(AGENPARL) – ven 22 settembre 2023 PRESS RELEASE
CITY GREEN LIGHT RECEIVES 197 MILLION FOR
SUSTAINABLE PROJECTS WITH ITALIAN MUNICIPALITIES
The resources will be earmarked for the company’s growth plan, which specialises in
offering solutions to local authorities in the field of public lighting, energy efficiency
and smart services, for digitalisation and energy saving initiatives
The financing was granted by Intesa Sanpaolo, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, UniCredit,
BNL BNP Paribas and Sparkasse – Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano and is partially
assisted by the SACE Green Guarantee
Milan, 22 September 2023 – City Green Light, a company which operates in the field of
public lighting, energy efficiency and smart city services, has obtained resources of just
under EUR 200 million from a pool of financial institutions to support its growth plan
and investments in energy efficiency and digitalisation, including new business lines and
M&A transactions.
The resources will mainly be used to implement investment projects dedicated to the
energy transition and digitalisation of public administrations, thus promoting integrated
energy efficiency solutions in key sectors, including public lighting, public building
management and energy communities.
Specifically, the banks involved in the operation, partially assisted by the SACE Green
Guarantee for EUR 96 million, are Intesa Sanpaolo, which through its IMI Corporate
& Investment Banking Division acted as Lender Coordinator, Bookrunner, Mandated
Lead Arranger, Agent Bank and Sace Agent, Cassa Depositi e Prestiti, UniCredit, BNL
BNP Paribas and Sparkasse – Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano as Bookrunners and
Mandated Lead Arrangers. Intesa Sanpaolo also acted as Green Loan Coordinator for the
structuring of the green lines, amounting to EUR 192 million out of the total EUR 197
million financing, aimed at supporting the green projects included in the Company’s plan.
City Green Light, established in 2017, is jointly owned by the Italian Energy Efficiency
Fund, Marguerite Infrastructure Italy II, and the European Investment Bank – EIB
(through Ipin 2E). It serves more than 250 municipalities throughout Italy, boasting
strong experience in the management of more than 900,000 lighting points, 100 road
tunnels and 1,600 security cameras.
The funding, with a duration of about 7 years, falls within the Green New Deal objectives,
due to the positive impact in terms of climate change mitigation.
“In a general context that, as never before, imposes priority on the implementation of
actions to favour the green transition, the financing operation just concluded will allow
us to continue with the execution of a transformative business plan that aims to complete
our evolution from a pure operator in the public lighting sector to a leader in the supply
of smart and energy-efficient services to Italian public administrations at all levels”, says
Eugenio Colla, Chief Financial Officer of City Green Light.
Michele Sorrentino, Head of the Italian Network of Intesa Sanpaolo’s IMI
Corporate & Investment Banking Division, says: “We are very pleased to be able to
support City Green Light’s virtuous development plan. Making cities more sustainable
and smarter with a more rational use of public lighting is essential and indicates a turning
point towards energy transition. The Intesa Sanpaolo Group has always been sensitive
with regard to this issue and it drives us to support companies working in this direction,
also in line with the objectives set out in the Green Revolution and Ecological Transition
Mission of the PNRR (National Recovery and Resilience Plan)”.
Carlo Lamari, Head of Infrastructure at CDP, said: “Promoting investments that have
a clear impact on local communities and at the same time accelerate the energy and
digital transition of public administrations is one of the main objectives of CDP’s
Strategic Plan. The transaction that we have concluded today, in synergy with the
banking system and Sace, in favour of City Green Light makes us proud because it
represents a further important step on the path towards an increasingly green economy”.
Cristina Morelli, Managing Director Business Corporate at SACE, underlines:
“Accelerating the ecological transition of Italian businesses is a pillar of our
INSIEME2025 business plan. Thanks to our cross team of experts, SACE is able to
promote excellence and support the community by carrying out this systemic transaction
in the public lighting, while maintaining the path set by our mission”.
Francesco Iannella, North East Regional Manager at UniCredit, comments: “For
us at UniCredit, supporting City Green Light has a twofold significance. On the one hand,
it allows us to support a dynamic company that has made sustainability its core business
and will now be able to offer itself as a partner in the processes for improving the energy
efficiency of public bodies. On the other, it is concrete proof, yet again, of our sense of
responsibility towards the communities in which we operate”.
Stefano Manfrone, BNL BNP Paribas North East Territorial Director: “BNL BNP
Paribas’ support for City Green Light is part of the Bank’s commitment towards
entrepreneurial ventures that combine development, innovation and sustainability.
Through its investment in transactions of this type, BNL confirms its active presence in
the territories, to assist companies in their national and international growth plans for
the benefit of the country’s economy and for the further dissemination of Italian
manufacturing and technological excellence throughout the world”.
The Head of the Corporate Banking and International Services Department of
Sparkasse-Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano, Emiliano Picello, states: “The pool of
banks, among which Sparkasse – Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano plays an important role,
decided to support City Green Light’s strategic development plan aimed at pursuing
sustainability, safety and energy efficiency goals.
By participating in this important initiative, Sparkasse – Cassa di Risparmio di Bolzano
is illustrating how the objectives stated in its Strategic Plan are fulfilled on a daily basis
by financially supporting enterprises that deserve attention and demonstrate that they are
fully realising their growth objectives compatible with the ESG sustainability KPIs
adopted by the bank”.
SACE, the financial insurance group led by Alessandra Ricci, plays a leading role in
Italy’s ecological transition by issuing green guarantees on domestic projects that promote
economic activities with a lower environmental impact.
The company was assisted by Vitale&Co as financial advisor, PwC Strategy& and
SINLOC as industrial advisors and Ashurst as legal advisor, while the financing banks
were assisted by Legance.
CITY GREEN LIGHT
City Green Light S.r.l. is an E.S.Co (Energy Service Company) operating in the energy saving and energy efficiency
fields, jointly owned by leading national and international investment funds specialised in the sector. The company
represents national excellence that focuses on innovation and the Green Economy by proposing solid development
models for energy efficiency and smart services with the aim of accompanying public administrations and companies
in the ecological, energy and digital transition. It currently operates in more than 250 municipalities throughout Italy,
serving more than 5 million citizens.
Media Relations
City Green Light
INTESA SANPAOLO
Intesa Sanpaolo is Italy’s leading banking group – serving families, businesses and the real economy – with a significant
international presence. Intesa Sanpaolo’s distinctive business model makes it a European leader in Wealth
Management, Protection & Advisory, highly focused on digital and fintech, in particular with Isybank, the Group’s
digital bank. An efficient and resilient Bank, it benefits from its wholly-owned product factories in asset management
and insurance. The Group’s strong ESG commitment includes providing €115 billion in impact lending by 2025 to
communities and for the green transition, and €500 million in contributions to support people most in need, positioning
Intesa Sanpaolo as a world leader in terms of social impact. Intesa Sanpaolo is committed to Net Zero by 2030 for its
own emissions and by 2050 for its loan and investment portfolios. An engaged patron of Italian culture, Intesa Sanpaolo
has created its own network of museums, the Gallerie d’Italia, to host the bank’s artistic heritage and as a venue for
prestigious cultural projects.