Semiconductors

StM, agreement on industrial water: a step forward for the SiC campus in Catania

Sidra, a company based in the Etna area, will supply a further 200 cubic metres per hour by September 2027 for the first phase of the semiconductor plant. StM will carry out, at its own expense, the pre-treatment required to meet the quality standards

by Nino Amadore

27 June 2026

I laboratori di StMicroelectronics di Catania

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

Key points

The target for the first phase: 5,000 wafers a week
Fiom: ‘Clarity on pipelines, resources and the timetable’

3' min read

Translated by AI

Versione italiana

A step forward for STMicroelectronics’ expansion project in the Catania industrial zone, though some infrastructure issues remain unresolved. The signing of the contract between Sidra and the semiconductor giant for the supply of industrial water formalises a significant commitment to the new SiC campus in Catania.

Sidra, a company wholly owned by Catania City Council, will supply StM with an additional flow of 200 cubic metres of water per hour by 15 September 2027. To enable this new supply, the company will construct a dedicated connection pipeline. Sidra already supplies water to StM’s silicon carbide campus in Catania.

The additional water, however, does not meet the standards required by StM for direct use in production facilities or for discharge. The company itself will therefore build a pre-treatment plant, which is necessary to bring the water up to the standard required for industrial production.

“ST is committed to investing in and covering the costs of ensuring the water quality required for production, in order to avoid further delays to the project’s implementation,” said Fabio Gualandris, President of Quality, Manufacturing and Technology at STMicroelectronics.

For the mayor of Catania, Enrico Trantino, the agreement addresses a key requirement for the development of the industrial hub. “Industrial growth requires infrastructure, certainty and the ability to plan. In this context, water is not a secondary service but an enabling factor,” the mayor emphasised.

The target for the first phase: 5,000 wafers a week

The total water supply provided by Sidra, together with the water already used by the plant – up to 400 cubic metres per hour – will need to support the first phase of the SiC campus’s manufacturing development. The target is a production capacity of 5,000 wafers per week, expected to be achieved by the fourth quarter of 2028.

For the subsequent phases, however, a further increase will be required. The supply capacity required for steps 2 and 3 amounts to 800 cubic metres per hour and must be agreed by September 2027. Sidra has also committed to ensuring a high level of supply resilience, an essential element for an industrial sector such as semiconductors, where operational continuity is a critical requirement.

Fiom: ‘Clarity on pipelines, resources and the timetable’

The agreement has been welcomed by Fiom Cgil, which nevertheless draws attention to the work that still needs to be done to ensure the business plan is fully implemented.

“The agreement between Sidra and STMicroelectronics was a necessary step that had long been hoped for,” says Rosy Scollo, General Secretary of Fiom Cgil, “but we must now swiftly address the outstanding issues. Starting with the infrastructure essential for the supply of industrial water: who will build the pipelines, with what resources and according to what timetable?”

According to the trade union’s findings, the current conditions would only cover two of the five stages set out in StM’s business plan. Each stage corresponds to a production module and an industrial building, whilst the overall project aims to complete all five modules. Last week, the trade unions jointly requested a meeting with STMicroelectronics at the Ministry of Enterprise and Made in Italy. They are now awaiting a response to this request, whilst the issue of water once again highlights how the success of the industrial project depends not only on corporate investment, but also on the region’s ability to deliver the necessary infrastructure on time.