Hera has partnered with Victoria group, a British multinational in the ceramics sector with registered offices in the Modena area and five plants in Italy. The announcement came during the Cersaie International Exhibition of Ceramics from Bologna. The goal of the partnership is "to develop innovative ideas, resources and solutions - writes the multi-utility in a note - to achieve climate neutrality with a concrete strategy, capable of progressively mitigating exposure to the market with regard to energy costs.
The details of the project
The project starts from the Alfonsine plant in Ravenna, an area where Ceramica Santa Maria, which has been part of the multinational since 2021, wishes to invest to transform the current plant making it as independent as possible, capable of self-producing green energy, with the conviction of be able to create new jobs by enhancing production capacity and developing synergies with local realities, such as the nearby Ravenna port for example", continues the note.
In detail, the project envisages “the installation of photovoltaic systems on the roofs of the factories and the construction of a photovoltaic field on the ground to significantly increase the self-production of green electricity; the construction of a cogeneration plant, capable of producing electrical and thermal energy, of approximately 5 MW which will make it possible to make the factory completely independent of energy needs".
The other objectives of the partnership
At the same time "preliminary projects" will be launched, aimed at preparing the technological infrastructure for innovative solutions, such as that of green hydrogen, with the construction of a first 2 MW electrolyser powered by energy produced by photovoltaics, capable of activating immediately followed a path of gradual and progressive decarbonisation of the direct emissions of the plant", concludes the note.