Press Releases and Notices

Yet another recognition for the Group in this area. This prize, which analyses and valorises the best performances of Italy’s public service companies, was awarded today during the digital conference for its ninth edition Attention towards gender equality, care given to diversity and inclusion: these issues are at the centre of the Hera Group’s strategies and corporate culture. This has been recognised among others by Top Utility, which today, during its digital conference, awarded to the Group first place in the Diversity category “for its efforts in making policies favouring diversity, inclusion and social responsibility”. Currently at its ninth edition, Top Utility analyses and valorises the changes made and performance shown by Italy’s 100 largest utilities on a yearly basis. Ranking as Top Utility in the Diversity category comes as recognition for the numerous initiatives introduced by the Hera Group, applied not only to its corporate culture but also to the management and development of its human resources. One example lies in the meritocratic systems planned and measured to be concrete applied, with compensation tools and benefits focused on performance, complexity in professional roles and market comparisons, regardless of characteristics involving gender or generation. The ensuing career paths see a growing percentage of women in roles of responsibility, now coming to roughly 30%. The attention given to these issues and the approach taken towards them by businesses is, furthermore, increasingly important for the international financial community, with investors showing growing interest towards listed companies with excellent policies in this area. For this reason as well, Hera has integrated these aspects within its Business plan, and provides transparent information on them each year in its sustainability report. “We are committed to making the Hera Group a place where everyone can feel ‘well’ and included”, remarks Susanna Zucchelli, Diversity Manager and Water Director at Hera. “A place where everyone knows they can make their own contribution to important projects that enrich the communities served, aiming at quality and favouring collaboration and communication. This is a company to which younger generations as well can look with interest as regards their future career. Receiving these recognitions gratifies us, motivates us and encourages us to do even better, to make our company a truly enabling party, developing and integrating these issues within the social fabric.” Hera’s leadership has also been recognised by other important awards. First and foremost, the Top Employer certification, achieved for the 12th consecutive year, confirming in 2021 as well the Hera Group’s top ranking overall in Italy. For years, furthermore, Hera has been included in the Bloomberg Gender-Equality Index and is among the leading companies in the Refinitiv Diversity & Inclusion Index. Press release Top Utility 2021.pdf 2021-02-24 11:53:25 Top Utility Analysis Top Utility Analysis 2020-04-29

Snam and Hera announce that they have signed a Letter of Intent for a technological collaboration aimed at developing hydrogen, for their own areas of activity respectively. The aim is to test and subsequently implement a number of solutions able to respond to the decarbonisation needs of the Emilia-Romagna region in a cross-cutting manner, from production to mobility to individual citizens. This agreement will also contribute to promote the development of renewable energies in Italy, in line with the guidelines set out by the European Union. The accord involves several areas of action, starting from the collaboration on power-to-gas technology. Specifically, an innovative plant is at an advanced stage of design at the Bologna Corticella multi-utility treatment plant, which will transform excess renewable electricity into “green” hydrogen to be injected into the networks by exploiting purified water and returning oxygen, biogas and sludge to the water purification process, thus obtaining a mutually beneficial “symbiosis” between the two plants, with an additional environmental benefit. In the industrial field, the two companies will also study the application of hydrogen for thermal uses in the most energy-intensive sectors and with processes that are difficult to electrify. Other options under study include the creation of plants to extract green hydrogen from water, using the renewable energy generated by the Hera Group’s waste-to-energy plants, with the aim of contributing to the decarbonisation of industrial sectors such as the production of fertilisers and fuels. Finally, the Letter of Intent provides for a possible joint experimentation of injecting a mixture of natural gas and hydrogen into a portion of Hera’s distribution network in Emilia-Romagna, similar to what Snam has already done on its own transmission network. At the heart of this experimentation is the gas network of Modena. “The agreement with Hera - Marco Alverà, CEO of Snam said - is part of the collaboration we are starting with energy and industrial companies to develop hydrogen-related technologies and implement projects in different areas of the Italian territory. Hydrogen will be a decisive element, together with electricity from renewable sources, to enable Europe to become the first continent with net zero emissions by 2050. Snam intends to contribute to this path, by providing its infrastructure, combined with its skills and innovation capacity, to create a national hydrogen supply chain capable of