Press releases

2024-03-11 Sustainability, decarbonisation, liveability and biodiversity protection are the keywords of this project, which will be developed in the northern part of the city and will contain a new urban park with facilities, complemented by areas dedicated to protecting animal and plant species, and an agrivoltaic field that will allow an annual saving of 6,000 tons of CO2. The Hera Group is building its first Energy Park in Bologna that combines and puts into practice energy sustainability, decarbonisation, innovation, environmental redevelopment and biodiversity protection. This initiative involves the creation of an advanced agrivoltaic field with photovoltaic panels above ground level, to allow traditional agricultural activity, powered by the clean energy coming from the sun, and an urban forest having green areas with facilities usable by citizens and areas dedicated to animal and plant biodiversity. The Energy Park, a strategic project for Bologna, will be located in the northern area of the city, in the Navile district. The project will be realized by 2026 and represents a fundamental step in the Bologna Climate Mission, the path towards climate neutrality that the Municipality of Bologna is committed to achieving by 2030, which the Hera Group immediately joined. The Energy Park will indeed lead to an annual savings in terms of carbon dioxide coming to roughly 6,000 tonnes: a concrete step taken by the Hera Group towards decarbonisation. The project’s vital statistics The Energy Park will cover a total area of about 50 hectares. On roughly twenty hectares of municipal property, the urban forest will be developed; on the remaining thirty hectares the agrivoltaic field will be built. The advanced agrivoltaic plant combines solar energy production with agriculture and consists of raised photovoltaic panels, installed high enough off the ground so as not to interfere with agricultural activities. In the end, therefore, the same surface area is used twice. The current use of this rural location will be maintained thanks to the use of agrivoltaic technology, which makes it possible to produce clean energy while continuing to use the land for agricultural purposes. The support structures for the photovoltaic panels are positioned at a height from the ground that allows agricultural vehicles to pass underneath, thus minimising land occupation. Energy efficiency is guaranteed by innovative technology, since energy production is maximised by the photovoltaic panels’ ability to follow the sun, automatically orienting themselves towards it. The new plant will have a total capacity coming to around 14 MW and is expected to produce more than 20 GWh of electricity per year, equivalent to the consumption of almost 8,000 households, with annual carbon dioxide savings amounting to roughly 6,000 tonnes. The park that will be open to residents is the other inspiration behind the Energy Park, and is a unique opportunity for the urban redevelopment of the surrounding area, which contains sports centres and residences. This infrastructure will indeed increase the space available for the enjoyment of natural areas or those having naturalistic potential, integrating areas dedicated to plant and animal biodiversity with areas of organised parkland, with bicycle and pedestrian paths open to all. The Energy Park project, for which the Hera Group has obtained a patent, will be the first green infrastructure that combines renewable energy production, soil conservation, the protection of animal and plant species and spaces usable by people. It will also give citizens the chance to participate in the construction of photovoltaic plants by investing in them and receiving in return a discount on their bills equal to the energy produced. The authorisation process for the project is already underway. Construction of the Energy Park is scheduled to begin in 2025, and within 2026 the park will be open and the agrivoltaic plant will be operational. The Hera Group for the energy transition, alongside the communities served The Energy Park is a concrete and innovative example of synergy between renewable energy production, sustainability, agriculture and biodiversity protection, moving towards the decarbonisation of cities. It offers a solution that is fully consistent with the strategy outlined in the Hera Group’s 2027 Business Plan, which as regards the photovoltaic power generation sets the goal of installing about 300 MW over the time covered by the plan. This goal will be achieved preferably through solutions that do not involve further land consumption, such as agrivoltaic plants and a number of projects being implemented on landfills or plants in the Group’s water cycle, as well as installations at customers’ premises, including Renewable Energy Communities. 20240311 PR Hera Group’s Energy Park arrives in Bologna.pdf 11:03:00 energy park per sito.jpg See the press release energy park per sito.jpg

