London, 10 June 2026 – The Embassy of Italy in London, in partnership with the Global Infrastructure Investor Association (GIIA), Clifford Chance, and the Italian Trade Agency, hosted the seminar “Investing in Italian Infrastructure: Exploring Opportunities across Energy and Digital in an Evolving Geopolitical Landscape.”
Held at Casa Italia, the new premises of the Embassy, the event marked the launch of the Embassy’s new flagship economic series, “The Italian Momentum – Insights for Global Investors” and is part of the long-standing commitment of Clifford Chance in fostering an annual in-depth dialogue on energy and infrastructure topical issues with key stakeholders in London.
The forum brought together senior policymakers, institutional investors, asset managers, and infrastructure experts to discuss capital deployment across Italy’s rapidly modernising energy and digital sectors amid an increasingly complex global geopolitical environment.
The event was opened by the Ambassador of Italy to the United Kingdom, Fabio Cassese, the Global Managing Partner of Clifford Chance, Charles Adams, and the Global Infrastructure Investor Association’s (GIIA), Director of Corporate Affairs, Simon Montague.
It featured a keynote address by Stefano Venier, Senior Advisor and Board Member and former CEO of Snam and Hera, who provided a comprehensive overview of system security and transition dynamics within the Italian energy market.
Gianluca Ricci (Head of Real Assets Italy) and Natalia Akst (Managing Director, Real Assets) of Macquarie Asset Management, presented a case study on Open Fiber and European data center strategies, while Umberto Penco Salvi (Partner, Head of Italy Energy & Infrastructure) and Chiara Commis (Partner) of Clifford Chance, detailed regulatory developments, infrastructure debt financing, and the commercial scaling of biomethane, waste-to-energy, and Sustainable Aviation Fuels (SAF).
The discussions underscored the substantial investment pipeline currently reshaping the Italian market in energy and digital infrastructure, driven by increased confidence by international institutional investors as well as updated regulatory developments adopted in the framework of Italy’s National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). GIIA’s flagship Pulse Survey of the world biggest infrastructure investors reinforces this trend, with its latest Spring edition recording Italy’s highest-ever investor confidence score since the survey launched in 2020 – capping a steady climb since 2023.
Ambassador Cassese stated: “Italy is demonstrating unprecedented attractiveness within the European infrastructure landscape. This is no coincidence, but rather the result of a clear vision for the future in the key sectors of energy and digital technology. Today, we reaffirm the Embassy’s role as a strategic bridge between the Italian productive ecosystem and major international investors based in London, who stand ready to support a sustainable, secure, and efficient transition.”
Aster Thackery, Investment Director at the Italian Trade Agency (ITA) in London, Umberto Penco Salvi, Partner and Head of Italy Energy & Infrastructure at Clifford Chance and Simon Montague, Director of Corporate Affairs at GIIA, delivered the closing remarks highlighting the scale of opportunity within the Italian infrastructure market and the growing role of international capital in supporting Italy’s energy and digital transformation. They observed that Italy continues to attract increasing levels of foreign investment, with global FDI inflows rising in 2024 extending a decade-long growth trend.
For further information, please contact: stampa.amblondra@esteri.it
