Energy

Utilities, 19 billion investments for the green transition

This is the estimate provided by Utilitalia for the next five years. Deputy Vice President Dal Fabbro: "Electricity grids the challenge of challenges, in addition to the development of renewables, without losing sight of technology and attention to the territory".

3 July 2025

3' min read

Monstrous investments of 19 billion, over the next five years, "starting with electricity grids, which will be the challenge of challenges". Announcing them is the deputy deputy chairman of Utilitalia (as well as executive chairman of Iren), Luca Dal Fabbro. According to the estimates of the Federation of public service companies in electricity, gas, water and the environment, the main Italian utilities will put them on the plate in order to cope with the radical transformation of the sector, as well as, obviously, the objectives of decarbonisation and combating climate change. After all, as is well known, with the Green Deal and the European Climate Act, the EU has identified climate neutrality by 2050 as a point of focus.

It is an ambitious path that calls on utilities,' Dal Fabbro points out, 'mainly on three fronts, water, networks and the development of renewables, all 'reasoning on the new technologies available on the market' and without losing sight of their historical mission, which is to 'invest in the territories and provide high quality and competitive services to customers'.

Change of pace on investments

Going down this road will not be easy, even though the utilities themselves have shown great resilience in recent years in the face of major shocks, starting with the Covid and the surge in commodity prices following the war in Ukraine. This time, certainly, an evolution and, in some cases, the transformation of all the main segments of the energy chain will be necessary, with the consequent need for huge investments, which Utilitalia has quantified at 19 billion.

The analysis - presented today during the annual assembly celebrating the Federation's 10th anniversary - also 'broke down' from a sectoral point of view the capex planned for the next five years: 7.6 billion will be earmarked for investments in electricity, gas and district heating networks, 7.7 billion for renewable and non-renewable energy production, 1.5 billion for energy efficiency and sustainable mobility.

The grand challenges: grids and renewable capacity

The challenge on the grids, according to Dal Fabbro, is the main one, both for the amount of investments planned and for the context that lies ahead: 'global warming requires more energy as well as the development of data centres, and today the Italian grids - however well structured compared to other European countries - are not designed to withstand such a significant increase in both loads and temperatures'. In this regard, Utilitalia urges "regulatory simplifications for the implementation of network works by distributors".

Another chapter to be tackled is the development of renewables: today, 'they are increasing at an important rate, but we need to maintain this rate by adding new capacity and repowering existing ones,' Dal Fabbro notes. The objective? "To strengthen the country's strategic autonomy, which is not easy: I am not saying replace gas, which will continue to be essential, but certainly complement it with more green capacity, solar in particular. - In short, producing more energy at a competitive price that shields us from potential crises,' he adds. And with this in mind, Utilitalia also advocates resolving 'pragmatically and effectively' the issue of hydroelectric concessions.

The role of technology and territory

In all of this, according to Dal Fabbro, utilities will also have to start thinking about new technologies, data centres, and the digital revolution that goes hand in hand with the energy revolution: 'there will be greater convergence between digital consumption points and energy production, as is the case in America'. Without forgetting, he concludes, that 'our raison d'être is to invest in the territories; the first condition is that customer service be the best possible and services competitive, from renewables to the environmental chain, where we must be better at creating value and managing the waste cycle more efficiently'.

Cheo CondinaRedattore Radiocor
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Luogo: Milano
Lingue parlate: Italiano, inglese
Argomenti: Energia, infrastrutture, assicurazioni, finanza e mercati
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