ENEL GREEN POWER AND SECI ENERGIA (MACCAFERRI) TEAM UP TO DEVELOP BIOMASS PLANTS FROM RECONVERTED SUGAR REFINERIES

With the acquisition of 50% of Powercrop, Enel Green Power has begun a broad-based partnership with the Maccaferri Group company to develop short supply chain biomasses
Calls for five biomass reconversion projects for a total installed capacity of 150 MW

Rome, March 26th, 2013 – Today Enel Green Power and SECI Energia signed the definitive agreement whereby EGP, a global leader in renewables, purchases 50% of Powercrop, the Maccaferri Group company dedicated to reconverting former Eridania sugar refineries into biomass power plants.

With this acquisition, Enel Green Power has entered into a broad-based partnership with SECI Energia to develop energy from the biomass short supply chain by building five new high-efficiency plants with a total installed capacity of 150 MW. Once built, these plants could be capable of generating up to 1 billion kWh.

Fully developing the local agriculture and forestry supply chains and optimizing the use of clippings and agricultural residues through the construction of new plants is in line with the EU recommendation on the use of biomasses as “one of the key ways of ensuring the security of supply and sustainable energy in Europe”.

The construction of the five conversion projects - Russi (Ravenna), with a capacity of 31 MW; Macchiareddu (Cagliari) for 50 MW, Castiglion Fiorentino (Arezzo) for 19 MW, Fermo (Fermo) for 19 MW and Avezzano (L’Aquila) for 30 MW – will provide employment for the former sugar refinery workers and will help complete the recovery process sparked by sugar industry reform, restoring growth opportunities to some of the most important national agricultural districts, which will have a significant economic impact on these areas.

“By finalizing this agreement, Enel Green Power is demonstrating its desire to expand the agriculture biomass short supply chain,” commented Francesco Starace, CEO of Enel Green Power, “The investment in local biomasses will ensure the full development of resources from the territory as well as boosting their related activities. The partnership with SECI, which combines the expertise of both groups for a common vision, will allow to create the most important network of biomass chain plants in Europe”.

“This agreement,” stated Gaetano Maccaferri, Chairman of the Maccaferri Group and of Seci Energia, “represents the first step on a journey of strategic collaboration between Seci Energia and EGP to develop renewable energy in Italy, combining the specific expertise of the two Groups in technology and a profound understanding of local realities and the markets. Starting with biomass, we hope that this sharing of objectives will also extend to other technologies in Italy and abroad”.

Enel Green Power is the Enel Group company fully dedicated to the development and management of renewable energy sources at the international level, with operations in Europe and the Americas. The company generated more than 25 billion kWh in 2012 from water, sun, wind and the Earth’s heat - enough to meet the energy needs of  around 10 million households and avoid the emission of over 18 million tonnes of CO2 into the atmosphere. Enel Green Power is a world leader in the sector thanks to its well-balanced generation mix, providing generation volumes well over the sector average. The Company has an installed capacity of 8,000 MW from a mix of sources including wind, solar, hydroelectric, geothermal, and biomass. Currently, EGP has over 700 operational plants in 16 countries in Europe and the Americas.

SECI ENERGIA is the sub-holding company in which the equity holdings of the Maccaferri Group in the energy sector are concentrated, particularly those in renewable sources such as biomass, biogas, photovoltaic, wind, hydro and geothermal power and in energy recovery. In addition to Powercrop, SECI Energia oversees specific markets through Enerray, which builds turnkey photovoltaic systems installed on rooftops and on the ground and provides long-term maintenance for such systems; Sebigas, which specializes in the design, installation and management of biogas plants fed with agricultural biomasses, by-products of agro-industrial chains and manure; Exergy, which designs and supplies ORC (Organic Rankine Cycle) modules for combined electricity and heat generation. ORC technology uses low and medium-temperature heat sources that are otherwise unusable by recovering heat from the exhaust of engines, turbines or industrial furnaces, low-enthalpy geothermal sources and concentrating solar power (CSP) systems.

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