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The multi-utility has consolidated its leadership in the waste management area by acquiring the entire shareholding of the company operating in waste management, owned by 20 Municipalities in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine area The Hera Group has been definitively awarded the tender for purchasing 100% of the shares of Cosea Ambiente S.p.A., a company managing urban and similar waste services owned by 20 Municipalities in the Tuscan-Emilian Apennine area (15 in the province of Bologna, already Hera Group shareholders, and 5 in the province of Pistoia). The documents involved were signed today, 9 May 2019. The tender was accompanied by a ten-year concession for the Cosea Consorzio’s Ca’ dei Ladri landfill, in the Municipality of Gaggio Montano, also covering assets and resources involved in its operation. The concession, also dated today, was stipulated between Herambiente and Cosea Consorzio. The 18 Municipalities owning Cosea Consorzio are also shareholders in Cosea Ambiente, even while holding different percentages in the two companies, with the exception of two Municipalities with no shareholding. Thanks to this acquisition, the Hera Group will be able to manage its waste management services in an increasingly synergic way across the entire Province of Bologna. These services will be integrated with the others already offered in the Apennine area (mainly water and gas), guaranteeing at the same time that the personnel currently employed is maintained. As for the Municipalities previously served by Cosea Ambiente, they will benefit from the scale economies ensuing from an advanced industrial approach in service management and fully meet the goals set by the regional law on recycling and recovery. Further benefits will also come from the multi-utility’s many infrastructures, which already guarantee a high level of environmental performance in the areas served by Hera (selection, disposal and biomethane production plants, etc.). Additionally, the Hera Group will invest in currently existing infrastructures and activities over the next few months. GH_Cosea.1557416645 (1).jpg GH-Cosea_870 Read more http://www.coseambientespa.it/ visit Cosea Ambiente website Press release Cosea acquisition GH-Cosea_110 GH-Cosea_110 2019-05-09

The multiutility continues to commit to creating shared value and to responding to the current environmental and socio-economic challenges. In the report, the focus is on the results achieved, the investments and the future initiatives with new sections dedicated to the local areas served The Hera Group's 2018 Sustainability Report, which can be found on-line at http://bs.gruppohera.it,contains the economic, social and environmental responsibility statistics and the focus on the commitments undertaken, the results achieved and the future prospects. This year in the Report, the representation of contents focussed on the creation of shared value was reinforced: the multiutility's ability to meet the needs of the local area and tackle the challenges in terms of change geared towards sustainability, as demonstrated by the company's decision to quantity the EBITDA deriving from activities that are in keeping with the priorities established by the UN Agenda. In addition, with the objective of improving accountability even further, new pages have been introduced this year dedicated to presenting the results for each area served. The Group's sustainability reports have also been enriched: the "Building the future together" report highlights the initiatives of engagement and collaboration between Hera, citizens and players in the local communities, in observance of target 17 of the UN Agenda. A strategic approach that has been validated: the "shared value" EBITDA increases by 14% In 2018, the Group generated a "shared value" EBITDA of Euro 375 million, up by 14% compared to the previous year and accounting for 36% of the total, a percentage expected to hit 40% by 2022. A significant commitment which stems from the awareness of how economic, social and environmental changes require companies to rethink the links between CSR (corporate social responsibility) and company strategy. Albeit corporate social responsibility has, up until now, concerned the "what" and the "how" of the company, shared value places its central focus on the "why", outlining the reason why the company exists and the salient elements that differentiate it from all other companies. In fact, the Hera Group wants to be part of the companies of the future that will be able use their business to help society regenerate the ecosystem and the environment. bs_online_870.1563434417.jpg BS_online_870 Read more Press release 2018 Sustainability Report BS_online_110 BS_online_110 2019-07-18

