What Unareti does

Unareti S.p.A. is a regulated electricity and gas distribution utility operating under the direction and coordination of A2A S.p.A., Italy's multi-utility parent group. The company holds exclusive territorial concessions granted by public authorities and regulated by ARERA (Autorità di Regolazione per Energia Reti e Ambiente) for electricity distribution across Brescia, Milan (including Rozzano), and Cremona, and for gas distribution in seven municipalities of the Milan metropolitan area (ATEM M1). As of 31 December 2024, Unareti served 1,219,837 electricity users, managed 10,765 GWh of injected energy, and operated 15,584 km of network (46 km high voltage, 5,981 km medium voltage, 9,557 km low voltage) supported by 33 primary substations and 9,850 secondary substations.

The company's core product is physical energy distribution infrastructure combined with metering and connection services. Unareti is executing a 15-year mass replacement program (2020–2034) to deploy Smart Meter 2G across 1.3+ million installations, enabling remote telegestione of supply points up to 30 kW, detailed consumption data for end customers, and integration with national systems (Terna GAUDI, GSE, SII). Supporting digital platforms include the Portale Clienti Finali for end customers, the Netgate portal for energy vendors, the Service Provider portal for third-party device associations, the Portale Accertamenti for gas safety inspections, plus an AI-driven chatbot deployed on WhatsApp and Telegram (@unareti_bot) for 24/7 outage monitoring and self-reading submissions. Adjacent services include biomethane injection connections, EV charging infrastructure connections, real-time outage verification, and energy community area verification tools.

Unareti monetizes exclusively through ARERA-regulated tariffs across five streams: electricity distribution tariffs (varying by voltage level), gas distribution tariffs, measurement service fees, connection and quote services, and managed-services recovery for the Smart Meter 2G rollout. Pricing is non-commercial and non-negotiable, with tariffs for 2024–2027 defined in ARERA Delibera 616/2023/R/eel. Customer segments are residential, commercial/SMB, industrial (medium and high voltage), electricity producers, and energy vendors; as a territorial monopoly, customer acquisition is non-existent within the concession area. The company is undergoing a structural narrowing of its gas footprint via the July 2025 transfer of certain municipal gas distribution activities to Ascopiave Group (AP RETI GAS North S.r.l.).

Name

Unareti

Legal name

Unareti S.p.A.

Website

https://unareti.it

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1,001–5,000 employees

Short description

Unareti S.p.A. is an Italian regulated electricity and gas distribution utility, wholly owned by A2A S.p.A., serving 1.2 million+ electricity users across Brescia, Milan, and Cremona under ARERA-regulated territorial concessions, with 15,584 km of network and a multi-year Smart Meter 2G rollout.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Electricity and Gas Distribution Services

NAICS

Natural Gas Distribution (22121), Electric Power Distribution (221122)

SIC

Electric, Gas & Sanitary Services (4900), Natural Gas Distribution (4924)

akta.pro primary industry

Regulated Natural Gas Utility (LDC) Customer Acquisition & Switching (EUAAADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Customer Information System (CIS) Administration & Configuration (EUAJAHAF), Outage/Incident, Emergency Response & Restoration Analytics (EUAJALAG), Remote Connect/Disconnect & Shutoff/Reconnection Management (EUAJACAG), New Service Installations & Line Extensions (EUAJACAA)

Keywords

• Electricity distribution services
• Gas distribution network
• Regulated utility distribution
• Smart meter infrastructure
• Network operation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Brescia

HQ country

Italy

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Infrastructure, Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Electricity Distribution Tariffs: Unareti charges regulated distribution tariffs for electricity transport through its network, approved by ARERA. Tariffs vary by voltage level (low voltage, medium voltage, high voltage) and are applied to all customers connected to the network, regardless of which vendor they purchase energy from. Revenue is pass-through in nature, with network costs recovered through regulated tariffs included in the final customer bill.
2. Gas Distribution Tariffs: Unareti charges regulated distribution tariffs for natural gas transport through its pipeline network in its concession areas (Milan, Bollate, Baranzate, Novate Milanese, Cinisello Balsamo, Sesto San Giovanni, Corsico). Revenue is regulated and cost-reflective, approved by ARERA.
3. Measurement Service Fees: Unareti earns regulated fees for the measurement service (servizio di misura), which includes meter installation, maintenance, reading, validation and archiving of consumption data for electricity and gas. These fees are billed to vendors (who pass them on to customers) and are part of the regulated tariff structure.
4. Connection and Quote Services (Preventivi): Unareti charges connection fees for new electricity and gas connections, meter relocation/removal, production plant connections, biomethane connections, and EV charging infrastructure connections. Fees are regulated and published per ARERA guidelines. Customers request these via the online portal or contact the company directly.
5. Smart Meter 2G Replacement Program: Meter replacement costs are recognized within the measurement service tariff (corrispettivo servizio di misura), calculated per ARERA regulations and included in network charges on customer bills. No direct charge to end customers for meter replacement.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Unareti is a regulated Italian utility distributor that operates electricity and natural gas distribution networks under ARERA-approved concessions. It manages medium and low voltage electricity grids in Brescia, Milan, Rozzano, and Cremona, and gas distribution networks in the Milan metropolitan area, providing connections, meter reading, smart metering (Smart Meter 2G rollout), outage monitoring, and ancillary services for residential, commercial, industrial, and producer customers.

