Hera Group at the top of ARERA’s water service quality ranking

The Hera Group has been recognised by the Regulatory Authority for Energy, Networks and the Environment (ARERA) as one of Italy's most outstanding operators for quality in the integrated water service, with reference to the 2020-2021 two-year period, ranking among the top service providers nationwide. More specifically, considering all the macro-indicators defined by the Authority, the Hera Group was awarded first and third place in the overall ranking of Italian operators, confirming the very high quality standards adopted by the Group in managing this service. This result fully confirms Hera's contribution to the development and efficiency of this sector, thanks to the commitment made through significant investments, state-of-the-art plants, the use of the best technologies and the work of numerous professionals committed every day to ensuring continuity, safety and quality, in line with the Group's sustainability and circular economy strategies. Involving local administrations is also fundamental in achieving this goal, to guarantee that local areas and citizens receive a service that undergoes continuous improvement. The official ceremony was held on 22 April, at the European University Institute in Fiesole (Florence), as part of the conference "Water resilience and investment in Europe", organised by ARERA with WAREG-European Water Regulators, the association that brings together European water and waste regulators.

3 positions among the top 6 occupied by areas managed by Hera in Emilia-Romagna Particularly significant results were achieved by the Hera Group for its integrated water service management in Emilia-Romagna. For both years, indeed, in the general ranking of Italian utilities that considers all six indicators under analysis, among the top 6 outstanding positions, 3 involve local areas served by Hera: 1st place for the Modena area, 3rd for Ferrara and 6th for Bologna. The macro-indicators in which the Group's service excels the most include the reduction of water leakage, drinking water quality and the adequacy of the sewerage system.
These assessments demonstrate the continuous work carried out to guarantee the best and most efficient service for its users and the local areas in which it operates, possible only by investing significant resources. As the second largest operator nationwide, in 2023 alone the Hera Group invested almost 200 million euro in the aqueduct, sewerage and purification, and the 2023-2027 Business Plan calls for total investments in the integrated water service amounting to approximately 1.2 billion euro, out of a total 4.4 billion euro allocated, or approximately 80 euro per inhabitant per year, well above the Italian average for industrial operators (63 euro per inhabitant per year). This commitment is aimed at further enhancing infrastructure resilience, encouraging the digitalisation of networks and processes, and thus guaranteeing the highest service quality and continuity and an increasingly efficient and circular use of this resource.

Indicators to assess the service quality and efficiency
In particular, Arera measures six indicators, identifying annual maintenance and improvement targets for each one: leakage in the aqueduct networks, service interruptions, drinking water quality, efficiency of the sewerage service, disposal of sewage sludge and quality of purified wastewater. The goal is to verify the containment of dispersion, with an effective control of the aqueduct infrastructure, the maintenance of service continuity, including through a suitable configuration of supply sources and an adequate quality of this resource when intended for human consumption. In addition, these indicators are intended to ascertain the efforts made to minimise the environmental impact resulting from wastewater conveyance and treatment, specifically focusing on the sludge and water lines.