- About 1 800 new, more powerful charging stations for electric vehicles will be installed in Italy.
- The project comes under the climate action objectives of the EIB and the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF).
- Crédit Agricole Italia (agent bank) and Cassa Depositi e Prestiti are financing the initiative.
- The financing is backed by the Green Guarantee of SACE (Italian Export Credit Agency).
Accelerating the infrastructural development of the electricity charging network in Italy and supporting the energy transition are the main objectives of the €26 million finance contract entered into by Duferco Energia SpA with Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP), Crédit Agricole Italia (CAI) and the European Investment Bank (EIB). The goal is to add some 1 800 new electric vehicle charging stations to the country’s network.
CDP and CAI have granted two €13 million credit lines, each of which benefits from EIB funding of €10 million. In addition, 80% of the various tranches of the financing are supported by SACE’s Green Guarantee.
The project involves the installation of ultra-fast, fast and normal charging stations connected to distribution networks, located mainly in central and northern Italian regions. Sustainability and combating climate change are priorities for all institutions involved in the project.
The operation is also supported by the European Commission via the Debt Instrument and Transport Blending Facility with funding from the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) through investments in infrastructure designed to promote competitive job growth in Europe.
Duferco Energia, with a turnover of around €1.4 billion in 2020, is strongly committed to the ecological transition process of the energy sector. It is a full-fledged operator in the Italian market and is now among the leading Italian players in the field of electromobility, with a network of over 25 000 charging stations in Italy and more than 200 000 in Europe, 650 of which it owns.
EIB Vice-President Gelsomina Vigliotti said: “The transport sector is one of the main sources of CO2 emissions globally: its decarbonisation is key to achieving climate neutrality by 2050. The transition to e-mobility can be an effective strategy for reducing emissions if coupled with the creation of a broad network of charging stations. As the EU climate bank, the EIB supports companies operating in the sector, such as Duferco Energia, through which new networks will be created to make the use of electric vehicles more accessible and efficient.”
Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport, added: “We are committed to accelerate the transition to cleaner, alternative fuels for transport. This project is fully in line with our European Green Deal and Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy objective of deploying 1 million alternative fuel charging points by 2025 and 3 million by 2030. We are therefore pleased to support Duferco which benefits from our integrated approach with backing from the CEF Debt Instrument and from the CEF Blending Facility.”
Marco Castagna, CEO of Duferco Energia, said: “This project fully demonstrates our role in the national energy transition process. It shows a tangible commitment to sustainability, which we are carrying forward in all businesses in which we are involved, especially in the area of e-mobility.”
CDP Chief Executive Officer Dario Scannapieco stated: “With this operation, CDP confirms its commitment to tackling climate change. We consider it essential to expand the charging network in Italy in order to make the use of electric vehicles more accessible to all. We are proud to work together with national and EU institutions to generate a positive impact on the green transport sector with the ultimate goal of accelerating the energy transition in order to reduce CO2 emissions.”
SACE’s CEO Pierfrancesco Latini remarked: “E-mobility is one of the pillars of Italy’s ecological transition, in which SACE is a key player, and of the investments planned under Italy’s Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP). This loan — which is our first green operation supporting the creation of a charging network for electric vehicles — makes us particularly proud and is entirely in keeping with our commitment to implement the Green New Deal in Italy as promoters of the transition to an economy with lower global warming emissions.”
Corporate Deputy General Manager of Crédit Agricole Italia Olivier Guilhamon said: We are proud of this recently agreed operation that, together with our wide range of green products and services available to customers, confirms the group’s commitment to supporting sustainable mobility. For Crédit Agricole Italia, sustainability is an element of social responsibility with which it aims to support the country’s energy transition towards a clean economy, building an ethical and inclusive future for the benefit of all. The installation of charging stations enables us to contribute tangibly to making the country more electric vehicle-friendly and to the decarbonisation process, fully in keeping with the objectives of the RRP.”
SACE has a key role to play in Italy’s ecological transition. As provided for under the “Simplifications” Decree Law of July 2020, the company is able to issue green guarantees for domestic projects that can facilitate the transition to an economy with less environmental impact, integrate production cycles with low emission technologies for the production of sustainable goods and services and promote initiatives encouraging a new form of mobility involving fewer polluting emissions. Since the decree came into force, a cross-cutting team of specialists has been set up with different but complementary professional attributes, which can provide a comprehensive response to the requirements of this new SACE operational approach.
Background information
The European Investment Bank (EIB) finances projects in four priority areas: infrastructure, innovation, climate and environment, and small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs). Between 2019 and 2020, the EIB Group provided €23 billion in financing for projects in Italy.
The Cleaner Transport Facility (CTF) is a tool supporting innovative transport technologies, making use of the instruments that the EIB and the European Commission offer. The objective of the CTF is to support the rapid deployment of more sustainable transport vehicles and related infrastructure needs.
The Connecting Europe Facility (CEF) is an EU funding instrument designed to boost growth, jobs and competitiveness through targeted infrastructure investments at European level. In addition to the CEF grants managed by the European Commission, the EIB implements the CEF Debt Instrument (CEF DI), a risk-sharing instrument that notably covers the transport and energy sectors. CEF grants and CEF DI may be combined where necessary to support projects.
Duferco Energia SpA is a company of the Duferco Group and is among the top ten operators in the Italian energy market. Founded to manage the Group’s investments in renewable power plants, it subsequently focused on the marketing of energy, gas, energy efficiency services and sustainable mobility for all market segments. The company has been operating on the Italian market since 2010 with a portfolio of about 6.6 TWh of energy sold and 400 million m3 of gas. Today, Duferco Energia is also a leader in sustainable mobility, with a network of over 25 000 charging stations in Italy and more than 200 000 in Europe.
Cassa Depositi e Prestiti (CDP) is the national promotional institution and financial institution for development cooperation that has supported the Italian economy since 1850. It is committed to accelerating the industrial and infrastructural development of the country in order to contribute to its economic and social growth. CDP’s core activity promotes the sustainable development of the regions as well as the growth and innovation of Italian companies, including internationally. It partners with local authorities, providing funding and advisory activities to build infrastructure and improve public utility services. It is also active in the area of international cooperation to implement projects in developing countries and emerging markets. Cassa Depositi e Prestiti is financed from entirely private resources via passbook savings accounts and postal savings bonds and through issues on the national and international financial markets.
SACE is the Italian insurance/financial company specialised in supporting companies and the country’s economy through a wide range of tools and solutions to support competitiveness both in Italy and globally. For over 40 years, SACE has been the key partner for Italian companies that export and grow in foreign markets. It also helps the banking system to facilitate access to credit for companies with its financial guarantees, with a role bolstered by the extraordinary measures provided for by the Liquidity Decree and the Simplifications Decree. Recent measures have extended SACE’s mandate beyond traditional support for exports and internationalisation, adding important facets such as support for investments by companies on the domestic market and guarantees for green projects in the implementation of Italy’s Green New Deal. This is a new mandate that makes SACE an institution committed to promoting the development of the national economic system. With a portfolio of insured operations and guaranteed investments worth €156 billion, SACE serves more than 26 000 companies, mainly SMEs, supporting their growth in Italy and about 200 foreign markets.