Italy regulator clears Eni unit's purchase of ACEA assets

Acea SpA

16/03/2026 17:31

ROME, March 16 (Reuters) - Italy's competition authority said on Monday it had given conditional approval to Plenitude, the low-carbon division of energy group Eni ENI.MI, to buy some assets from regional utility ACEA ACE.MI.

In a deal announced in December worth 587 million euros, Plenitude is set to take over 100% of Acea Energia and 50% of its subsidiary Umbria Energy.

The deal would significantly restrict competition in the retail sale of gas and electricity in the Rome area, and in the market for charging infrastructure for electric vehicles in Umbria, the competition watchdog said.

It ruled that the transaction can go ahead as long as remedies proposed by Plenitude, which include safeguards for retail customers in Rome and the sale of some charging stations in Umbria, are adopted in full.

In December, Eni said the acquisition was expected to close in June and was due to add more than 1.4 million retail customers to Plenitude's total in Italy, bringing its customer tally in Europe to over 11 million.

($1 = 0.8573 euros)

 (Reporting by Alvise Armellini, editing by Cristina Carlevaro and Tomasz Janowski)

 ((alvise.armellini@thomsonreuters.com;))