accelerating the path to decarbonisation and create new opportunities for development and employment.” “With this partnership we wish to concretely contribute to the development of the hydrogen option to pursue the carbon neutrality of the territories, consistent with the commitment to sustainable development that has always guided our actions. – Stefano Venier, CEO of the Hera Group commented - Signing this protocol is part of the strategy outlined in our 2024 Business Plan, which calls for numerous actions and investments for energy transition and environmental protection in line with European strategies and the objectives of the UN 2030 Agenda. Green gases, including hydrogen, are a particularly interesting frontier for us because we operate in several businesses: by making available our cross-sector expertise and our extensive infrastructure platform we can create innovative examples of carbon neutral circularity among supply chains.” This agreement is likely subject to subsequent binding agreements that the parties will define in compliance with the applicable regulatory profiles. Depuratore Gruppo Hera Depuratore Gruppo Hera Press release Snam-Hera.pdf 2021-02-22 11:01:00 Depuratore Gruppo Hera Depuratore Gruppo Hera 2020-04-29

The Group has received Gold Class status for ranking as "Industry leader" in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, one of the world's most authoritative stock market indices assessing ESG factors. Hera also given special mention as "Industry mover". The Hera Group has received a worldwide gold medal for social responsibility. S&P Global, indeed, has awarded the company its Gold Class 2021, the highest recognition reserved for companies included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index (DJSI), the authoritative international stock market index assessing the ESG factors of roughly 3,500 listed companied with the highest capitalisation globally. This prestigious result was released today with the publication of the Sustainability Yearbook 2021, a report that contains the results of analyses carried out for gaining access to the index last year, and the names of companies that achieved the highest sustainability scores. Following its inclusion in the FTSE MIB in 2019, Hera participated in the selection process for the DJSI and, in only 2 years, rapidly rose in the classification, being included in the World and European indices at the same time and ranking as "Industry leader", i.e. the best "Multi-utility and Water" in the world, with a score of 87/100, compared to a sector average coming to 45/100. Compared to the other companies assessed by the DJSI, Hera stood out in particular for its environmental and economic sustainability, and its governance. The Sustainability Yearbook 2021 gives particular emphasis to the significant results achieved by Hera in the areas identified as most challenging for its sector, such as resource management and protection, the ability to grasp market opportunities and relations with stakeholders. In addition to Gold Class status, Hera also received special mention as "Industry mover", that is, the company that recorded the most significant improvement, rising by no less than 19 points compared to the score of 68/100 in 2019. These recognitions provide further confirmation of the valid sustainability strategy pursued by Hera, which represents its fundamental approach, substantiated once again by its Business plan to 2024, presented to investors 20 days ago. In the Plan, operating and financial results are expected to improve continuously, with a solid cash generation and ESG targets to 2030. The Plan foresees investments and initiatives for energy and environmental transition and technological evolution, in line with European strategies and the UN's 2030 Agenda. The most significant challenges include the field of renewable energies and pursuing carbon neutrality. In particular, Hera aims to achieve ambitious goals in reduction, following the criteria of the "Science Based Target initiative" especially as regards "Well below 2°C", (intended to limit the increase in the Earth's temperature to significantly under 2°C). Among the numerous international recognitions going to the Group for its attention towards sustainability, also note Hera's inclusion in 2020 in the FTSE4Good Index Series, a set of ethical indices conceived by FTSE Russell to encourage investments in companies that meet strict criteria in the area of ESG. Not by chance, attention towards ESG factors is an increasingly central issue for investors as well, and was included by Hera in its mission as of 2002, the year of its establishment. Press release Hera Sustainability Yearbook.pdf 2021-02-08 12:50:00 Sede Hera Sede Hera 2020-01-24

