Edison completes the acquisition of Gas Natural Vendita Italia Gnvi) for 195,3 million euros and increases its customer base by 50%.
As stated in a note, on 6 February the European Commission gave the go-ahead for the acquisition and the closing of the transaction allows the start of preparatory activities for the transfer from Gas Natural Fenosa to Edison of the gas supply contract from the Shah Deniz II field in Azerbaijan, further diversifying gas supplies to Italy.
GNVI's portfolio, Edison points out, is located above all in the south of the country (particularly Puglia, Calabria and Sicily) and is mostly made up of gas customers, reliable in payments and with a high degree of loyalty. Gnvi, which also operates in the maintenance of gas boilers through Servigas, has a portfolio of gas customers of approximately 420.000 residential customers (mostly served under the enhanced protection regime) and 15.000 small and medium-sized enterprises. The company also sells electricity to approximately 53.000 retail and SME customers. Marc Benayoun, CEO of Edison, spoke of an operation with "strong strategic value" and of "an important step forward in the retail sector, acquiring a company that guarantees a high level of service to its customers thanks to a widespread presence on the territory".
