Press Releases and Notices

The Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, the Italian Gas Committee and Hera’s subsidiary Inrete Distribuzione Energia have signed an operating protocol to test the introduction of a mixture of natural gas and up to 10% hydrogen into household networks. The project involves a residential area in the province of Modena, and internationally recognized bodies have been tasked with supervising safety aspects. sede Hera 110x150.jpg centrata The Ministry for the Environment and Energy Security (MASE), the Italian Gas Committee (CIG) and Inrete Distribuzione Energia (a company part of the Hera Group) have signed a protocol to carry out studies and field tests on mixtures of natural gas and hydrogen to be injected into distribution networks. This is the first project to fall under the framework agreement signed by MASE and CIG aimed at creating favourable conditions for developing trials with mixtures of hydrogen and natural gas, to gradually introduce increasing percentages of low-carbon gas into gas networks. The “pilot” operating protocol, for the first time in Italy, calls for mixtures containing up to 10% hydrogen to be gradually used to supply an isolated segment of the network. While complying with the most demanding safety requirements, this is aimed at testing solutions that use green gasses in the civil and residential sectors as well. These energy vectors with a low environmental impact, in fact, could contribute to the decarbonisation of local areas with significant environmental benefits, making it possible to make the most of Italy’s existing gas infrastructure, which is unique in Europe in terms of extensiveness, without modifying the current heating systems. The first step of the trial involves feeding a mixture with 5% hydrogen into the network, which will contribute to ongoing studies before increasing the percentage, helping meet the country’s need to diversify its energy sources. In line with its agreement with MASE and CIG, Inrete will therefore start testing in the upcoming months, cooperating with numerous partners and being supervised by internationally recognised bodies. The tests will involve operators from the entire gas supply chain, from transport to manufacturers of technological equipment, up to manufacturers of boilers and gas burners. The partial replacement of natural gas with hydrogen - whose combustion does not produce carbon dioxide (CO2), mainly responsible for global warming - is indeed a solution pursued by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, in collaboration with specialists in the field and with the aim of facilitating the energy transition. Trials within a project that started in 2022 in Castelfranco Emilia (Modena) As of 2022, Inrete is at the head of an initiative that has already successfully tested, with temporary two-step trials, the introduction of a mixture of natural gas and 2% hydrogen into municipal gas networks. The study involved around forty families living in a residential area of Castelfranco Emilia (Modena), all of whom were adequately informed. Having acquired the necessary know-how, in terms of both technology and safety, the Hera Group company, thanks to the protocol signed with the MASE and the CIG, and in agreement with the same residential area’s municipal administration, will launch the third phase of experimentation. It will thus be possible to explore the different operational aspects that enable the infrastructure to receive, in its current configuration, mixtures of natural gas and 5% hydrogen. This time, too, cooperation coming from citizens will be crucial, at no cost to the families residing in the area chosen for the tests. Indeed, the latter will also be carried out downstream of the meter, with checks on the operations of domestic gas appliances in households, including boilers and burners, to obtain a precise evaluation of the results. “The pilot agreement we have just signed with the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security and the Italian Gas Committee,” comments Hera Group CEO Orazio Iacono, “comes as important recognition of our ability to innovate in enabling infrastructures to support transitions, first and foremost the energy transition. The need to diversify our country’s energy sources, which is now urgent, cannot disregard the use of green gases such as hydrogen, and in this context our assets are ready to increase the percentage of the blend in networks, as foreseen by the protocol, reaching 10% and confirming their alignment with the European taxonomy. These trials represent an additional driver for developing strategic and innovative activities aimed at reducing the carbon footprint, by accompanying customers in the energy