a2a SpA : Group Sustainability Report 2011, growth in value distributed to stakeholders

15 juni 2012  improved environmental and workplace safety performance• 1.3 billion euros (+6%) distributed nationwide • 37% of energy produced from renewable sources • 2.9 million tonnes of CO2 emissions avoided due to use of renewable sources and cogeneration • 99.7% of collected solid urban waste recovered through recycling or waste-to-energy processing • 440 new employees • 11% reduction in workplace injuries • 22,000 visitors to Group plants Milan, 15 June 2012. With the publication of the Sustainability Report 2011, the fourth since its inception, A2A brings to completion the first cycle of its sustainability planning (2009 - 2011) that has seen the annual reporting of 54 financial, social and environmental improvement targets to the benefit of employees, customers, investors, suppliers and institutions. Despite the economic crisis and the reduction in energy consumption, the traditional operations based on four synergic areas of activity (energy, environment, heat and networks) resulted in a 6% increase in financial value produced and distributed to stakeholders (1,310 million euros) broken down as follows: • 421 million (32%) to the benefit of employees in salaries, benefits and pension plans; • 298 million (23%) returned to shareholders in the form of dividends; • 298 million (23%) to public administration through duties and taxes payable to the State and social security contributions; • 178 million (13%) to financial institutions; • 115 million (9%) to local communities through duties and taxes payable to local bodies, sponsorship and charitable donations. Industrial investments totalled 310 million euros and can be divided into the following areas: 10% Energy, 31% Heat, 11% Environment, 38% Networks and 9% Corporate and Services. Investments made to improve environmental performance through the reduction of emissions, the increasing of plant energy efficiency, the development of renewable energy and the introduction of innovative technologies amounted to 50 million euros. From an environmental point of view, one of the most significant achievements of 2011 was the positive result from the production of energy from renewable or high efficiency sources that made it possible to achieve a level of 2.9 million tonnes of CO2 avoided. It should be pointed out that with the acquisition of a controlling stake in Edipower, from June 2012 three hydroelectric power plants were added to Group assets having an installed capacity of almost 800 megawatts, which will therefore be in addition to the 2,100 megawatts of electrical power from renewable sources that A2A already had in its portfolio. Furthermore, one of the Group's goals is to maintain its position of national leadership in the fields of cogeneration and district heating for civil use. This will be achieved by means of a three-year development plan which provides for an increase of 30% in the volume of "clean heat" delivered, reaching 100 million cubic metres in 2014, with increases in thermal power and extensions to the heat distribution networks particularly in the urban areas of Bergamo and Milan. In the field of environmental services, the A2A Group has become the country's biggest operator in the processing of industrial and urban waste, with volumes of about 2,800,000 tonnes. In the cities of Bergamo, Brescia, Milan and Varese, where the Group's environmental services companies manage the integrated collection-to-disposal service, in 2011 99.7% of solid urban waste was effectively recovered through materials recycling, or recovery of energy and heat through waste-to-energy processing. Thanks to the leading-edge waste-to-energy technologies adopted, from every tonne of waste an average of 813 kWh of electrical power and 606 kWh of thermal energy was produced. During the course of the year, the waste-to-energy plant at Acerra (NA) reached full production efficiency exceeding the annual goal of 600 thousand tonnes of waste processed and producing enough electrical power to meet the needs of about 200 thousand families. This saved about 100 thousand tonnes of petroleum and resulted in emissions well below the limits imposed by European regulations and the more restrictive regulations set by the Integrated Environmental Authorisation. Thanks to our commitment to the continuous improvement of environmental performance, supported by the spread of environmental management systems (100% of the hydroelectric, thermoelectric and waste-to-energy power has been granted the ISO 14001 environmental certification), the average CO2 emissions factor of the power produced by the A2A Group was 353 g/kWh which represents a reduction of 4% compared with the previous year. All the Group's waste-to-energy emissions can be found on-line at www.a2a.eu. In the context of social responsibility, it is noteworthy that, despite the difficult economic climate, A2A took on 440 new employees, 393 of them in Italy and 47 abroad. Of the 9,100 Group employees, 96.2% have permanent contracts. A2A has strengthened its commitment to develop its human resources, who it considers to be a key factor in the company's success: in 2011 around 120 thousand hours of training were provided, an increase of 50% compared with the previous year. In particular, more than 44 thousand hours of training were dedicated to issues relating to health and safety. This effort and the prompt application of OHSAS 18001 safety management systems contributed to a reduction of 11% in the number of injuries and the corresponding frequency and incidence indices. At a customer relations level, A2A has further developed its collaboration with consumer associations, through projects targeted at helping customers understand better the complex mechanisms of the energy market. Among the key issues, the agreement with business confederations to extend to small and medium size businesses the joint conciliation facility aimed at encouraging the extra- judicial resolution of business disputes, as well as the development, in concert with consumer associations, of two other important initiatives: the "Guide to Reading Your Energy Bill" and the memorandum of understanding against unfair trade practices to protect customers from fraud. The general index of customer satisfaction (ICS) for the call centres of the Group's sales company during the second half of 2011 (based on data collected by the Regulatory Authority for Electricity and Gas) was 93.9%, an increase compared with the same period in 2010 (93.3%) and, as has been the case since 2008, well above the national average of 86.8%. The positive relations with customers were also confirmed in the success of A2A's awareness campaign on electronic bills, promoted as a more ecologically responsible, not to mention convenient, alternative to the traditional postal delivery. In 2011 around 121 thousand new customers activated the service. With regard to relations with the local area, A2A confirmed its commitment to support environmental, social, cultural and sports projects, focussing on the areas in which its industrial activities are concentrated. In 2011 A2A provided 7.6 million euros for these initiatives, either directly or through its Foundations. Group companies carried out a wide number of projects involving the communities, with the participation of schools also, in order to achieve environmental and social objectives, such as avoidance of unnecessary waste, multi-material collection, urban cleanliness and decorum, the sustainable use of resources and sustainable mobility. More than 22 thousand people came into direct contact with the world of A2A by visiting its industrial plants. The Sustainability Report 2011 was drawn up in accordance with the GRI (Global Reporting Initiative) standard, the most accredited standard in the world developed by a network of international experts, complemented with the guidelines of the Electric Utilities Sector Supplement (RG Version 3.1/EUSS Final Version). Compliance with these standards was certified by an external auditor. In 2011 157 out of the 162 applicable indicators were reported, 17 more than in 2010. The document is also available in electronic form on the web site www.a2a.eu. A2A is the largest multi-utility in Italy. THE A2A GROUP operates in the energy sector in four areas of activity: Energy (the production of electrical power and the sale of electrical power and gas), Environment (the collection and processing of urban and industrial waste), Heat (cogeneration and district heating for urban use) and Networks (the distribution of electrical power and gas, and the integrated water cycle). The Group also has a presence abroad through operations in the major European electricity and gas markets, hydroelectric power production and the distribution of electrical power in the Balkans, cogeneration and district heating in France and the construction of waste processing plants in various European countries. In 2011 the Group recorded a turnover of 6.2 BILLION euros. A2A is listed on the Italian Stock Exchange. www.a2a.eu This announcement is distributed by Thomson Reuters on behalf of Thomson Reuters clients. The owner of this announcement warrants that: (i) the releases contained herein are protected by copyright and other applicable laws; and (ii) they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein. Source: a2a SpA via Thomson Reuters ONE [HUG#1619986]