On World Environment Day on 5 June, the group led by Stefano Donnarumma reaffirms its total

commitment to protecting local areas

TERNA LAUNCHES ITS REFORESTATION PROJECT FOR A NETWORK OF GREEN

INFRASTRUCTURES

Terna's new initiative starts in Sicily and Piedmont in line with the ambitious plan to reduce CO2

emissions by 30%

Rome, 4 June 2021 - On World Environment Day, Terna reaffirms is commitment to protecting local areas by launching an important reforestation project. The new initiative by the group led by Stefano Donnarumma has the long-term goal of creating a network of "green infrastructures" that contributes to amplifying the sustainable heart of the national electricity grid operator, director and enabler of the ecological transition. Specifically, Terna has identified two precious natural reserves in Sicily and Piedmont where the commitment to sustainability can be realised: the Riserva Naturale Orientata dello Zingaro natural reserve, in the province of Trapani, which was hit last year by a violent fire that destroyed 1,400 hectares of Mediterranean maquis shrubland out of 1,600 total, and the Po Vercellese-Alessandrino protected area. The project was created with the aim of reducing the hydrogeological risk, of soil erosion and, at the same time, increasing animal and plant biodiversity, through the elimination of weed species and the enrichment of native species, a refuge for many animal species.

This first reforestation initiative, which is part of the national "Mosaico Verde" campaign by AzzeroCO2 and Legambiente, is closely linked to the CO2 reduction plan recently launched by Terna. Fully in line with its strategy, aimed at combining investments and sustainability as a driving force for growth and value creation, Terna has undertaken to cut its CO2 emissions by approximately 30% compared to levels in 2019, for a value equal to about 460 thousand tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent less in the atmosphere per year.

"To achieve this ambitious goal by 2030" - declared Stefano Donnarumma, Terna's CEO - "and to make our contribution to the global challenge to try to contain the climate emergency, we have already started working on all production and organisational factors, with the target to cut emissions by 30%, and even more if possible. With our Science-Based Target we have made a promise to the planet, and we will keep it."

For Terna, protecting the environment also means paying attention to local areas and communities: from the construction of infrastructures that give value to the areas where they are built, thanks to prestigious architectural projects, as happened with the Capri electricity substation and with the beauty contest for the Suvereto (Livorno) substation, to the design of supports with a low impact to the landscape and with colours that are in harmony with the environment around them.

Attention to the environment and the centrality of sustainability in Terna's business are embodied in the "Driving Energy" 2021-2025 Business Plan: €8.9 billion in investments are planned for the development and modernisation of the national electricity grid, the highest level ever expected by the company for our country. Based on the criteria of the European Taxonomy, 95% of Terna's commitments over the next five years are considered sustainable in nature and are aimed at integrating non-programmable renewable sources and increasing the safety and resilience of the electricity system. The aim is to resolve grid congestion and strengthen the backbones that are essential to transport energy from where it is generated to where it is consumed. It will be possible to achieve this objective also thanks to the strengthening of North-South and island connections and cross-border interconnections.

This total commitment is also confirmed by the prestigious results achieved by Terna, recognised among the 50 most sustainable companies in the world at the 2020 Seal (Sustainability, Environmental Achievement & Leadership) Business Sustainability Awards; confirmed for the third consecutive year at the top of the Electric Utilities sector in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index and the first Italian electric utility to join the Nasdaq Sustainable Bond Network, the platform managed by Nasdaq dedicated to sustainable finance that brings together investors, issuers, investment banks and specialist organisations.

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Terna Rete Elettrica Nazionale S.p.A. published this content on 04 June 2021 and is solely responsible for the information contained therein. Distributed by Public, unedited and unaltered, on 04 June 2021 13:14:10 UTC.