The multi-utility, included in the FTSE MIB as of 18 March 2019, improved all its main operating-financial and sustainability indicators, with results exceeding expectations and Ebitda amounting to over one billion for the first time. Commitment towards creating shared value also confirmed The Hera Ordinary Shareholders Meeting called to approve the 2018 financial statements was held in Bologna this morning, and the 2018 sustainability report (a consolidated non-financial statement drafted pursuant to legislative decree 254/2016) was presented. 2018 financial statements approved with strong growth in results In the ordinary session, the Shareholders Meeting approved the balance sheets pertaining to 2018, which showed improvement in all main operating-financial indicators: turnover reached € 6,626.4 million, up 8% over the previous year, Ebitda exceeded one billion euro for the first time – coming to € 1,031.1 million (+4.7%) – and net profits amounted to € 296.6 million (+11.2%). Overall Group investments in 2018, including capital grants, reached € 462.6 million (+5% over 2017). Net debt settled at € 2,585.6 million, essentially stable compared to the previous year (2,523.0 million in 2017). The quality of these results was confirmed by a drop in the net debt/Ebitda ratio, which fell to 2.51x (compared to the 2.56x seen in 2017), providing further confirmation of the Group’s financial solidity, which was also reflected in the opinions released by leading rating agencies (Baa2 with stable outlook from Moody’s and BBB with positive outlook from Standard & Poor’s). The positive results for 2018, in line with the Business plan to 2022 and higher than the forecasts communicated last January, confirm the Hera Group’s ranking among Italy’s major multi-utilities and lay the foundations to grasp further opportunities for expansion in the fragmentary markets in which it operates. Shareholders meeting 2019 - Welcome speech to the shareholders by te Hera Group executive chairman Tomaso Tommasi di Vignano Increase in dividends paid, now reaching 10 cents/share The Meeting thus approved the Board of Directors’ proposal to pay a dividend of 10 cents per share, up over the amount seen in the past. The ex coupon date has been set at 24 June, with payment beginning on 26 June 2019. The dividend paid, based on the price of Hera shares at 31/12/2018, corresponds to an annual return of 3.7%. This confirms once again the Group’s strong commitment to creating value for shareholders, as is also underlined by the most recent Business plan, whose dividend policy expects further growth to occur, reaching 11 cents in 2022. The sustainability report: shared value Ebitda reaches 375.2 million The 2018 sustainability report, presented during the meeting, highlights the Group’s attention towards creating shared value, reporting information on those businesses that, in addition to creating operating margins for the company, work towards the objectives for sustainable growth contained in the UN Agenda. The areas in which Group’s commitment takes shape fall under three main drivers: a smart use of energy, an efficient use of resources, along with innovation and contribution to local development. The Hera Group’s 2018 shared value Ebitda came to 375.2 million euro (+14% over 2017), representing 36% of overall Ebitda: a result which is perfectly in line with the path set out in the Business plan, in which this indicator is projected to reach 40% by 2022. Furthermore, in 2018 the Group invested over 180 million euro (approximately 40% of the total) in initiatives and projects aimed at creating shared value. Shareholders meeting 2019 - Introduction of sustainability report 2018 by the Hera Group CEO Stefano Venier Tommasi_e_Venier_870.1556621864 (2).jpg Read more /-/hera-shareholders-meeting-2018-financial-statements-and-dividend-increasing-to-10-cents-approved-1?inheritRedirect=true Press release /group_eng/corporate-governance/shareholders-meetings Go to Shareholders' meeting session https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-2rtLBrP54Q Watch the Executive Chairman's comments to the 2018 financial results /documents/1514726/4880892/GruppoHera_Consolidated_Financial_Statements_31_12_2018.1554724349.pdf/44a36885-d73d-277e-aff2-53db3830e0b2?t=1610019133226 2018 Financial results Shareholders_meeting_110 Shareholders_meeting_110 2019-04-29

The trigeneration plant that will be built by the multi-utility in Fermignano will increase the efficiency and sustainability of the production cycles, avoiding the emission of 750 tons of CO₂each year, the same "absorbing" power expressed by a forest of 125 hectares in the same time frame. The primary energy savings are also significant, thanks to the high-performance standards of the plant The Hera Group, one of the leading Italian multi-utility companies, has reached an agreement with IMAB, a historic national furniture manufacturer, for the construction of a trigeneration plant that will supply clean energy to the Fermignano plant, in the province of Pesaro Urbino. The agreement was signed by IMAB with Hera Servizi Energia, the energy service company of reference for the industrial sector of the Hera Group, which over the years has built production plants, in cogeneration and trigeneration, for the main Italian industrial companies, employing the best technologies on the market. The new Fermignano plant will also be managed according to a logic of optimization and efficiency, with the help of a remote management and remote control system, active 24 hours a day, and emergency response. The energy efficiency intervention made possible by the new plant will guarantee primary energy savings of around 17%, with an overall efficiency, in terms of energy conversion, of 64%. When fully operational, the plant will be able to express important environmental performance, avoiding annual consumption of around 440 tons of oil equivalent and the emission of 750 tons of CO ₂ , equal to the absorption of a forest of 125 hectares. An environmental benefit comparable to around 320 diesel cars stolen from circulation. Implementation, management and maintenance of the infrastructure will be headed by Hera Servizi Energia, which will invest a total of over one million euros, within the framework of an 11-year agreement. As far as the technical aspects are concerned, the plant will have its fundamental core in a 1,000 kWe trigeneration plant which, thanks to complex mechanical and electrical connections and the installation of a cooling unit fed by hot water, will operate the thermal utilities and refrigerators of the plant. In fact, it will heat the entire body of the building and adjacent offices, as well as the summer cooling of two mechanical workshops serving the production. In short, a technological pole capable of generating electricity produced and consumed in itself, thermal energy in the form of hot water and cooling energy. With this plant, IMAB will therefore be able to improve efficiency in the use of plant energy and bring benefits to the environment, orientation in line with the historic vocation of the Hera Group, always attentive to energy efficiency issues and developing its own business, together with those of the partners, in harmony with the ambitious path traced to 2030 by the UN Agenda. GH_IMAB_870.1555325884.1563885327.jpg GH-IMAB_870 https://imab.com/en/ Visit IMAB website Read more 20190415_Clean_energy_for_IMAB_thanks_to_the_agreement_with_the_Hera_Group.1563885328.pdf GH-IMAB_110 GH-IMAB_110 2019-07-23