Press releases

Thanks to a 28 million euro investment, the NewCo Biorg, born out of a partnership between Herambiente and Inalca, has created an outstanding example of the circular economy, converting an old biodigester into a state-of-the-art plant transforming organic and food processing waste into 100% renewable methane and compost. The 3.7 mcm of green gas and 18 thousand tonnes of compost produced per year represent a significant contribution to the green energy transition Biorg_CS_110.jpg The inauguration of the innovative biomethane production plant built by NewCo Biorg took place today in Spilamberto, in the province of Modena. This company is the result of a partnership between Herambiente (Hera Group), one of Italy’s largest multi-utilities and the foremost operator nationwide in the waste management sector, and the company Inalca (Cremonini Group), an Italian leader in meat production and food distribution. Thanks to an overall investment coming to approximately 28 million euro and the use of the best technologies currently available for treating sorted organic and food processing waste, when fully operational the plant produces 3.7 million cubic metres of biomethane, a 100% renewable fuel for automotive use, and roughly 18 thousand tonnes of compost every year. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was attended by the vice-president of the Emilia-Romagna Region with a mandate for the Environment, Irene Priolo, the Mayor of Spilamberto, Umberto Costantini, the Chairman and CEO of Biorg, Giovanni Sorlini and Paolo Cecchin, respectively, the CEO of the Hera Group, Orazio Iacono, and the CEO of Inalca, Paolo Boni. A state-of-the-art plant for the energy transition and the circular economy 100% renewable natural gas is produced at the Biorg plant in Spilamberto from both the anaerobic digestion of organic waste, coming from the sorted waste collection carried out mainly in Modena and the surrounding area, and waste from the processing carried out by the local agricultural industry and Inalca’s meat production process. Once refined, it becomes biomethane and can be injected into the gas network. Organic waste thus returns to the service of the community in the form of renewable fuel that, when injected into the network, fuels public and private city transport, thus helping a sector increasingly exposed to the issue of carbon dioxide emissions. The plant’s annual production, coming to 3.7 mcm of biomethane, is enough for a methane-powered car to travel 52 million km. The plant is therefore an excellent example of the circular economy, because it allows not only energy to be recovered, but materials as well. The waste coming out of the anaerobic digestion process, technically referred to as solid digestate, instead of being disposed of, is in fact recovered after being transported to the Biorg composting plant in Nonantola (Modena province), to produce compost that can be used as a biofertilizer in agriculture. This project is also an effective example of industrial synergy, with biomethane production and composting taking place in two perfectly complementary and integrated plants. Furthermore, it demonstrates that only innovation can generate competitive sustainability, not only reducing the environmental impact but at the same time creating added value for the entire livestock supply chain. Significant environmental benefits: approximately 7,000 tonnes of CO2 avoided every year Thanks to the biomethane injected into the grid and its use by motor vehicles, significant environmental benefits are also expected. Each year, approximately 3 thousand tonnes of oil equivalent (TOE) of fossil fuel will be saved, and approximately 7 thousand tonnes of CO2 emissions will be avoided. To absorb this amount of CO2, an average of 280 thousand trees would be needed. Moreover, constructing the Spilamberto plant did not involve any usage or consumption of new soil, since it is the result of the conversion of an old biodigester owned by the Municipality of Spilamberto and managed by Herambiente, thus making the most of a previously existing site. This amounts to zero square kilometres, but also “kilometre zero”, because the on-site production of compost creates added value for the entire livestock chain. Fertiliser deriving from recycled biodegradable waste and recovered food industry by-products, from the point of view of its production process and quality, guarantees equivalent or superior characteristics compared to fertiliser produced through other industrial processes, even when used in a pure form, and makes it possible to reduce dependence on foreign suppliers. Hera Group: a commitment to decarbonisation In order to formulate a concrete response and reduce climate-changing emissions, thus moving towards carbon neutrality, the Hera Group has included various development measures in its business plan to make an important contribution to the green transition and achieve its decarbonisation objectives. More specifically, the Group has reserved a key role for this sort of renewable fuel, and was in fact the first in Italy to build a state-of-the-art plant in Sant’Agata Bolognese, in 2018, for the production of biomethane from the organic portion of sorted waste collection. Approximately 20 thousand tonnes of compost and around 8 million cubic metres of biomethane are obtained annually, with a yearly saving coming to over 6 thousand tonnes of oil and a reduction in CO2 emissions amounting to roughly 14,600 tonnes. When fully operational, the capacity of the Spilamberto plant will result in a 48% increase in the amount of biomethane produced by the Group compared to the final figure for 2022 (7.7 million cubic metres produced in Sant’Agata Bolognese alone). At Group level, the goal is to increase biomethane production to 30 mcm per year by 2030. Inalca (Cremonini