzione Energia, one of the leading operators in the natural gas distribution sector with over 1.1 million active point of delivery (PoD), and Soelia, a multiservice company wholly owned by the municipality of Argenta (Ferrara), finalised the transaction involving the sale of Soelia’s business unit concerning plants, natural gas distribution networks and related management services.
This agreement follows up on the tender called by Soelia and awarded on 15 May to Inrete Distribuzione Energia, which also led this Hera Group subsidiary to acquire Soelia’s 2.85% stake in Sinergas.
This transaction further strengthens the Hera Group’s presence in its reference area, thus guaranteeing that an increasingly wide community of citizens benefits from the high standards in service quality, continuity and safety provided by the Group. In particular, Hera has now synergistically consolidated its presence in the municipality of Argenta, near Ferrara, where it already operates the integrated water service.
Details of the partnership
As of 1 July 2024, the company Inrete Distribuzione Energia will take over from Soelia in the gas distribution service in the municipality of Argenta. Inrete has indeed acquired Soelia’s gas distribution network, which serves approximately 10,000 PoD in the municipality of Argenta with facilities including roughly 240 km of pipelines, 5 high to medium pressure reduction and metering plants, 1 final reduction station and 44 local stations for low pressure reduction. Inrete Distribuzione Energia will take up this management under a renewal agreement, with the commitment of keeping the staff of the company branch acquired from Soelia unchanged.
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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