{
  "id": 16944292,
  "title": "Edison e Regione siciliana, accordo per la diga di Villarosa: progetto da 700 milioni",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/28/edison-e-regione-siciliana-accordo-per-la-diga-di-villarosa-progetto",
  "topic": "business",
  "section": "Business",
  "published": "2026-10-28T18:59:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Il Sole 24 Ore",
    "slug": "il-sole-24-ore",
    "url": "https://www.ilsole24ore.com/art/ART_villarosa-AJnDwFxB"
  },
  "original_language": "it",
  "account": "The agreement signed today in Enna between Edison and the Sicilian Department of Water and Waste sets the stage for a 700 million euro project. The plan aims to revitalize an unused dam and bring hydraulic pumping stations back to Italy. Edison will be entrusted with managing the reservoir for three decades, with operations set to begin before 2056. The agreement defines the framework for Edison to fund the recovery of the functional dam, owned by the region, and propose it for energy use. The deal was signed at the Enna Municipal Free Consortium, attended by Regional Energy Assessor Francesco Colianni, Edison's Director of the Hydroelectric Business Unit Daniele Bellini, the Director General of the Water and Waste Department Arturo Vallone, and representatives of the three involved municipalities: Enna, Villarosa, and Calascibetta. The project involves constructing a mountain basin with a storage capacity of approximately 3.1 million cubic meters. This basin will be connected to the existing Villarosa reservoir through underground pipes. Edison will also build a subterranean power plant where the machinery will be housed. The interventions include repairing the infrastructure needed to restore the reservoir's functionality. Colianni stated that the reservoir's capacity will expand from 3 million to over 11 million cubic meters, with five of these cubic meters designated for collective use. The total investment, valued at 700 million euros, pertains to Edison's project. According to Bellini, the agreement creates the conditions to initiate \"the first in Italy after 40 years in the hydraulic pumping sector,\" a private investment that, according to the company's intentions, should contribute to the security of Sicily's electrical system and its hydrological resilience. Edison will bear the investment costs for the reservoir's functional recovery, allowing the region to avoid financing these interventions during the transfer period. Edison's overall financial commitments to the territory are estimated at approximately 120 million euros, including around 50 million euros in Bim and Rivieraschi premiums and five million euros for mitigation measures and compensatory works in Enna, Villarosa, and Calascibetta. These amounts are separate from the project's total value. The European Union recognized the project by including it in the second list of priority energy infrastructure projects, with code Pci 1.28. Apart from Edison's work, the region aims to expand water interconnections. Colianni announced that the assessorate financed the design of the connection between Villarosa's reservoir and the Oliva dam, intended to link the two basins and meet the irrigation needs of the territory. In the last regional stability law, the assessorate also funded interconnections Ancipa-Pozzilo and Cimia-Disueri, which accompany the recovery of individual reservoirs by enabling the transfer of water between basins and making it available where needed.",
  "summary": "Il recupero di una diga oggi inutilizzata e un investimento energetico che punta a riportare in Italia la costruzione di impianti di pompaggio idroelettrico. Passa da Villarosa, nell’Ennese, il progetto...",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}