The risk of municipal companies in the energy sector is about to restart. This was stated by the chairman Francesco Profumo speaking at the annual meeting of Iren, which approved the 2013 financial statements and distribution of the dividend, announcing that the Government "is looking for a regulatory vehicle" to start the process and that "everything should take place within 'year. With Minister Zanonato (for economic development with the Letta government, ed) – underlined Profumo – a table on the subject had been opened with Federutility and Anci, a table that is now about to restart. And Iren will be there, let's hope the times are short".
To legitimize the need for the intervention, Profumo – who was education minister with the Monti government – also illustrated some numbers: “In Italy today there are about 1350 utilities and multiutilities but 50% of the turnover comes from the four big listed companies (A2A, Iren, Hera and Acea, ed), furthermore 650 of them have a turnover of less than 4 million and 60% are in economic difficulty”. Hence the need for a consolidation that would thus secure even the accounts of small municipalities, which depend on the accounts and dividends of utilities in crisis.