2024-02-13 The Group achieved the leadership band in the CDP questionnaire and was included among “TOP 1%” Multi and Water Utilities of the S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook 2024. These recognitions prove Hera’s commitment to sustainable development and creating shared value for local areas. The Hera Group, one of Italy’s largest multi-utilities operating in the waste management, energy and water sectors, has been confirmed among Europe’s leading companies for its commitment and transparency in the fight against climate change. It achieved an “A-” score in the assessment drawn up by CDP (formerly the Carbon Disclosure Project), the international non-profit organisation specialising in evaluating the climate performance and strategies adopted by companies. This achievement above both the energy utilities sector and the European average (both B), comes alongside Hera’s inclusion, for the fourth year straight, in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook, which sees Hera among the 759 best companies in the world for sustainability performance. The CDP score Hera achieved an A- score, showing clear improvement on the B obtained in 2022. It also achieved the highest rating (A) for managing climate change risks and opportunities and for its emissions data, including indirect emissions. All companies were assessed on the basis of their decarbonisation strategy, the effectiveness of their efforts to reduce emissions and climate risks and to develop a low-carbon economy, as well as the completeness and transparency of the information provided and the adoption of best practices concerning environmental impact. The CDP is an independent not-for-profit organisation that provides companies and countries with a system to measure, track, manage and share climate change information globally, and is the gold standard for investors, companies, cities, states and regions. Completing the CDP questionnaire requires measuring and reporting on all performances and initiatives put in place to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. At the request of more than 740 investors with over $136 trillion in assets, in 2023 this data was reported through CDP’s platform by the companies involved. S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook The corporate sustainability performance assessment carried out by S&P Global sees Hera within the “Top 1%” of the best-performing companies in the sector. With an ESG score coming to 82/100, as against an industry average of 43/100, Hera has confirmed its leadership in both the environmental and social dimensions, where it recorded the highest score among Multi and Water Utilities. Membership was highly competitive this year; of the over 9,400 companies assessed in the Corporate Sustainability Assessment 2023, divided into 62 business sectors, only 66 are classified as “Top 1%” and Hera is among them. The S&P Global ESG Score measures a company's performance and management of material ESG risks, opportunities, and impacts informed by a combination of company disclosures, media and stakeholder analysis, modelling approaches, and in-depth company engagement via the S&P Global Corporate Sustainability Assessment. 20240213 PR Hera Group among Europe’s leaders in sustainability.pdf 11:03:00 Nuova_Palazzina_110x150.1533218221.jpg See the press release Nuova_Palazzina_110x150.1533218221.jpg

2024-02-06 With the 7 lots awarded in the tender for the Gradual Protection Service for non-vulnerable household customers, the Hera Group consolidates its position as the sector’s third largest operator in Italy. Today, the Hera Group, through its subsidiary Hera Comm, was definitively awarded 7 lots (the maximum number allowed, out of the 26 into which the country is divided) in the national tender called by the Single Purchaser for the Gradual Protection Service for non-vulnerable household customers. This achievement will lead to the acquisition of more than 1 million new electricity customers, spread over 37 provinces of Italy, who will become part of the Group’s portfolio as of 1 July 2024. It also marks a significant step towards the target set out in the Business Plan to 2027. More specifically, Hera will strengthen its presence in several regions: Emilia-Romagna, Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Marche, Tuscany, Abruzzo, Lazio, Umbria, Liguria, Piedmont, Lombardy and Campania. The Group has thus additionally consolidated its position as the country’s third largest operator in this sector, confirming itself as a key player on the national energy market. Cristian Fabbri, Executive Chairman of the Hera Group: “This result represents yet another milestone in the expansion of our commercial services, and an important element of the Business Plan we recently presented. The consolidated experience we have gained in over twenty years working in the energy sector allows us to offer these new customers all the professionalism of our commercial structures, strongly rooted in most of the provinces assigned by this tender. We have always been committed to providing quality services, along with innovative and sustainable solutions to meet the needs of our customers, both residential and business, accompanying them along the path to decarbonisation and making their consumption more efficient.” The result of considerable experience in the sector and significant industrial synergies The Hera Group won 7 lots in the Gradual Protection Service by leveraging the experience previously gained in managing these services and its substantial industrial synergies. The new customers in the Gradual Protection Service will be able to rely on the Hera Group’s consolidated expertise in offering cutting-edge solutions in the energy sector and numerous contact channels, starting from over 200 customer helpdesks located throughout the country, which represent a point of reference to which they can turn for any request, concerning both supplies (gas and electricity) and value-added services (energy saving, sustainable mobility, solutions for businesses). For Hera, focussing on customer and local roots is fundamental: relations with local communities are, in fact, one of the company’s strengths. In addition to its physical network of helpdesks where customers can request free in-depth energy advice, the Hera Group also offers dedicated call centres, a web platform and an App that allow customers to manage their supplies from the comfort of their own homes and find solutions to make their consumption more sustainable. “Already today, we guarantee that our customers receive certified renewable electricity and ensure that greenhouse gas emissions resulting from natural gas consumption are offset”, adds Isabella Malagoli, CEO of Hera Comm. “We will continue to develop new value-added offers and services for energy saving, digital solutions and innovative technologies, with the aim of increasingly customising our customers’ experience, contributing to sustainable growth in this sector and the country’s energy transition.” Other tenders awarded The 7 lots awarded in the Gradual Protection Service for non-vulnerable domestic customers in the electricity market come alongside other tenders recently won by the Hera Group, once again through its subsidiary Hera Comm, in sectors including gas (last resort supply service, default distribution service and Consip GAS15bis tender for supplying Public Administrations) and electricity (Consip EE21 tender for supplying PAs, Gradual Protection Service for small businesses from 1 July 2021 to 30 June 2024, safeguarded service for 2023-2024, Gradual Protection Service for micro-enterprises from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2027). The Hera Group is the only operator that currently manages all last resort services for end customers in the gas and electricity markets. 20240206 PR 7 lots awarded in the Gradual Protection Service tender.pdf 13:06:00 Nuova_Palazzina_110x150.1533218221.jpg See the press release Nuova_Palazzina_110x150.1533218221.jpg