Press Release

Giancarlo Cremonesi confirmed as Chairman 
Dividend 0.30 euros per share (including interim dividend of 0.21 euros already paid)

Rome, 15 April 2013 – Today’s Annual General Meeting of shareholders (AGM), meeting in first call, has approved the separate financial statements and presented the consolidated financial statements for the year ended 31 December 2012, which reports a net profit, after non-controlling interests, of 77.4 million euros.

The AGM also voted to appropriate Acea SpA’s net profit for the year ended 31 December 2012, amounting to 87,060,204.99 euros, as follows:
• 4,353,010.25 euros, equal to 5% of net profit, to the legal reserve;
• 44,722,629.00 euros to shareholders to cover the interim dividend of 0.21 euros payable from 3 January 2013, with an ex dividend date of 27 December 2012 (coupon number 12);
• 19,166,841.00 euros to shareholders in the form of a final dividend of 0.09 euros for 2012.
• 18,817,724.74 euros to retained earnings.
The final dividend (coupon number 13) of 0.09 euros per share is payable from 23 May 2013, with an ex dividend date of 20 May and a record date of 22 May.

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In a year marked by a general worsening of the downturn in the global economy and, with regard to utilities, by regulatory uncertainty in the water industry following the outcome of the Referendum held in June 2011, the results for 2012 provide confirmation of the Acea Group’s strong earnings profile, thanks to positive operating performances across all areas of business and implementation of effective cost cutting measures, in line with previous guidance
Consolidated EBITDA is up 6.0% to 695.2 million euros (703.5 million euros after stripping out the Antitrust Authority fine of 8.3 million euros) from the 655.8 million euros of 2011. Consolidated EBIT is up from 222.6 million euros for 2011 to 293.8 million euros for 2012 (302.1 million euros after stripping out the above fine), marking an increase of 32.0%.
Group net profit, after non-controlling interests, is 77.4 million euros (85.7 million euros after stripping out the Antitrust Authority fine).
The Group’s investment in 2012 amounted to 513 million euros (413 million euros in 2011) and includes the cost of purchasing the Group’s headquarters premises, amounting to approximately 113 million euros.
Net debt at 31 December 2012, totalling 2,495.5 million euros, is up 169.7 million euros compared with 31 December 2011. The increase in debt is due to the need to finance investment and, to a lesser extent, to an increase in working capital.