«The new Maire Tecnimont? Boost on hydrogen and biogas»- Corriere.it

“We look to the future by valuing the past of the Italian energy industry”. It is the synthesis of the project by Fabrizio Di Amato, president of Maire Tecnimont, now with the new Maire logo. For his group he has just inaugurated the Unbox the Future revolution, the first plan in the history of the multinational that looks to the next decade, with the forecast of revenues doubling to 7 billion euros, a cash equivalent to ten times that of 2022, despite the boost of investments equal to one billion. We start from 3.4 billion in revenues in 2022 (+20.9%) and the forecast to rise to 3.8-4.2 billion this year.
His group listed on the Piazza Affari is the result of Maire assembling valuable pieces of Made in Italy engineering, such as Fiat Engineering and Tecnimont, with over 100 years of history in chemistry. This year Di Amato celebrates 40 years of his activity.

What is the architecture of the new floor?
«We have decided to clarify the organizational structure, customers and the market are asking for it. Today Maire is a completely transformed reality, which capitalizes on what has been done so far and reorganizes itself with two divisions, focusing on one side on new technologies and on the other on historic engineering skills. The goal is to play the role of global technology leader in the energy transition. Unbox the Future is a first stop. The plan looks at ten years because Maire’s business follows the great trends of the industrial revolutions».

How will the two divisions move?
«Sustainable Technology Solutions will expand the technology portfolio, also thanks to the group’s ability to co-invest in sustainable projects. We are already present in biofuel technologies, biopolymers and biodegradable polymers, plastic recycling, CO2 capture and hydrogen. The division will be able to work in tandem with the other unit, Integrated E&C solutions, which represents our historical plant engineering capacity. 95% of our turnover comes from abroad but we bring Italian skills to the world”.

What is the impact on the country?
«Let’s take the example of the Rome project where by producing synthetic gas from unsorted waste – which, moreover, Italy is forced to export – we will obtain hydrogen and ethanol, more sustainable alternatives for mobility. With this type of plant, up to 1.6 million tons of hydrogen could be recovered from the 16 million waste that goes to landfills every year at a national level, which is equivalent to 20% of what is consumed today in Europe. In short, Italy could become a self-produced hydrogen hub, as if it had those natural resources that the country does not possess, making the supply chain work, forging partnerships with industry and finance”.

All the players in the energy sector are moving towards new fuels, how can we collaborate to speed up projects?
«In the waste to chemical sector Maire has launched ten initiatives in the country and we already have many partners, both financial and industrial groups that also play the role of suppliers of raw materials or buyers of the finished product, including Eni, Iren, Acea, and Suez for collaborate in various regions such as Lombardy, Tuscany and Central South».

At what stage is the hydrogen valley project in Rome?
“Engineering studies have begun and we are working to start the authorization process”.

De Nora is also developing a gigafactory for hydrogen…
“De Nora already has an agreement with Maire on electrolysis. All the players join the hydrogen project: only in this way can it become a plan for Italy».

In your projects in Italy, how much capital will you activate?
“In this kind of project, the public-private partnership would generate a fourfold effect on the investment. If we consider all our projects presented in Italy, we would mobilize about 30,000 new jobs between us and related industries. In short, if the EU decides to leave all avenues open for green technologies, we will be able to contribute to decarbonisation. For example, in the automotive sector I am convinced that the internal combustion engine could coexist with the electric one, thanks to the contribution of the new synthetic fuels, on which Maire is working a lot. The country would give new impetus to the plant engineering chain which has a great tradition and skills. Today I feel like with Maire 40 years ago, with the same passion and desire to build while looking to the future. A horizon that also sees the doubling of the number of people – today 9,400 – who work for us».

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