Strategic opportunities for companies in the energy and digital transitions

The Lombardy Region’s mission to South America, which ANIE Confindustria took part in representing Italian electrotechnical and electronic companies, ended at the end of March. The institutional delegation, led by the President of the Lombardy Region Attilio Fontana (in the photo), was also attended by the Undersecretary to the Presidency with responsibility for International and European Relations Raffaele Cattaneo. The delegation visited Chile, Argentina and Brazil, with the aim of exploring new opportunities for collaboration and strengthening economic synergies between Lombardy companies and Latin American markets.
This is a strategic opportunity for ANIE Confindustria companies: about 40% of production units are located in Lombardy, a region that confirms itself as a strategic hub for Italian exports of technological solutions for energy and digital transitions.

Attilio Fontana during the mission to South America

Chile: focus on mechanics, green energy and aerospace

The first leg of the mission saw institutional and business meetings in Santiago, Chile, with the aim of strengthening economic and trade relations with local partners. Chile holds 22% of the world’s copper reserves and 48% of lithium reserves. In the energy sector, 62% of Chile’s installed capacity comes from renewable energy sources (including 22.3% hydro, 24.1% solar, 13.0% wind). The National Green Hydrogen Strategy envisages investment opportunities of around USD 475 billion over the next ten years. The Government Plan 2024-2028 has earmarked USD 17.6 billion to improve transport, urban development, airport infrastructure and water security.

The delegation in South America

In 2024, trade between Italy and Chile in the electrotechnical and electronic technology sector reached 101.9 million euros and Lombardy’s exports exceeded 35 million euros. Seventy-seven per cent of exports from Lombardy originate from the electrotechnology sectors, with the remaining 23% distributed between industrial automation technologies and electronic components. In 2024, Lombardy’s exports to Chile for the production, transmission and distribution of electrical energy increased by 16.1% at current values, exceeding 50% of the sector’s total exported to the country.
The stop in Chile also included discussions in the academic sphere.

Mariarosaria Fragasso, Head of ANIE’s External Relations and Studies Area, spoke at the table with Chilean universities to testify to the close synergies of the Italian business system with the world of universities and research.

Argentina: focus on environment, research and innovation

Opportunities for collaboration in the energy, mining and agricultural sectors were some of the topics at the centre of the institutional and business community discussions during the second stage in Buenos Aires. Argentina has large reserves of natural gas, unconventional hydrocarbons and lithium, as well as favourable conditions for the development of renewable energies. In the energy sector, around two-thirds of electricity comes from conventional thermal power plants, while the remainder is covered by hydroelectric, nuclear and growing renewable energy sources. Hydrogeological conditions make the country particularly suitable for the installation of geothermal plants. Argentina’s industry accounts for around 30% of the national GDP.

In 2024, the trade interchange between Italy and Argentina of electrotechnical and electronic technologies reached €91.9 million, up by €16.3 million compared to 2019. In the same year, Lombardy companies exported goods worth a total of 38.2 million euros to Argentina, with progressive growth over the last five years. Lombardy’s exports of Italian technologies to Argentina see a prevalence of the electromechanical sectors (for 45% of the total exported), followed by technologies for digitalisation and industrial automation (35%) and for construction (19%).

Brazil: a market with great opportunities for Italian technologies

The mission ended with a stop in Brazil, a strategic market of great interest for creating alliances and long-term partnerships. In the country, energy produced from renewable sources accounts for more than 83% of total production, for an installed capacity of more than 75% of the total. The country plans to invest USD 175 billion in the oil and gas sector between 2023 and 2030. USD 102 billion is the amount of investment by the state oil company Petrobras in its five-year plan 2024-2028, with 6-15% earmarked for low-carbon projects. The ‘Nova Indústria Brasil’ Plan, launched in 2024, envisages investments of EUR 56 billion by 2026, with a focus on construction, sustainable mobility and digitisation of the industry. In parallel, the ‘Growth Acceleration Programme’, with a budget of more than EUR 254 billion until 2026, finances more than 3,000 infrastructure projects in key areas such as transport, urban mobility and environmental sustainability.

In 2024, the interchange between Italy and Brazil in electrotechnical and electronic technologies reached 527.3 million euros and sees Brazil as the main South American market for Italian technology exports. In the same year, Lombard companies recorded an interchange with Brazil of 178.2 million euros, an increase of 49 million compared to 2019 and a positive balance of 87.5 million euros. Electric motors, generators and transformers (€44.4 million) and cables (€18.5 million) are the sectors that record the highest export values among Lombardy companies, compared to €42 million attributable to electronics.

ANIE Confindustria: a bridge between Lombardy and Latin America

“We welcomed with interest the invitation to take part in the Lombardy Region mission,” said Michele Lignola, Director of ANIE Confindustria, “as we consider the countries identified strategic in our international promotion. The global challenges we are facing, from energy transition to technological innovation, to the change in international dynamics, require us to explore new alliances. Countries like Chile, Argentina and Brazil are embarking on an ambitious process of growth and modernisation of their infrastructure, driven by energy and digital transitions. This scenario generates a substantial technological need that Italian companies can satisfy thanks to their highly qualified skills and high-level technical support, leveraging Italian excellence in high and medium-high-tech industrial sectors”.

Michele Lignola, General Manager ANIE

ANIE Federation, a member of Confindustria (Confederation of Italian Industry), with 1,100 member companies and about 420,000 employees, represents the most strategic and advanced sector among the Italian industrial sectors, with an aggregate turnover of 102.7 billion Euros and 28.5 billion Euros of exports for electrotechnical and electronic technologies in 2023. On average, ANIE member companies invest 4% of their turnover in R&D, representing more than 30% of the entire R&D investment made by the private sector in Italy.