Aimed at contributing to decarbonising the agriculture sector, Hera has signed a memorandum intended to study the feasibility of a project for generating and using green hydrogen, linked to a concrete goal: fuelling the fertiliser produced by Yara Italia, the leader in this industry. Sapio is also involved, for the technological aspects and hydrogen management In times of climate change, a transition in the agricultural transition is a challenge as urgent as it is complex, because it requires not only reducing high water consumption but also limiting the emissions involved in the many processes concerned by agriculture, both directly and indirectly. The fertiliser sector is unquestionably among these processes, and is the subject of the memorandum signed by the Hera Group – one of Italy’s largest multi-utilities – with Yara Italia, a leader in nitric and complex fertiliser production, and by Sapio, a leading figure in the field of technical and medical gases. The memorandum is intended to explore the possibility of increasing sustainability in the agriculture sector, by using green hydrogen. A plant able to produce up to 500 tons/year of green hydrogen Based on this agreement, Hera, Yara and Sapio will begin a coordinated series of analyses that, within the year’s end, will assess the technological, economic and regulatory feasibility of a concrete project for using renewable energy and developing the green hydrogen industry. The project covers green hydrogen generation, transportation and use to fuel fertiliser production. In particular, the experimental plant intended for generating hydrogen would use the renewable energy produced by Hera’s Ferrara WTE plant, to produce hydrogen from water and thus fuel Yara Italia’s nearby industrial facility, dedicated to fertiliser production. Scouting the plant technologies will be done by Sapio, who will also be responsible for further evaluations concerning the technical solutions through which Yara’s facility will be supplied. An annual green hydrogen production capacity coming to 500 tons is expected. Commitment to green energy at the centre of Hera’s strategies By signing this memorandum, the Hera Group has given new impetus, only a few weeks after the approval of its Business Plan to 2024, to its commitment towards innovation, renewable energy and carbon neutrality. In line with European strategies and the goals on the UN’s 2030 Agenda, the environmental content of the Plan calls for not only promoting a circular economy and intervening to increase infrastructure resilience, but also all actionsfor energy transition and the fight against climate change, which increasingly involve biomethane, hydrogen and green syngas. The Group’s investments in technological innovation are fundamental in this sense, essential in searching for sustainable solutions in the area of so-called “clean energies”. Hera has been working towards sustainability in the agriculture sector for some time, for example through a circular and resilient management of water that also involves various projects in regenerating water resources and reusing waste water. “Developing clean energy”, remarks Stefano Venier, Hera Group CEO, “necessarily involves periods of research that, following the spirit underlying this memorandum, consolidate the expectations of our most advanced projects. Furthermore, it is equally important to set out these projects in a concrete and sustainable way, to meet the needs of sectors such as agriculture, which still have a significant environmental impact in terms of resource consumption, from water to energy. A commitment to sustainability, in any case, has always been in our DNA, as is further proven by Hera’s recent inclusion in theDow Jones Sustainability Index, and our decision to voluntarily apply the recommendations of the “Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures” (TCFD) in our reporting as of the 2020 financial year. Our goal, reaffirmed in the Business Plan to 2024 as well, is to keep raising the bar, and forward-looking projects such as the one launched with Yara Italia and Sapio go precisely in this direction, exploring possibilities that, in a modular way, can be replicated elsewhere as well.” Yara Italia, the Italian branch of the Norwegian multinational Yara International ASA, a world leader in the fertiliser sector, has been successfully working for years to shape change as regards sustainability. Reducing CO2 emissions and water consumption, improving the environmental and energy sustainability of production processes and implementing regenerative solutions for soil that increase the effectiveness of fertiliser and thus reduce overuse, are at the top of the Group’s list of strategic priorities. Participating in this project is for Yara an additional, significant step in this direction. Sapio has maintained its vision of sustainability for almost a century, and is strongly committed to remaining at the forefront in developing and promoting the hydrogen sector, to allow Italy, which boasts an advantageous geographical position and important distribution networks, to become a European leader. Sapio, an active member of H2IT (the Italian Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association) and the European Clean Hydrogen Alliance, covers all modalities of hydrogen production and distribution, through to its final applications, guaranteeing a high-quality offer with significant technological value. “Hydrogen is the future. And the future is now”, remarks the Chairman of the Sapio Group and the Associazione H2IT, Alberto Dossi. “We are witnessing an important historical moment, and it is equally important to collaborate with companies such as Hera and Yara. This example proves that this sector, in our country, is prepared to lead Italy to play a central role in the energy transition. We have both an industrial and a scientific mission, thanks to our relations with leading universities and research centres. To rise to the challenge of decarbonisation, the time has come to formulate a national strategy for hydrogen, that will allow us to reach the ambitious goals set out by the Ministry of Economic Development, which call for a usage of hydrogen coming to 20% within 2050.” Press release Sustainable agriculture Hera with Yara Italia and Sapio for green hydrogen.pdf 2021-02-04 10:51:00 Sede Hera Sede Hera 2020-01-24