Uniacque signs a loan of 70 million with Bper in the role of agent

Uniacque Spa has recently signed an important loan agreement for 70 million euros with Bper Banca in the role of agent, Bnl Gruppo Bnp Paribas and Crédit Agricole Italia. The loan to the public company that manages the water service of the city of Bergamo is unique in the utility sector due to the speed of awarding the procedure, the structure of the loan, established on the basis of the specific needs of Uniacque, and the economic conditions offered. It is also among the first in Italy for the expected reduction in the margin offered in the event of the achievement of specific environmental sustainability objectives. The completion of this complex operation represents a fundamental step for Uniacque Spa in the context of the financial requalification of the Company, launched in the first months of 2021, which will give impetus and restart to investments in the area and support for sustainable development and growth. The loan will support the investments planned up to 2023 and the 88 million euro overall envisaged in the Economic and Financial Plan, approved by the board of directors. In particular, the implementation of various interventions aimed at achieving the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) identified in the Uniacque 2020 Sustainability Report: efficient use of resources, improvement of production processes and circularity of the service. The financial operation expires in December 2034 and provides for disbursements from 2021 to 2024, early repayment of the EIB loan taken out in 2016, 3-year pre-amortization plan, 10-year repayment with taylor made installments defined year by year in the economic and financial plan based on the expected cash flow and balloon in 2034 – last year of the amortization plan – reduced over time thanks to the excess cash generated by the company starting from 2025. “We are particularly pleased to have signed this loan agreement with Uniacque, in the role as a bank agent, because we contribute in supporting a key company for the quality of the overall services offered to our territory, with a long-term investment of great interest. The sustainability implications contained in Uniacque’s renovation projects also give the operation a very important added value: our bank has always been sensitive to issues relating to environmental protection, constantly supporting projects and ideas throughout the country “, says Luca Gotti , Bergamo Regional Director of Bper Banca. “Uniacque has long ago chosen to integrate sustainability into its industrial plan, leveraging the theory of shared value: the economic value generated must bring benefits not only to the company but also to the territory in which it operates and above all to its users, the citizens . A strategy, ours, which wants to be attentive to Environmental Social Governance issues and which translates into a continuous commitment to the environment and, above all, to the enhancement of staff and the territory, to continue to bring water to the homes of the people of Bergamo. reliably and at affordable prices. We are really pleased to have found ideal partners in Bper Banca, Bnl Gruppo Bnp Paribas and Crédit Agricole Italia to develop our growth project “, declares Pierangelo Bertocchi, CEO of Uniacque Spa. For Regina Corradini d’Arienzo, Corporate Division Director Banking Bnl-Bnp Paribas, “supporting a company like Uniacque, whose business is dedicated to local communities, means for BNL BNP Paribas Group to reaffirm the value of its” positive banking “strategy, which combines business with sustainability understood as commitment to the well-being of people, care for the environment and attention to a healthier and more balanced real economy, to contribute to a better future, especially for the benefit of the new generations “. Marco Perocchi, Head of Corporate Bank of Crédit Agricole Italia of the same opinion: “Our participation in this initiative wants to testify once again the central role of sustainability in our business model; with Uniacque we share the same values ​​and the same objectives and particular attention to ESG issues, in order to generate economic and social value for the whole system “. “This agreement represents for Uniacque a fundamental milestone in the context of the financial requalification started in the first months of 2021, which will allow a path of profound transformation of our Company, also in terms of greater operational efficiency, and which is bringing extraordinary results in a very short time. and a phase of improvement in economic and financial performance. The operational plan was also impeccable and the result of teamwork by the entire team of appointed consultants: in four months we prepared the legal, tariff and industrial due diligence, the Economic and Financial Plan and the term sheet with the conditions required of the institutes credit cards invited to the negotiated procedure. In October we received two offers and the Bper pool, Bnl Gruppo Bnp Paribas and Crèdit Agricole Italia with Bper agent bank was the winner. Thanks to this agreement, Uniacque can continue its investment plan, further improving the quality of the integrated water service ”, comments Cristian Botti, Administrative and Financial Director of Uniacque Spa and Head of the procedure.