As also indicated in its Code of Ethics, Iren Group actively and fully cooperates with the Public Authorities, pursuing the objectives indicated by the relevant Public Institutions and effectively cooperates with the authorities/institutions responsible for regulating and supervising local public services. These are actions that the Group pursues, combining them with its mission and with the need for managerial and organisational autonomy shared by all economic operators.
The control of relations with institutional subjects is defined by an organisational model that assigns competences and responsibilities to the reference company structures. In particular, the Public Affairs Department oversees top-level relations at an institutional level, especially with international, national and local entities, in order to represent the Group’s needs and proposals, in agreement with the relevant Departments and Business Units. The Regulatory Affairs Department manages relations with the Regulatory Authorities and the associations to which the Group belongs, in close coordination with the Business Units. The Corporate Affairs Department handles communications with the market supervisory Authorities (Stock Exchange and Consob). The Business Units supervise, with the support of the parent company, the technical and specialised aspects of the services, also interacting with administrative, regulatory and control bodies.
Relations with local sector authorities
In 2021, our constant discussion with Public Administrations and Local Sector Authorities focused on the following issues:
- implementation of the interventions provided for in the Area Plan aimed at improving the integrated water service in Liguria (Genoa and La Spezia), Emilia (Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia) and Piedmont (Vercelli) regions;
- districts division of the water network in Liguria, Emilia and Piedmont regions, with monitoring and control of network leaks to progressively reduce them;
- adaptation of the wastewater treatment plants of the Metropolitan City of Genoa (conclusion of the authorisation procedure for the Sestri Levante plant, continuation of the procedure for the Chiavari plant, construction of plants of Arenzano-Cogoleto, Torriglia and Central Area of Genoa) to the Directive 91/271 EEC on the treatment of wastewater;
- inauguration of a new wastewater treatment plant in Villa Minozzo (RE) that provides the village of Gozzano with an important infrastructure for the protection of water resources;
- conclusion of the authorisation process for the realization, in the province of Vercelli, of a plant for the transformation of the recovered wood into new final or semi-finished products;
- conclusion of the authorisation process for the construction of a biodigestion plant for biodegradable waste in the province of La Spezia;
- application of the tariff method and quality regulation approved by ARERA for the integrated water service and the waste management service. Constant relations with the Local Sector Authorities and – in the case of waste – the Public Administrations have made it possible to achieve a fair balance between tariff increasesand the need for investment in the area, complying with the requirements of the regulations;
- multi-year plan to replace electricity meters, which began in November 2021 in the cities of Parma and Turin. The plan, which calls for the commissioning of more than 700,000 new 2G smart meters, has been shared and approved by ARERA;
- operation of the 79 dispensers that supply zero kilometre water to thousands of residents in the provinces of Parma, Piacenza and Reggio Emilia with less plastic bottles to be used and, consequently, less waste to be produced;
- institutional visits to the Group’s main plants which represent – in terms of size and technologies adopted – excellence at national level in the energy, water and waste sectors. In particular, the Mancasale (Reggio Emilia) plant for the reuse of purified water, which makes it possible to recover millions of cubic metres of water resources, was also visited during the Festival of the Green Economy held in Parma;
- projects for the efficient use of water resources, the prevention of waste production, the development of sorted waste collection and in general the awareness of local communities towards good practices of environmental sustainability.
Contributions to political institutions and parties
The Group’s Code of Ethics explicitly states, in paragraph 7.5, that: “Iren does not make contributions, either directly or indirectly and in any form, to parties, movements, committees and political and trade union organisations, or to their representatives and candidates, except for those due under specific regulations“.
The Group collaborates with Institutions, also financially, for specific projects that are attributable to its mission and, in particular, for projects that contribute to the economic, social and environmental sustainability of the areas of reference. These collaborations, however, are always implemented on the basis of clear documentation for the use of resources.