INTESA SANPAOLO SUPPORTS THE ARENA GROUP'S ENERGY TRANSITION PLAN

• Green financing to Energy Power 1 for the construction of a new photovoltaic plant
• Innovative financial structure compliant with the Green Loan Principles (LMA) and fully aligned with the EU Taxonomy
• Giovanni Arena, Cavaliere del Lavoro, Chairman of Energy Power 1 and CEO of the Arena Group: "With Energy Power 1, we are accelerating the Group's energy transition, with the aim of contributing to the increasing energy autonomy of our Group by 2030."
• Laura Asperti of Intesa Sanpaolo's IMI CIB Division: "Through transactions like this, we intend to support projects that produce industrial and environmental value, contributing to strengthening the competitiveness of businesses and achieving sustainability goals."

Milan/Catania, 26^th August 2026 – Intesa Sanpaolo, through the IMI Corporate & Investment Banking Division led by Mauro Micillo, has finalised a loan in favour of Energy Power 1, a subsidiary of Arena Energy Power, a company of the Arena Group dedicated to the development of investments in the renewable energy sector. The transaction is part of the Arena Group's broader energy transition strategy.

The financing, with a total value of 8.8 million euros, includes a Green Loan of 6.8 million euros for the construction of a Full Merchant photovoltaic plant with a total capacity of approximately 9.9 MWp in the Municipality of Assoro (Enna). The project will enable the Arena Group to increase the production of electricity from solar sources, progressively reduce its dependence on external energy supplies and continue its decarbonisation process, generating long-term environmental and economic benefits.

Giovanni Arena, Cavaliere del Lavoro, Chairman of Energy Power 1 and CEO of the Arena Group, said: “This investment represents a further step in the Arena Group's energy transition path. It also has a strong symbolic value because it transforms a part of the area that for many years housed our Group's historic headquarters into a new centre dedicated to the production of clean energy. It is a demonstration of how a place that represented our origins can continue to generate value, today through innovation and sustainability. With Energy Power 1, we are accelerating a process that has already begun, with the aim of contributing by 2030 to increasing our Group's energy autonomy through the production of energy from renewable sources."

Laura Asperti, Head of Industry Food & Beverage and Distribution of the IMI CIB Division of Intesa Sanpaolo, commented: "The energy transition requires investments, skills and financial instruments capable of concretely supporting companies' development plans. Through operations like this, we intend to support projects that produce industrial and environmental value, contributing to strengthening the competitiveness of businesses and achieving sustainability goals."

Innovative financial structure

The transaction confirms the IMI CIB Division's approach of providing companies with increasingly advanced financial solutions that integrate innovation, sustainability and support for industrial development plans.

The structure of the Green Loan, which complies with the Green Loan Principles of the Loan Market Association (LMA) and is fully aligned with the EU Taxonomy, meets the most advanced standards of sustainable finance and the growing needs of companies engaged in the energy transition.

Shared commitment to ESG

The transaction is part of Intesa Sanpaolo's ongoing commitment to sustainability: 30% of new medium- to long-term loans will be dedicated to social and environmental activities, over €110 billion over the four years of the new 2026-2029 Business Plan presented in February by CEO Carlo Messina. Of this, around 87 billion is earmarked for the sustainable transition, while approximately 25 billion is dedicated to loans with a social impact. In the Plan, the Group also reaffirmed its commitment to decarbonisation, setting 2030 targets for financed emissions, asset management, insurance, and its own emissions, all aligned with Net-Zero goal by 2050.

Energy Power 1, a wholly owned subsidiary of Arena Energy Power, is the vehicle through which the Arena Group develops its investment plan in the renewable energy sector. This choice confirms the company's desire to make the energy transition one of the pillars of the Group's industrial strategy. Among the main large-scale retail operators in Southern Italy with the Decò and SuperConveniente brands, the Arena Group has integrated the 2024–2026 Sustainability Plan with its Business Plan, incorporating sustainability, innovation and efficiency into its development strategy.

In recent years, the Arena Group has developed a comprehensive energy efficiency plan, installing photovoltaic systems at points of sale and logistics centres with the aim of progressively reducing energy consumption and CO₂ emissions. The investment promoted through Energy Power 1 represents an evolution of this path and will contribute to increasing the capacity for self-production of energy from renewable sources, strengthening the resilience of the Group's industrial model and supporting its long-term development objectives. The transaction confirms the Arena Group's commitment to combining growth, innovation and sustainability through investments aimed at creating long-term value.

The collaboration between Intesa Sanpaolo and the Arena Group demonstrates the role of finance as an enabling factor in the energy transition, through solutions that can support the evolution of industrial models and support investments with concrete and measurable long-term impacts.

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Press information

Intesa Sanpaolo

Media Relations, Corporate & Investment Banking and Governance Areas

stampa@intesasanpaolo.com

https://group.intesasanpaolo.com/it/sala-stampa/news