transition and ensuring the resilience of the areas served.” “We are proud to have signed this operational protocol with MASE and CIG for tests involving green gas,” adds Federico Bronzini, CEO of Inrete Distribuzione Energia. “We have thus confirmed our commitment to pursuing advanced solutions aimed at reducing energy dependence on traditional fossil fuels. Thanks to significant investments and our experience in the sector, we are ready to concretely promote, once again, the path towards decarbonisation in the civil and residential sector as well.” NexMeter, the advanced meter developed by the Hera Group For a correct gas measurement, this trial calls for the use of NexMeters by all users in Castelfranco Emilia involved in the project. NexMeter is the G4 gas meter developed by the Hera Group, already able to measure mixtures of methane and hydrogen; this device, which has opened up new possibilities in the sector thanks to both the advanced technologies it uses and its safety functions, is already found in almost 300,000 Italian homes connected to the gas distribution networks managed by the Hera Group’s distribution companies. The project’s collaborators: BAXI; Bosch; Electrolux; Emerson; Ferroli, Immergas; Innovhub SSI; Pietro Fiorentini; RINA; Snam; TdZ, Valpres, a Bonomi Group company, Alfa Engineering and Idrotherm 2000. PR_Inrete_Mase_Cig.pdf 2025-03-07 sede Hera 110x150.jpg

A binding agreement has been signed for the acquisition of Ambiente Energia, based in Schio near Vicenza and part of the Marzotto Group, through subsidiary Herambiente Servizi Industriali. This transaction further enlarges the range of waste recovery and treatment services offered to companies in one of the most dynamic areas of Italy. sede_hera_110.jpg centrata Binding agreement for 100%. Closing within 1H 2025 The Hera Group continues to grow in the Northeast with the acquisition, from the Marzotto Group, of Ambiente Energia Srl, a company involved in industrial liquid waste treatment at its Schio (Vicenza) plant. This morning in Bologna, a binding agreement was signed for the acquisition of 100% of Ambiente Energia Srl, between Herambiente Servizi Industriali Srl (a subsidiary of Herambiente, which in turn is part of the Hera Group) and Manifattura Lane Gaetano Marzotto & Figli Spa. The acquisition will be closed within the first half of this year, following the usual conditions precedent for transactions of this kind. Transaction in line with the Business Plan to 2028 This transaction is part of the Hera Group’s growth strategy in the Waste management area, as defined by the recently approved Business Plan to 2028, which indicates vertical integration as an important lever for the ongoing expansion and diversification of the set of plants, with positive impacts on profitability and market share. More specifically, Ambiente Energia will extend Herambiente Servizi Industriali’s global waste management offer in one of the most productive and dynamic areas of Italy, where the Group is already well established with its subsidiaries Vallortigara in Torrebelvicino and Marano Vicentino (Vicenza), Aliplast in Ospedaletto d’Istrana (Treviso) and Recycla in Resana (Treviso) and Maniago (Pordenone). A multipurpose plant with an annual capacity of over 120,000 tonnes The Ambiente Energia plant, with an annual capacity of over 120,000 tonnes, thanks to its advanced technology, is able to treat numerous types of liquid waste and sludge, both hazardous and non-hazardous, such as paint and washing water, acids and bases, and water from chemical-physical treatments. This service is thus entirely geared towards the industrial districts of the Veneto region, including textiles, tanning, metalworking and eyewear. The purifier, which returns the water resources to surface water after treatment, has 41 storage tanks, a wastewater treatment line (both chemical-physical and biological) and a sludge treatment line. The industrial added value of the agreement This capacity will give Herambiente Servizi Industriali greater flexibility and capacity in putting together its waste management and recovery projects proposed to companies in the area. Existing Ambiente Energia customers will have access to the know-how of Herambiente and its subsidiaries to develop resource valorisation and circular economy projects, above and beyond the treatment of liquid waste and sludge. Full employment continuity for Ambiente Energia resources The transaction will see the maintenance of all current Ambiente Energia employees, thus ensuring full employment continuity and protection of the company’s technical and operational assets, benefitting customers. Andrea Ramonda: “positive impact on cross-selling and synergies with the nearby Vallortigara” “The acquisition of Ambiente Energia has strategic value,” explains Andrea Ramonda, CEO of Herambiente, “since it further expands our customer base in waste management services, with positive repercussions on cross-selling opportunities, which will also benefit from synergies with the nearby Vallortigara.” 2025-02-27 13:45:00 sede_hera_110-2.jpg

