Météorage, provider of lightning risk prevention solutions, subsidiary of Météo France, follows its development strategy and announces on 3 December 2020 the acquisition of the lightning unit of CESI SIRF Italy from the CESI Group. With this transfer, the two companies confirm their international development strategy.
By acquiring all the assets of CESI SIRF, the Italian thunderstorm surveillance network in the most heavily struck country in Europe, Météorage acquires:
. its operational centre
. its 15 latest-generation sensors and their installation contracts
. its supplier and partner contracts
. its clients’ contracts include Italian utilities international ports and airports, the provinces and their ARPA - Italian regional agencies for environmental protection.
Thanks to its technical expertise in the digital, Météorage ensures the continuity of personal and property security services for the entire CESI SIRF customer base. More than 3 million Italian lightning bolts (annual average) will transit directly to its unique CATS platform and its powerful nowcasting, anticipation and warning engines. With this acquisition Meteorage expects to send more than one million additional alert messages per year and ensure the safety of several hundred million Europeans.
«Thunderstorms are an extreme meteorological hazard with terrible consequences for the safety of people and installations. Monitoring them and preventing the associated risks requires the development of complex tools for which our teams innovate on a day-to-day basis. Extending our technology and services in Europe and throughout the world is a major challenge for risk mitigation. We have historically had a very good working relationship with the CESI group. This acquisition increases our international reach and will enable us to develop the risk culture of Italian economic operators in all weather-sensitive sectors. We will continue to work in this direction with CESI's Consulting division.» explains Dominique LAPEYRE de Chavardès, President of Météorage.
Cesi Group has decided to dispose of its SIRF unit in order to further focus on its core businesses of energy consulting and Testing & Certification. Following the acquisition of KEMA Labs, completed in December 2019, CESI has become the world leader in the independent Testing, Inspection and Certification services for the power sector. Through its leading-edge laboratories in the Netherlands, Italy, Germany, United States of America, Czech Republic and China, as well as its highly experienced consultants around the world, CESI supports its global clients in winning the challenges of the energy transition.
«Our CESI SIRF unit had a long-standing relationship with Météorage, the only independent lightning risk prevention and management company in the world whose only business is lightning. Thanks to its history and vision, Météorage is the best partner to take over the SIRF asset and experience also to the benefit of our clients. In this respect, our power consultants will continue to build upon Météorage/SIRF services in order to provide innovative solutions to our utility clients worldwide. » specifies Matteo Codazzi CEO - CESI SpA.
«The disposal of CESI SIRF lightning unit », according to the CEO of CESI, «will allow our Group to focus even more on our core business. The energy sector is undergoing a deep transformation. Through the combination of our KEMA laboratories worldwide, and the expertise of our talented professionals, we are uniquely positioned to provide our global customers with innovative services related to the energy transition. For instance, in these days we are launching our “Remote L@b Experience”, a new way of testing power grids components in our labs from remote. Wearing interactive glasses that provide an Augmented reality experience mixed with collaborative IT solutions, our experts interact, in real time, with customers who live the same experience as being in our labs - even if sat in their offices, miles away, or in the comfort of their homes.», concludes Matteo Codazzi.
With the challenges of climate change and the resurgence of severe weather phenomena, 80% of companies and 100% of local authorities are affected by the weather, with this risk reaching ¼ of a country's GDP. Today, 60% of CAC 40 companies trust Météorage to regulate their risks. The power of its tools allows to save lives but also to reduce the number of disasters that can cost several billion euros and limit material damage to the processes or networks of its users, for example electricity, telecom, rail, air, but also camping and many others...