Product overview

Unareti operates as a regulated electricity and gas distribution utility under A2A Group, managing physical infrastructure across specific Italian territories. The portfolio includes two core infrastructure services: Electricity Distribution (medium/low voltage networks serving Milan, Rozzano, Cremona, Brescia, and province areas with 1.2M+ users) and Gas Distribution (serving Milan and surrounding municipalities). Supporting these core services are multiple digital platforms: the Customer Portal for end-user management, the Producer Portal for energy production connections, the Netgate Portal for sales companies, and the Service Provider Portal for third-party meter device associations. The Smart Meter 2G Program represents a major infrastructure modernization replacing 1.3M+ first-generation meters. Additional services include biomethane connection, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, real-time outage verification, and energy community area verification.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Electricity Distribution Service Distribution of medium and low voltage electricity across Brescia, Milan, Rozzano, and Cremona territories. Includes network management, connections, modifications, disconnections, meter management, and real-time outage monitoring for residential, commercial, and industrial customers.
• Gas Distribution Service Natural gas distribution across Milan and surrounding municipalities (Bollate, Baranzate, Novate Milanese, Cinisello Balsamo, Sesto San Giovanni, Corsico). Includes gas point of delivery management, connections, and safety services.
• Biomethane Connection Service Service for connecting biomethane production plants to gas distribution networks, with special conditions for ATEM M1 municipalities (Milan area).
• Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Connection Connection service for electric vehicle charging infrastructure on the distribution network territory, subject to feasibility verification.
• Real-Time Outage Verification Service Online service for monitoring real-time electricity network status, checking scheduled and unscheduled outages, and viewing estimated restoration times.
• Energy Community Area Verification Online service to verify if supply addresses are connected to the same Primary Substation for constituting energy communities and accessing distributed self-consumption.

Quantifiable outcome

• 1,219,837 electricity users served across Brescia, Milan, and Cremona as of December 31, 2024
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration6 records

AI capability2 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• A2A S.p.A. (Parent Company)coreOthersUnareti S.p.A. is subject to the direction and coordination activity of A2A S.p.A., a major Italian multi-utility group. A2A operates across energy (electricity, gas, heating), environment (waste management, water), and smart city services. A2A provides group-level services including IT, HR, legal, and financial coordination. Unareti's accessibility and privacy policies reference A2A group standards (e.g., A2A Group Code of Ethics, Anti-Corruption Policy, Human Rights Policy, Whistleblowing procedures).

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• IRETI: Iren Group's regulated electricity and gas distribution arm, serving over 1M electricity customers across Piedmont, Liguria, Emilia-Romagna, and parts of Lombardy. Closely comparable in scale (~1M+ customers), integrated electricity+gas DSO model, ARERA-regulated tariffs, and multi-territory concession structure.
• Acea: Rome-headquartered multi-utility operating electricity distribution in central Italy (Lazio, Umbria, etc.) plus water, environment, and energy infrastructure. Comparable as an Italian regulated multi-utility DSO with ARERA oversight and a similar mix of regulated distribution and adjacent service revenues.
• InRete Distribuzione Energia: Hera Group's wholly-owned gas and electricity distribution subsidiary, operating networks across Emilia-Romagna and surrounding regions. Directly comparable as a regulated multi-territory Italian DSO with overlapping service scope and similar ARERA tariff/regulatory exposure.
• Hera: Multi-utility group headquartered in Bologna with regulated electricity and gas distribution (via subsidiary InRete) across Emilia-Romagna and other regions. Comparable integrated multi-utility DSO model, ARERA-regulated tariff exposure, and combined gas+electricity network operations.
• Italgas: Italy's largest dedicated natural gas DSO, serving ~7M gas meters across most Italian municipalities. Direct peer as a regulated gas distribution operator under ARERA with the same ATEM concession tender framework, smart meter rollout obligations, and biomethane/distributed gas services.
• e-distribuzione: The largest electricity distribution system operator in Italy, part of the Enel Group, serving tens of millions of connection points nationwide. Directly comparable as a regulated electricity DSO operating under ARERA with analogous smart-meter rollout obligations, network capex cycles, and concession economics.
• Ascopiave: Gas distribution operator serving ~900+ municipalities in Veneto and other northern regions. Directly comparable as a regulated Italian gas DSO under ARERA; also a recent counterparty in Unareti's 2025 gas asset divestiture (AP RETI GAS North), highlighting the active ATEM gas market in which both compete.

Others

• A2A S.p.A. Unareti's parent multi-utility group spanning energy (electricity, gas, heat), environment (waste, water), and smart city services. Listed as a comparator because Unareti operates under A2A's direction and coordination, with shared group services and overlapping end markets in Lombardy; however, the relationship is parent-subsidiary rather than direct competition.

Regional players

• AGSM AIM: Multi-utility based in Verona operating electricity distribution, gas distribution, water, and waste services across the Veneto region. Comparable as a smaller-scale northern Italian multi-utility DSO with similar ARERA-regulated structure but a different primary geography.
• Dolomiti Energia: Trentino-based multi-utility operating electricity distribution (via SET Distribuzione) and gas distribution in northern Italian alpine regions. Comparable in regulated DSO activities and ARERA framework, though smaller scale and focused on a distinct alpine geography.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/unareti-s.p.a.

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Unareti