For the fifth consecutive year, Hera has been included in S&P Global’s Yearbook, published today, in the “Top 1%” category among the world's best performing companies in the Multi & Water Utility sector. The analysis shows that the Group excels in identifying the best “market opportunities”, achieving a very positive rating by global standards, including in terms of effective “risk and crisis management”, as is proven by its long record of uninterrupted growth in results. Furthermore, Morningstar Sustainalytics has included Hera in its list of “Top Rated” companies for 2025: the analysis shows a risk profile rating very close to fully regulated companies. sede_hera_110.jpg centrata According to Standard & Poor’s, the Hera Group is the world’s best company in the Multi & Water Utility sector and has been included, for the fifth consecutive year, in S&P Global’s Sustainability Yearbook, for its best performances in three areas: Governance&Economics, Environment and Social. This result comes after Hera was included in S&P Global’s Dow Jones Europe & World Indices, two authoritative international stock market indices that include outstanding listed companies based on their performance in the areas of environmental, social and governance sustainability. More specifically, Hera is in the “Top 1%” of the best performing companies in its sector, with a score of 80/100, compared to a sector average of 35/100. This leadership is based on its exemplary ability to seize “market opportunities” and to carefully control and manage “risks and crisis” and “cybersecurity”. This analysis by S&P’s Global portrays a company at the forefront that, for the fifth year in a row, leads a benchmark made up of outstanding companies in the industry worldwide. Morningstar Sustainalytics has also included the Hera Group in its 2025 list of the best companies in terms of performance in the quality of risk management. In particular, the Group also stood out as “Industry Top Rated,” obtaining a score that places it at the top of its reference sector, alongside companies with one of the highest risk/return profiles, having fully regulated businesses and being highly protected from risks arising from the macro environment. These positive assessments confirm the Hera Group’s ability to pursue a sustainability strategy along a path that includes a constant commitment to developing the entire value chain, with a careful eye to global best practices. These recognitions come shortly after the presentation of the new Business Plan to 2028, in which the aspects highlighted by analysts are confirmed: a company that continues to sustain a significant creation of shared value, which translates into an average annual Total Shareholders Return expected at a double-digit percentage rate. The Business Plan to 2028 also allocates significant investments to strategies and initiatives aimed at long-term resilience, innovation and sustainability. In particular, of the 4.6 billion euro in total investments planned for the five-year period 2024-2028, 2.6 billion euro will be aligned with the European taxonomy for environmental sustainability projects (96% of eligible investments) and will thus be able to fully access subsidised sustainable finance instruments, with benefits in terms of financial costs. Maintaining its focus on the main drivers of decarbonisation, circular economy, resilience and innovation, over the five-year period the Hera Group expects a significant evolution in its operating, financial and sustainability results, confirming its uninterrupted growth for the future as well. Listed on the FTSE MIB since 2003 and included in the FTSE MIB since 2019, the Hera stock, in addition to being part of the Dow Jones Sustainability Index Europe & World since 2020, is also included in the blue-chip Italian ESG MIB index dedicated to ESG best practices, launched by Euronext and Borsa Italiana in 2021. For almost 10 years, Hera has also been in the “Top 100” of the FTSE Diversity Inclusion Index, certified by FTSE Russell, for its commitment to promoting diversity, inclusion and people development, and has ranked among the highest in the ESG Identity Corporate Index for four years, for its full and conscious integration of sustainability policies into its governance and business strategies. Download Press Release Hera Group best Multi & Water Utility according to S&P.pdf 2025-02-11 11:05:00 sede_hera_110-2.jpg