The Hera Group projects have secured over €300 million in funding from the National Recovery and Resilience Plan, with a focus on the circular economy, energy efficiency and water security in the areas served.
The Hera Group has brought to a close a challenging investment programme under the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan), which effectively got under way at the end of 2022 with the award of the first funds and is geared towards the sustainable development of the areas served. Over a hundred construction sites were opened as part of Mission 2 ”Revolution and ecological transition”, which aimed to improve the sustainability and resilience of the economic system by focusing on a fair and inclusive environmental transition.
Over the last five years, between direct and indirect contributions, Hera Group – also through its subsidiaries AcegasApsAmga, Marche Multiservizi, Inrete Distribuzione Energia, Herambiente and Hera Comm – has secured over €300 million of funds, helping to deliver €495 million worth of works and infrastructure across the regions of Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Marche As of 31 October, the final date for submitting reporting following the extensions granted for projects involving Smart grids and Hydrogen Valley, it has completed all construction works financed with funds from the PNRR.
Overall, investments covered three areas:
- energy transition and energy efficiency with €205 million.
In this area, the various projects delivered include the two Hydrogen Valley projects in Modena and Trieste for the production of renewable hydrogen, built on decommissioned industrial sites; Smart Grids (smart electricity networks) in some municipalities in the provinces of Bologna, Modena and Ravenna, as well as the one in the metropolitan area of Trieste, laying the foundations for the development of cold ironing at the port; strengthening district heating plants and networks in Bologna and Forlì and doubling geothermal energy in Ferrara; - land protection with €166 million.
In terms of investment volumes, significant work was carried out on the water networks in the provinces of Emilia-Romagna served by the Group and in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, in the Marche. This included the installation of smart meters to monitor water flows in real time, sensors and extensive network district metering to facilitate leak detection. As regards electricity infrastructure, particularly noteworthy were the upgrades to weaker sections of the main power lines, aimed at reducing service interruptions caused by wind, snow and ice; - circular economy with €124 million.
Among the funded interventions, mention should be made of the FIB3R carbon-fibre recycling plant in Imola (Bologna), the R3GID rigid-plastics recycling plant in Modena, the investments supported in the waste management sector in Emilia-Romagna, Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, including new collection centres, Eco Smarty huts, Smarty bins and ecological stations, and the power-to-gas plant in Corticella (Bologna), currently undergoing testing, which uses wastewater and renewable electricity to produce green hydrogen and oxygen.
For further information
Visit the web area dedicated to projects financed under the PNRR