Salini Impregilo (Webuild) has launched a beauty contest to select infrastructure funds as partners in the development of commercial activity worldwide and the review of opportunities in segments and markets of common interest in order to start activities that establish cash generation for the Group.

The aim of the Group, which is pursuing its Progetto Italia plan to consolidate the excellences found in the sector in Italy and expand in international markets, is to create a long-term strategic alliance with some of the main investment funds of the sector to develop in the next three/five years a potential market of identified infrastructure projects worth more than US$ 100 billion. It will focus on growing in countries with low-risk profiles and on projects that are economically and financially sustainable over the long term.

It plans to draft a shortlist from which to select long-term partners and start a strategic program to make the most of the Group’s expertise in the Finance, Design, Build, Operate, Maintain segment and participate in market sectors of greater added value, focusing mainly on Western Europe, United States, Australia, and Canada.

With this initiative, the Group aims to seize the best opportunities amid a trend that is seeing many countries apply innovative forms of financing to develop projects of public interest, among which public-private partnerships. Direct investment in infrastructure is becoming more attractive to investors, partly due to low-interest rates that are reducing the cost of financing projects and encouraging long-term investments.