Group): integration and circular economy for sustainable business development Inalca has always adopted a pragmatic approach to sustainability issues, considering them as a strategic business asset and part of the company’s economic value, and has been able to create a fully integrated beef chain that includes breeding, processing and distribution. Its business model aims to fully exploit this supply chain on the basis of circular economy principles. The new biomethane production plant represents a further step in this direction and is an example of the company’s full local integration, in addition to achieving a complete valorisation of the by-products deriving from meat production activities. Through its partnership with the Hera Group, Inalca will also be able to rely on a further portion of organic fertilisers to improve the fertility of farmland and support the increasingly widespread adoption of regenerative farming techniques. Inalca, with the aim of decarbonising its activities, has for some time been self-producing approximately 90% of the energy it uses, about a quarter of which comes from renewable sources. This is possible thanks to 2 biomass cogeneration plants, 6 methane cogeneration plants, 2 biogas plants fuelled by industrial waste coming from its factories, 4 biogas plants from agricultural waste, over 22,120 photovoltaic panels installed on 13 factories, 1 biomethane plant and 1 composting plant. "In the 1990s the Municipality of Spilamberto started a plant that was necessary to dispose of sewage produced by intensive livestock farms which previously was spread across the land causing the poisoning of groundwater," - intervenes the Mayor of Spilamberto, Umberto Costantini. "Unfortunately, the plant never worked as imagined and this failure would therefore lead to a considerable waste of public money. However, thanks to Hera and the Cremonini Group, we have moved from a failure to a success story. Today Spilamberto is the best municipality in the province under Hera management in terms of quantity, quality and percentage of separate waste collection. The great effort in increasing separate waste collection made in recent years in Spilamberto and in many municipalities that have followed our example has led to a significant increase in the organic fraction of waste and the consequent need to treat it more virtuously than in the past. We are succeeding. The next challenges will be to focus on minimizing the odour impact resulting from these treatments for the benefit of those who live around it, but I am sure that Biorg will be as cooperative as it has been up to now in taking care of our plant and its surroundings. It's not enough to talk about circular economy, it has to be done, and here in Spilamberto I am happy to say that we are doing it." “The inauguration of the Spilamberto plant, born out of this partnership between Herambiente and Inalca, is a concrete example of the circular economy and environmental sustainability”, remarks the Vice-President of the Emilia-Romagna Region, Irene Priolo. “Biomethane provides an important opportunity to reduce the use of fossil fuels and alleviate the energy footprint of our region. The ecological conversion,” she continues, “requires a new model for development centred around a recognition of the enormous value of raw materials, which must be saved, and the importance of recovering waste and putting it at the core of new production processes. This is a fundamental turning point in establishing increasingly strong and effective actions to mitigate and adapt to climate change”. “This new plant intended for biomethane production, with an outstanding partner such as Inalca, represents a significant achievement for the circular economy and an additional step forward for us in producing biomethane on an industrial scale”, states Hera Group CEO Orazio Iacono. “The challenges of the future require utilities like ourselves to make an increasingly decisive commitment, which we intend to translate into concrete projects through investments that allow us to accompany citizens, businesses and public administrations along the green transition and, in this case, the environmental transition, with an increasingly well-distributed and inclusive model for the development of the social and industrial fabric. We must move forward without hesitation by transparently addressing the challenges posed by climate change and energy security, which are the crucial issues underlying our multi-business strategies. That is why we have also included in our business plana range of solutions for promoting renewable energy sources, energy efficiency, circular economy and infrastructure innovation.” “The construction of this plant, in partnership with a company such as Hera, equipped with significant know-how and advanced technology, represents an important step towards consolidating and strengthening Inalca’s integrated and sustainable production model”, explains Paolo Boni, the company’s CEO. “This new plant, in fact, makes it possible to fully valorise processing waste deriving from our production activities and is an additional step forward in the circular economy process. Furthermore, an effective industrial synergy being created with the production of biomethane and composting in two plants that perfectly complement each other, demonstrating that by efficiently combining innovation and integration processes, we can increase our level of sustainability and reduce environmental impacts, while at the same time ensuring greater value for the livestock business. Lastly, this model for partnership is consistent with Inalca’s investment strategy, aimed at building additional biomethane and photovoltaic plants on its farms, increasing its production of renewable energy and its commitment to combating climate change”. Biorg_CS_870.jpg See the press release 20231019_Inauguration of Biorg production plant.pdf 2023-10-19 14:05:00 Biorg_CS_110.jpg

