| Giacomo Zucchelli, Head of European Affairs, A2A |
A2A Life Company is a multi-utility active in energy production, distribution and sales, environmental services, electric mobility, and smart infrastructure. The largest player in Italy for waste collection and treatment, A2A is the country’s second-largest electricity generator in terms of installed capacity and the second player in electricity networks for distributed energy.
A2A is a Life Company because it offers services that are part of every citizen’s daily life and can lead to a more sustainable future for everyone. We cover the entire value chain of energy, from production and sales of electricity and gas to solutions for e-mobility. Through our networks, we distribute electricity and gas, drinking water and heat for district heating. Thanks to operations in urban cleaning and integrated waste management, with recovery of materials and energy, we deliver circular solutions that benefit the communities we are proud to serve. Finally, A2A is active in the digitalisation of energy services and smart mobility. In 2019, we launched one of the largest Italian corporate venture capital funds dedicated to innovation in strategic business areas for the company, including artificial intelligence, blockchain and home automation.
At A2A, a force of 14,000, strives to contribute to Italy’s green transition – a mission that we embedded in our ten-year Strategic Plan, featuring investments of over EUR 16 billion in projects that are 85% aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. This will be our “decade of action” to make both energy transition and circular economy – the two pillars of our strategy – concrete realities. Our goal is to achieve net-zero emissions by 2040, giving our tangible contribution to the creation of a more sustainable future for Europe.
Our targets for 2030 are well-defined. EUR 5 billion will be channeled into circular economy projects, supporting our high environmental targets while providing clean and affordable heating and energy solutions to our customers. Linked to our investments in environmental services is the plan to increase biomethane production, reaching a capacity of 170mcm by 2030, to contribute to the diversification of Italy’s energy mix.
In addition, EUR 11 billion will be directed to the energy transition. By 2030, we plan to double our generation from renewable sources. We also plan to develop our flexible assets, increasing storage capacity by 25%. Furthermore, to support Italy’s electrification efforts, we are investing EUR 3 billion in the upgrading of energy networks, by building new primary electric substations and considerably extending the electric grid (2,500km of new lines).
A2A is also working on the creation of Italy’s first regionally integrated supply chain for the production, storage, distribution, and commercialisation of green hydrogen for both transport and energy-intensive industries.
True to its mission as a Life Company, in recent years A2A has stepped up its efforts to fight energy poverty by launching Banco dell’Energia, a non-profit foundation active since 2016 offering direct income support to vulnerable consumers, training citizens to a more conscious use of energy, and supporting interventions to increase energy efficiency and distributed renewable energy production.
In June 2022, A2A opened its first office in Brussels, to strengthen its dialogue with key EU stakeholders and decision-makers and actively contribute to defining the political and regulatory framework for Europe’s twin transition. A2A’s membership in Eurogas is an important step forward, allowing us to join the discussion on the role of gases and gas infrastructure in Europe’s energy security and the transition to a decarbonised energy mix. We bring to the table a long history of serving our customers’ energy needs through state-of-the-art and high-efficiency solutions, and we look forward to putting our expertise and resources to use to meet the challenge of delivering a just and inclusive transition towards Europe’s green energy future.
