The Italian oil group Eni has acquired Be Power, whose subsidiary Be Charge is the second Italian operator of public charging infrastructure for electric vehicles with nearly 5,200 charging points.

The acquisition was made through Eni’s gas and power division (Eni gas e luce) and is said to be another cornerstone in making the oil group’s operations carbon neutral by 2050. But before everything, of course Eni is aiming for a lucrative business with the takeover: the company announces its intention to become the main operator of charging stations on public land, on private land with public access and at Eni gas stations in Italy and in abroad. Eni did not disclose other details of the buyout, such as the acquisition amount paid.

Be Power – founded in 2018 – owns the charging infrastructures installed on public and private properties under the Be Charge brand and holds the corresponding concessions. In addition to the nearly 5,200 charging points mentioned at the start, the company claims to have 4,160 other charging points under construction. The company also manages its charging stations and those of its partners via a proprietary technological platform and offers charging services to electric vehicle drivers via an application.

With the acquisition of Be Power, Eni takes a leading position in a market at the heart of the European Union’s energy transition strategy, ”said Claudio Descalzi, CEO of Eni, of the transaction. He added that the recharging infrastructure and recharging services activities have strengthened Eni gas e luce’s portfolio. The division currently has ten million customers in six European countries.

Eni is a partner of Ionity, among others. In 2018, the two parties signed a framework agreement to install Ionity HPC charging stations at Eni filling stations. At the time, 30 HPC sites were planned, each with six fast chargers in Italy.

eni.com