(drafted pursuant to article 85-bis, paragraph 4-bis, of Consob Regulation 11971 / 14 May 1999) Nuova_Palazzina_110x150.1533218221.jpg Bologna, 3 October 2023 - The following table contains the data concerning the shares outstanding and the number of voting rights representing the share capital as at 30 September 2023. Updated situation Previous situation Number of shares constituting the Share capital Number of voting rights Number of shares constituting the Share capital Number of voting rights Total of which: 1,489,538,745 2,229,225,313 1,489,538,745 2,229,220,858 Ordinary of shares (regular dividend rights: 01.01.2023) - cod. ISIN IT0001250932 Current coupon: n. 22 749,852,117 749,852,177 749,856,632 749,856,632 Ordinary of shares (regular dividend rights: 01.01.2023) - cod. ISIN IT0005159972 Current coupon: n. 22 739,686.568 1,479,373,136 739,682,113 1,479,364,226 See the press release 10_2023_Communication overall amount of voting rights art 85-bis.pdf 2023-10-03 12:10:00 Nuova_Palazzina_1_110x150_s1.jpg

Nuova_Palazzina_110x150.1533218221.jpg Hera S.p.A. hereby announces that, following the resignation, effective from 19 June 2023, of the director Lorenzo Minganti, the Company’s Board of Directors, which met today, has appointed Enrico Di Stasi by co-optation. Mr. Enrico Di Stasi, who was co-opted pursuant to Article 2386 of the Italian Civil Code, as well as Article 17.10 of the Company’s Articles of Association, following his appointment, qualifies as a non-executive and independent director and, pursuant to the information available, holds no shares in the Company. Finally, note that Mr. Enrico Di Stasi has also been appointed as a member of the Company’s Control and Risk Committee. Enrico Di Stasi’s full curriculum vitae may be consulted on the Company's website, at https://eng.gruppohera.it/group_eng (section: Governance/ Board of Directors). See the press release 20230927 Appointment by co-optation of new BoD member.pdf 2023-09-27 12:44:00 Nuova_Palazzina_110x150.1533218221.jpg

The merger deed was signed today and follows the acquisition, last March, of 92% of Asco TLC by the Hera Group subsidiary and Ascopiave. The transaction will strengthen Acantho’s position in the IT-TLC sector, making it a multi-regional operator ASCO TLC - ACANTHO 110.png The Chairman of Asco TLC, Alessandro Aiello, and the Chairman of Acantho, Roberto Vancini, signed the deed of merger by incorporation of Asco TLC into Acantho this morning in Bologna. As of 1 October 2023, the latter company will take over the management of telephone and data centre services involving an infrastructure with 326,600 km of fibre optics owned, 4 data centres available (Imola, Siziano, Santa Lucia di Piave and San Vendemiano), and approximately 9,000 customers. This merger follows up on the acquisition of 92% of Asco TLC by Acantho, a subsidiary of the Hera Group, and Ascopiave, finalised on 14 March 2023 and a result of the public tender procedure called by Asco Holding. Following the transaction, the Acantho shareholding will have the following breakdown: Hera S.p.A. 70.16%, Con.AMI 16.84%, Ascopiave 11.35% Province of Treviso 1.65%. This transaction not only represents for the Hera Group and the Ascopiave Group a strategic step in the evolution of their ICT business portfolio, in line with their respective business plans, it will also enable the new Acantho to create significant operational and commercial synergies and to provide customers with increasingly broader, more efficient, innovative and competitive solutions in terms of both costs and sustainability. Asco TLC and Acantho, indeed, are companies that share many common features, not only from an industrial perspective, but also in terms of their path of development and the type of ICT services offered to their customers. The aim of incorporating Asco TLC's infrastructure assets and advanced expertise into Acantho is to expand the range of services offered in the IT and telecommunications sector. This will lead to growth in business activities, especially in the high-density industrial sector, where the company already operates through other business lines. More specifically, the merger will help improve supply relationships with citizens and companies in the geographical areas served, enabling Acantho to offer commercial proposals that use the most advanced current technology. These proposals will be integrated and made flexible, to meet the different needs of customers and stakeholders, including high-performance and reliable connectivity, telephone and data centre services. “We are excited to announce the completion of the merger by incorporation of Asco TLC into Acantho, which marks a significant step in our strategic growth and development. This merger allows us to combine our resources, skills and talents to offer even more innovative solutions to our customers and create added value for our shareholders. We are confident that this union will position us strongly and competitively in the markets in which we operate, and we are enthusiastic about working together and facing new challenges so as to build a successful future,” stated Alessandro Aiello, General Manager of Acantho. “The transaction we have concluded today will make it possible to achieve, in the most effective way possible, the potential industrial synergies arising from the integration of the companies involved, within an increasingly competitive market that requires continuous improvement in commercial proposals for regional authorities, companies and local users”, stated Nicola Cecconato, Chairman, CEO and General Manager of the Ascopiave Group. See the press release 20230927 MERGER OF ASCO TLC INTO ACANTHO.pdf 2023-09-27 12:25:00 ASCO TLC - ACANTHO 110.png