Edison Spa is Italy's largest energy company. Its activity consists in the extraction, production and sale of natural gas and electric energy. In addition, Edison owns hydroelectric power plants, wind power plants, and extracts various types of fossil fuels. Leveraging power generation opportunities in all areas, the company has a leading position in Italy, with over 16% production, and one of the leading in Europe. The main consumers of Edison products are several large commercial and industrial enterprises, and the main share is accounted for by the former state-owned enterprise, and now a privatized company that owns the largest capacity in Italy - Enel.
The history of the Edison company begins at the end of the 19th century. Its name pays tribute to the great inventor and scientist Thomas Edison, the whole history of the study and use of electricity is closely connected with his name. Studying the phenomenon of electricity, Edison was the first to introduce incandescent electric lamps; at that time, several types of such lamps had already been tested, but Edison was the first who was able to transfer his invention to mass production, to put it at the service of society. Perhaps that is why the Italian electric company was named after him. In 1883, on March 8, in Milan, the first plant for the production of electrical energy was opened in the building of the old theater. The opening of the plant was marked by the first public demonstration of the possibilities of electricity in Italy: during the premiere of the play at the Teatro alla Scala: 2880 incandescent lamps were lit at the same time - such an illumination made a huge impression on the public, just getting used to electricity. Gradually, society and its ruling circles came to understand that without the development of electricity, further progress is impossible, and on January 6, 1884, the Società Generale Italiana di Elettricità Sistema Edison was founded - "The main electrical company of Italy" Edison Systems ". In 1885, with the permission of the municipality of Milan, work began on lighting the streets of the city, a few years later the lighting of private houses and enterprises became available, and the first city tram was put into operation.
The success and incredibly rapid development of Edison's capacities was facilitated by the industrialization of the country, gaining momentum at the beginning of the 20th century. More and more energy was needed, and the company is acquiring more and more new backwaters and hydroelectric power plants, looking for new sources of energy. Since 1931, the company has been engaged in the production and sale of natural gas. In 1962, an event occurs that forced the company to leave the electricity market and expand developments in the field of chemistry, natural resources, and electromechanics. That event was the nationalization of the electricity industry by the ruling Christian Democratic Party. Having fought the communists and socialists for several decades, the CDA made a "trip to the left", as a result of which a single state-owned electric power company of Italy, Enel, was created. The change in activities led Edison to develop new divisions in the field of oil, gas, thermoelectric, hydrocarbon energy and strengthen leadership among private companies in Italy. In 2002, after a series of transactions and mergers, a renewed company appears, retaining the Edison name, it includes former companies Montedison, Edison, Sondel и Fiat Energy.
Today, Edison's production capacity exceeds 12 Gigawatts, which became possible thanks to the use of thermoelectric energy, the company owns 27 plants for its production; hydroelectric power - Edison owns 68 hydroelectric power plants; wind energy - 28 farms; The same company owns significant reserves of natural gas and oil.
