Strategic initiatives and acquisitions

Strengthening of the leadership in the water sector

• Memorandum for the joint development of collaboration projects on the issue of water resource protection and technological innovation with Acquedotto Pugliese, the second largest water sector operator in the country. The memorandum is aimed at the development of collaborations and projects concerning water resource protection, technological development and regulatory aspects pertaining to the sector.
• Memorandum of understanding for the development of possible collaborations aimed at the protection and reuse of water resources in the agricultural, water and energy sectors with BF SpA. The MoU, which lasts two years, initiates an in-depth activity on possible collaborations in the following areas: optimisation of the use of water in agriculture; reclamation consortia, storage and pumping basins; foreign development; circular economy and Italian supply chain.
• Memorandum of understanding with the National Confederation Coldiretti, the National Association of Consortia for the management and protection of land and irrigated water, and BF SpA. The goal of the MoU is to develop synergies for the reuse of the primary asset in the agro-industry and energy sectors.
   

Consolidation of our position as leading player in the Environment sector

• Acquisition of Deco SpA and, through the latter, of a 100% stake in Ecologica Sangro SpA. Deco operates in the waste management sector in Abruzzo, designing, building and operating facilities used in the treatment, disposal and recovery of solid urban waste and in the recovery of energy from renewable sources. Ecologica Sangro also operates in Abruzzo in the integrated solid urban waste management sector. The assets covered by the agreement consist of a disposal facility and a biogas plant.
• Acquisition of a 60% equity stake in the companies Ferrocart and Cavallari, which together own four plants in the provinces of Terni and Ancona, where activities pertaining to the selection and recovery of paper, iron, wood, plastic and metals are carried out.
• Acquisition in the north Ancona area, through Cavallari, of Italmacero, a company operating in the mechanical treatment and recovery of recyclable urban waste (mixed and mono-material packaging) and non-hazardous special waste.
• Acquisition in Abruzzo of the business unit “Polo Cirsu”, consisting of two landfills, a recycling and composting plant and a platform for the recovery of separated waste and durable goods.
• Acquisition of a 70% stake in Tecnoservizi, a company that operates in the mechanical treatment and recovery of recyclable urban waste (mixed and mono-material packaging) and non-hazardous special waste.
• Acquisition of a 60% stake in Berg, a company performing activities pertaining to waste management and liquid waste treatment in the Municipality of Frosinone.
• Acquisition del a 90% stake in Demap,  a company specialised in the treatment of plastics and owner of a plant in Beinasco, in the province of Turin, which performs activities pertaining to the selection and recycling of packaging from urban waste sorting, carried out particularly in the Valle d’Aosta and Piedmont regions.
• Consolidation in the plastic recycling sector via the acquisition of a 70% stake in Serplast and a 60% stake in Meg, which own facilities located respectively in the Abruzzo and Veneto regions.
• Growth in the engineering and construction of environmental and water treatment plants via the acquisition of a 70% stake in Simam, a leading company in the engineering, construction and management of water and waste treatment facilities, and in environmental interventions and remediation, with high-tech integrated solutions. In April 2023 Acea has finalised its acquisition of the remaining 30% stake in Simam.

Acquisition of photovoltaic plants located in Italy

• In 2022, an agreement was finalised for the sale to the British investment fund Equitix of a majority stake in the company AE Sun Capital S.r.l., which owns photovoltaic plants currently in operation or in the process of being connected to the grid. Acea will maintain its role as industrial operator and will continue to be responsible for the technical and commercial management of the assets transferred to the new company, as well as for those to be developed in the future.

Creation of a multi-utility in Umbria

• In December 2022, we completed the closing for the first phase of the business combination transaction with ASM Terni, aimed at creating a multi-utility active in the Umbria region in the integrated water cycle, distribution and sale of electricity and gas and waste management sectors. In April 2023 the second closing completing the combination transaction between Acea, ASM Terni and the Terni Municipality has been finalised.

Development of projects in the field of Smart Energy Services

• Our acquisition of ESCO (energy service company) will allow us to provide innovative services for citizens, businesses and the Public Administration. In particular, we are working on the launch of a pilot project in cogeneration/trigeneration and the development of thermal insulation.

Growth of the natural gas distribution market

• In October 2018, we entered this sector via the acquisition, completed in March 2019, of a 51% stake in Pescara Distribuzione Gas, the company that manages the entire gas distribution network for the municipality of Pescara.
• In 2020, we also acquired a 51% stake in Alto Sangro Distribuzione Gas, which operates in twenty-four municipalities in the province of L’Aquila, enhancing our presence in the sector as regards the region of Abruzzo. 
• In 2022, the consortium established by Acea, Ascopiave and Iren completed the closing of the agreement with the A2A Group for the acquisition of a number of assets connected with the natural gas distribution service.  Our assets of interest include concessions in 5 ATEMs (minimum concession areas), two of which are located in Abruzzo, two in Molise and one in Campania, for a total of approximatively 30,700 redelivery points.