Utilitalia reports 9.9 billion euros in utility investment for 2025 and 29.7 billion planned to 2028

Utilities step up investment

Utilities invested 9.9 billion euros in 2025, up from 8.5 billion a year earlier, and directed 87% of those resources to the territories. The figures come from the Rapporto di Sostenibilità 2026, titled 'Il valore delle utilities per la transizione del Paese', which Fondazione Utilitatis prepared for Utilitalia using a sample of more than 115 member companies. The report was presented on 3 November in Rimini, during the Ecomondo fair. For 2026 to 2028, the companies have scheduled a further 29.7 billion euros, mainly for renewing and expanding infrastructure, the energy transition, the circular economy and digital services.

20248.5

20259.9

2024

8.5 billion euros

2025

9.9 billion euros

Data from the article text

Utilitalia president Luca Dal Fabbro linked those plans to the conditions needed to carry them out.

“Carrying out these programmes requires regulatory stability, adequate permitting procedures and coordination between companies, institutions and territories.”

He also described the investment as a concrete industrial effort to modernise infrastructure, secure supplies and improve services for citizens.

Where the money goes

Of the 29.7 billion planned for 2026 to 2028, 39% goes to the water service, 12% to energy production, 11% to energy networks and 10% to environmental services.

Water service39%

Energy production12%

Energy networks11%

Environmental services10%

Water service

39 %

Energy production

12 %

Energy networks

11 %

Environmental services

10 %

Data from the article text

Of the 2025 spending, over 3.4 billion euros went to three transition priorities. Decarbonisation received 1.6 billion, up from 1.3 billion in 2024, the circular economy got 1 billion, in line with 2024, and digitalisation received 822 million, against 780 million the year before.

Decarbonisation1.6

Circular economy1

Digitalisation0.822

Decarbonisation

1.6 billion euros

Circular economy

1 billion euros

Digitalisation

0.822 billion euros

Data from the article text

The water service absorbed 4.4 billion euros, directed at network renewal, loss reduction, supply security and better treatment systems. The report puts the share of the water network that is districtualised and remotely monitored at 59%, and says 92% of sewage sludge goes to reuse or recovery. On the environmental side, 97% of separately collected urban waste handled by the companies is sent to recycling, and 84% of the electricity produced by the sample utilities comes from renewable sources. Compared with 2019, direct greenhouse gas emissions (Scope 1) are down 18% and indirect emissions tied to purchased energy (Scope 2, location-based) are down 17%, based on a uniform sample of companies.

Ecomondo opens in Rimini

The 29th edition of Ecomondo, the green, blue and circular economy fair organised by Italian Exhibition Group (Ieg), opened on 3 November and runs until 6 November. Across 30 pavilions and 170,000 square metres, more than 1,800 exhibiting brands are present, foreign exhibitors are up 20%, and over 1,000 buyers have come from Europe, the Middle East, India, China, Africa and the Americas. Mexico is the guest country for the first time. Environment minister Gilberto Pichetto Fratin attended the opening and described the transition as an evolution of production and consumption models:

“The transition should not be understood as a set of constraints, but as an evolution of production and consumption models toward greater efficiency.”

Adolfo Urso, the industry minister, addressed the fair by video message and said sustainability has become an industrial and geopolitical question. Half the materials Italian companies process still come from abroad, he said, and he pointed to a recycling and refining district at Porto Marghera, now a candidate to host one of the first European strategic storage hubs for critical raw materials. Together with Poland, Italy has submitted a non-paper asking the European Commission for measures to secure scrap supply, starting with export limits, and a second non-paper covers electronic waste.

Other voices at the fair

Paolo Gentiloni, co-chair of the UN task force on the debt crisis, sent a video message to the 15th Stati Generali della Green Economy, held alongside Ecomondo. He argued that the transition needs to speed up and that common EU financing, rather than another PNRR-style plan, would help with grid integration, joint renewable purchases, energy autonomy, common defence and technologies such as artificial intelligence. Andrea Giustini, founder and president of EcoEridania, told Adnkronos that sustainability has become a strategic lever for competitiveness, and said the company's foundation brings football to more than 1,000 young people with disabilities. Acea is present with a stand in Pavilion D3, operates 20 plants across Italy, employs around 800 people and treated more than 1.6 million tonnes of waste in 2025. Its exhibit includes 'Set Point' (2017) by Roman artist Giovanni de Cataldo, built from a guardrail section deformed in a crash test and covered in fluorescent yellow felt. Acea Ambiente's chief executive Gabriele Di Cintio was scheduled to speak at the ESG CEO Summit 2026 on 3 November.