Utilities: 9.9 billion invested in Italia in 2025 (+16.5 per cent)

Over the coming years, of the €29.7 billion in investment planned between 2026 and 2028, 39 per cent relates to water services, 12 per cent to energy generation, 11 per cent to energy networks and 10 per cent to environmental services.

“The implementation of these programmes,” explains Luca Dal Fabbro, President of Utilitalia, “requires regulatory stability, appropriate authorisation procedures and coordination between businesses, institutions and local authorities. The investments made and planned for the coming years by utility companies demonstrate just how strategic the sector is for the ecological and digital transition and for the country’s competitiveness. This represents a concrete industrial commitment to modernising infrastructure, strengthening security of supply and improving services for citizens.”

According to Dal Fabbro, ‘the authorisation processes in Italia for photovoltaic projects take between 3 and 5 years – twice as long as in France, Germany and Spain: if there were fast-track procedures, significant potential could be unlocked quickly’. As for the circular economy, however, “Italia remains a leader in Europe, one of the most exemplary countries, thanks in part to massive investment by utilities,” confirms Dal Fabbro. “The plastics crisis is linked to massive dumping from abroad, particularly from China, whose virgin plastic competes with recycled plastic. But this is a market issue, not an investment one, and as such it must be resolved. And we hope that the forthcoming European Circular Economy Act will help.”

On the subject of water, the president of Utilitalia emphasises that the sector remains strategic: ‘Compared to 10 years ago, we are losing far less water; we have made progress and must continue to do so. In the Centre-North, however, expenditure stands at 90–100 euros per inhabitant, compared with 15–20 in the Centre-South: this is a gap in investment and in the capacity to implement projects, linked above all to in-house management. We need to bridge this gap and enable the South to make major investments.”

The report also highlights the contribution made by utilities to the creation of economic and social value: the value generated in 2025 amounted to 43.5 billion euros, comprising 26 billion euros spent on the purchase of goods and services from suppliers, 54 per cent of which went to local businesses. And the number of new hires exceeded 8,000. According to Mario Rosario Mazzola, President of the Utilitatis Foundation, “the report shows how the utilities’ contribution to sustainability goes beyond investment and environmental performance, also encompassing the creation of economic value, the quality of employment and the development of people”.