Born in 2002 out of the aggregation of 11 municipal companies operating in Emilia-Romagna, first corporation of its kind nationwide, over time Hera has embarked on a journey of consistent and balanced growth, incorporating other companies active in the same areas. Hera, publicly listed since 2003, turned 15 on 1st November 2017 and is now among the nation's largest multi-utilities, working mainly in the environment (waste management), water (aqueduct, sewerage and purification) and energy (electricity, gas distribution and sales, energy services) sectors. Other services offered include public lighting and telecommunications.   Its range of activities undergoes continuous and constant development, and reflects the five levers on which the Group's strategic orientation is founded: growth, efficiency, excellence, innovation and agility. Within the panorama of public services in Italy, the Hera Group's leadership can easily be recognised in a few figures: almost 9,000 employees who meet the needs of 4.4 million citizens in over 350 municipalities in Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Marche, Tuscany and Veneto.   In particular Hera Trading S.r.l. is a company owned by Hera S.p.a, which handles procurement and sales of natural gas, electricity, transportation capacity, green certificates, energy and emissions securities and operational management of currency and/or commodity risk on local and international markets.    Hera Trading operates at the Italian Virtual Exchange Point for gas and at the main European hubs (Baumgarten in Austria, NCG in Germany and TTF in the Netherlands), while in the electricity sector, in addition to being on the Italian electricity exchange, it operates in the French, Swiss, German, Austrian and Slovenian markets.