Hera Group acquires Soelia’s gas network
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Hera Group acquires Soelia’s gas network
Through its subsidiary Inrete Distribuzione Energia, the Group was awarded the tender for the gas distribution plants and network serving the municipality of Argenta in Ferrara area
The Hera Group, acting through its subsidiary Inrete Distribuzione Energia, one of the leading operators in the natural gas distribution sector with more than 1.1 million active point of delivery (PoD), has won the tender called by the company Soelia, 100% owned by the Municipality of Argenta (Ferrara), for the transfer of the business unit concerning natural gas distribution plants and networks and related management services. In addition, Inrete also acquired Soelia’s 2.85% shareholding in Sinergas.
This transaction further strengthens the presence of Inrete Distribuzione Energia within its reference area.
Following the tender, Inrete Distribuzione Energia acquires Soelia’s gas distribution network, which serves about 10,000 point of delivery in the municipality of Argenta and brings together plant facilities including: approximately 240 km of pipelines, 5 high to medium pressure reduction and metering plants, 1 final reduction station and 44 local stations for low pressure reduction. In addition, Inrete Distribuzione Energia will take up this management under a renewal agreement.
Inrete Distribuzione Energia will maintain the employees of the business unit acquired from Soelia.
“Thanks to the acquisition of Soelia’s natural gas distribution assets, the Hera Group is synergically strengthening its presence in the municipality of Argenta, where it already operates with the integrated water service,” comments Federico Bronzini, CEO of Inrete Distribuzione Energia, a subsidiary of the Hera Group. “Our Group thus rounds off its local continuity, with the aim of guaranteeing to an ever-wider community the high standards of quality, continuity and safety of the services that the Group already provides in the energy, water and waste management sectors to approximately 5 million citizens.”
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The multi-utility tops the ranking, marking its sixth consecutive year on the podium, the only Italian company to achieve this result. The recognition rewards the credibility and consistency with which the Group integrates ESG factors into its strategy, governance and corporate culture.
Hera Group ranked first in the 2026 ESG Identity Corporate Index, developed by ET.Group to measure the extent to which ESG factors are integrated into companies’ strategies and decision-making processes. The results of the eleventh edition were presented today in Milan at the ESG Business Conference.
The Group’s growth, together with the progressive evolution and increasing maturity of its ESG model, has gone hand in hand with continuous advances in governance, enabling the multi-utility to rank among the Top 10 for 9 consecutive years and on the podium for six years in a row.
A more selective assessment focused on ESG credibilityThe recognition is even more significant as it is the outcome of a rigorous assessment process carried out against a benchmark that continues to rise. The 2026 edition included a record 109 companies, all demonstrating increasingly advanced levels of ESG maturity.
The assessment itself has also become more demanding, shifting the focus from disclosure alone to companies’ ability to demonstrate the effective integration of ESG factors into strategy, decision-making processes and corporate culture. The analysis centres on the development of a robust and coherent ESG strategy geared towards value creation, transparent reporting of results, and the ability to anticipate and manage risks.
For Hera Group, particular emphasis was placed on:
- governance as an enabler, supported by the active involvement of dedicated governance bodies;
- the integration of ESG targets into remuneration policies and long-term strategies;
- the ability to foster a cross-functional ESG culture involving all business functions and the entire value chain.
Hera Group builds its ESG narrative on its strategy, its commitments and its ability to translate them into tangible results. Over more than twenty years, the multi-utility has combined sustained economic growth with the evolution of its governance towards increasingly demanding targets, clear accountability and measurable performance. The credibility of the Group’s commitments rests on a consistent track record of delivery, as demonstrated by significant investments, completed projects and reported impacts. The same rigour underpins investment in people development through skills, inclusion and professional growth, as well as incentive systems that embed sustainability targets.
For Hera Group, ESG is therefore the practical framework through which the company governs, grows and creates value over time.