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Italy is currently experiencing its largest infrastructure investment plan in decades. From 2021 to 2036, a significant acceleration in investments is planned, leading to the design and construction of an impressive number of projects and new works. This trend, which began in previous years, will peak in 2025 and, after the conclusion of the PNRR in 2027, investments are expected to gradually return to 2021 levels.
As shown in the following graph, the substantial increase in infrastructure investments is linked to PNRR funds, complemented by those from the National Complementary Plan, resulting in a significant rise during 2021–2026 compared to the years before 2020 and from 2027 onward (Development and Cohesion Fund + Budget Law + Investment Fund).
Regarding the PNRR, it was deemed a priority to focus a significant portion of resources on strategic sectors, including construction and, in particular, large infrastructures, which account for approximately €108 billion of PNRR funds.
The reasons for this are manifold, but a key driver is the consensus within the technical/scientific community that investments in infrastructure create new jobs in the short term and stimulate the economy through direct and indirect industries. In the long term, they enhance the country’s competitiveness by improving and expediting the movement of goods and people both within and outside national borders, thus boosting import-export activities. Additionally, the infrastructure sector exhibits a relatively high multiplier effect, meaning investments significantly impact a country’s GDP and employment levels.
New Strategic Infrastructures
A significant portion of PNRR investments has been allocated to the construction of new strategic infrastructures. Given Italy’s unique morphology and structure, this translates into the need for new underground works. Notably, the construction of new high-speed/high-capacity railway lines plays a predominant role, alongside the development of new highway and road sections and the maintenance of existing ones. Key railway projects include the new AV/AC Naples-Bari line, the Salerno-Reggio Calabria line, and the Palermo-Messina-Catania line, in addition to major projects like the Brenner Base Tunnel, the Turin-Lyon line, and the Third Giovi Pass – Genoa Node.
In the realm of road and highway infrastructures, significant projects include the Genoa Bypass and the Sub-port Tunnel of Genoa. Hydraulic infrastructures such as the Peschiera Aqueduct Duplication and the Torino Median Collector are also noteworthy.
Urban metro lines play a crucial role, with ongoing projects like Milan’s M4 line, Rome’s Metro C, Naples Metro works, and Catania’s Circumetnea line.
Regarding energy infrastructures, Snam plans to invest €11.5 billion between 2023 and 2027 to strengthen transport and storage infrastructures, while TERNA has planned total investments of €16.5 billion, the highest in the company’s history, to accelerate the country’s decarbonization process.
Maintenance of Existing Infrastructure Network
In addition to designing and constructing new works, significant efforts are underway to develop maintenance activities on the extensive network of existing tunnels, some of which are dated, including railway, highway, and road tunnels. These are also substantial investments involving major Italian players and fueling a supply chain of entities engaged in these works.
It’s important to note that Italy currently has the largest number of operational and planned tunnels in Europe, second only to China globally.
Emerging Scenarios
A significant benefit associated with the boost to the entire infrastructure sector is the opportunities for Innovation and Research related to the design, construction, and maintenance of the numerous complex works in challenging contexts described. Today, we have the opportunity to leverage years of scientific research, propose and apply new technologies, products, materials, and processes to contribute to the realization of durable and sustainable works with more efficient and controlled processes and technologies.
This moment represents a significant stimulus and perspective for the present and near future for the research community supporting engineering companies, contractors, and suppliers.
This new wave of new works and the maintenance of existing ones in recent years has led to a series of “disruptions” in the engineering world, including the emergence of new players, the creation of new structures within existing entities, significant expansion of design teams, and the need for new professional figures in quantities far exceeding immediate availability.
Consequently, training has become a key element: technical profiles, especially in civil, geotechnical, environmental, and structural engineering, are in high demand. With numerous upcoming construction sites, roles such as drillers, specialized tunnel operators, mechanics, etc., are increasingly sought after and will continue to be in the coming years.
In this context, GEEG Academy’s initiative aims to supplement academic training with specific and operational knowledge that only years of field experience can provide.
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References:
EY Infrastructure Barometer 2023: https://www.ey.com/it_it/news/2023-press-releases/08/ey-infrastructure-barometer-2023
PwC Task Force Infrastrutture: https://www.pwc.com/it/it/industries/task-force-pnrr.html
Polo Infrastrutture RFI: https://www.rfi.it/it/chi-siamo/il-polo-infrastrutture.html
Strade e Autostrade – PNRR: https://www.stradeeautostrade.it/tag/pnrr-piano-di-ripresa-e-resilienza/
Webuild: https://www.webuildgroup.com/it/discovery/articoli/investire-nelle-infrastrutture/
Il Sole 24 ore: https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/autostrade-2023-investimenti-163-miliardi-potenziare-rete-AFqfna3C
GEEG Publications: https://www.geeg.it/services/pubblicazioni/