Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements
Transcription
Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements
2014 Consolidated and Separate Financial Statements 9 Gruppo Hera il Bilancio consolidato e d’esercizio Introduzione Relazione sulla gestione CHAPTER 1 Report on Operations Hera Group –Consolidated and Separated Financial Statement as at 31 December 2014 1.06.02 TRADING AND PROCUREMENT POLICY Gas consumption down 11.6% Portfolio optimization In 2014 gas consumption experienced a double-digit decrease (-11.6% compared to 2013), a much faster rate than that for the previous three years (-5.6%), dropping to 61 billion cubic meters, the lowest level for the past fifteen years. In fact, in addition to the reduction in the thermoelectric sector (-14.3%), which suffered from a weak electricity demand and the development of renewable sources, the civil sector went into a freefall, caused mainly by the mild weather that characterized last year. This market context had a major impact on Group sales. Consequently, in 2014 trading activities were geared, on one side, to optimizing the portfolio, to balance the position in the short term, and, on the other, to trading and managing new supply agreements for thermal year 2014/2015. Going into details, short-term adjustments, dictated by an efficient requirement forecast activity, were carried out through purchase or sale settlements at the Virtual Exchange Point (VEP), in Baumgarten on the Title Transfer Facility (TTF) and on the Net Connect Germany (German NCG). Generally, these transactions took place at favourable prices, making it possible to meet forecast performance, despite a contraction of volumes traded. Starting in April, HeraTrading started activities for the procurement of both the gas intended to fill the storage purchased at the auction, for about 0.35 billion cubic meters, and the gas intended for the free market of HeraComm for thermal year 2014/2015, for about 0.5 billion cubic meters, sourcing it directly from the spot market. Moreover, in June trading began in modulated gas for the protected market on the HeraComm REMI (delivery points), for a total volume of about 1.5 billion cubic meters for thermal year 2014/15, in line with the terms of delivery approved by the Authority for Electric Energy and Gas (AEEGSI), starting from October 2013. The trading activities, which ended in June, resulted in highly favourable pricing and credit terms. Modulated gas trading for about 1.5 billion cubic meters Reform of the electric market In 2014, the seriousness of the crisis came full circle in the electric market. According to Terna’s survey, demand for electricity in Italy was 309.0 TWh, down 3.0% from the previous year. This decline pushed Italy’s clock back 12 years, in terms of electric energy, below the levels recorded in 2002. The drop in demand, also due to the exceptionally mild winter weather, the high production of hydroelectric plants, due to the substantial rainfalls, and, lastly, the high overcapacity determined by the development of renewable sources caused the situation of the thermoelectric sector to deteriorate further. Accordingly, the sector is voicing its concerns, requesting to reorganize the market and the regulatory framework, including by modifying the Market for Dispatching Services (MDS), with the objective of rewarding the flexibility of thermoelectric gas plants (Capacity Payment), pending the introduction of the Capacity Market. This negative scenario has a strong impact on producers. The Group, taking into account the limited installed capacity compared to the final market served, has been able to Approved by the Hera Spa Board of Directors on 24 March 2015 58 Hera Group –Consolidated and Separated Financial Statement as at 31 December 2014 address the challenges by operating the MDS plants. This made it possible to obtain satisfactory results from the Teverola (Caserta) and Sparanise (Caserta) plants. On the other hand, problems continued with the Ortona (Chieti) plant, given that it is located in an area that is not in high demand on the MDS , and with the COGEN/Imola plant, though in the latter case the problems were offset by the positive performance of the associated district heating. Upgrading activities were performed on the Imola plant, which could not operate due to cogeneration restrictions, with the objective to enable it also on this market from the very start of 2015. Increase of activities in electric trading The year under review saw an increase in trading activities in electric energy and Environmental Certificates on European markets, with positive results, in line with expectations. Special attention was paid to the management/optimization of HeraComm’s purchase portfolio through operations on the electricity market and on Over the Counter (TC) platforms. Commodity and currency risk management was highly effective, also in a context characterized by falling oil prices and the significant change in the euro-dollar exchange rate in the second half of the year. This process is implemented, for both gas and electricity, through a portfolio concentration where formulas are destructured, positions are netted and volumes are hedged. The results were positive even though in 2014 they were affected, in terms of materiality, by the progressive delinking of gas and electric energy prices from oil. Approved by the Hera Spa Board of Directors on 24 March 2015 59