Webuild has returned to the top in the water sector of global contractors in the latest edition of closely watched industry rankings published by the influential U.S. trade magazine Engineering News-Record (ENR), surpassing the giant conglomerates from China as it becomes more competitive with innovative technology developed together with its supply chain. As extreme weather events like drought and flooding remind the world of the effects of global warming, the Group returns as global leader in the construction of strategic infrastructure for the efficient management of water and the production of hydroelectricity. In the latest rankings by ENR, Webuild returns after two years to take first place in the global water sector in terms of revenue, confirming its commitment to sustainable development goals with projects such as hydropower and desalination plants.

Webuild’s return to the top of ENR’s 2022 ranking is based on a survey of revenues generated in the water sector outside the domestic market, with projects such as hydropower projects in countries like Australia, the Caloosahatchee West Basin Storage Reservoir in Florida, and the Ghubrah 3 IWP and Barka 5 IWP desalination plants in Oman. By the end of the first half of 2022, the contribution made by these clean water and clean hydro energy projects reached 27% of total revenues.

Along with its experience in the construction of large dams in Africa, Webuild’s unique expertise in the sector also covers hydraulic tunnels, wastewater treatment plants and environmental recovery initiatives to make communities more resilient to heavy storms caused by climate change. Projects include the Northeast Boundary Tunnel (NEBT) and Anacostia River Tunnel (ART) in Washington, D.C., as well as the Riachuelo water treatment plant and hydraulic tunnel in Argentina. In Italy, its home market, the Group has proposed a project called “Acqua per la Vita” (Water for Life) to help the country address a severe drought with the construction of a series of desalination plants to convert sea water into potable water. Desalination plants built by Webuild’s subsidiary Fisia Italimpianti serve more than 20 million people every day, especially in the Middle East.

Among the top 250 international contractors in the ENR 2022 rankings based according to 2021 construction revenue generated outside their respective home markets, Webuild rose to 16th position from 18 the previous year, qualifying $5.4 billion of revenue generated abroad out of a total of $7.9 billion.

In both Australia and the United States – two core markets for the Group – Webuild ranked ninth among foreign contractors operating in the United States and sixth (from eighth) in Australia, confirming its strategy to expansion in both markets.

In a separate ranking published by ENR, Webuild placed among the top 10 in the world in terms of the amount of gross revenue generated from environmental services thanks to projects to safeguard the environment – core to the Group’s strategy.

Webuild’s commitment to supporting clients achieve Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) set by the United Nations to confront the challenges of climate change is reflected in the Group’s construction backlog. At the end of the first half of 2022, 90% of it related to projects linked to the advancement of the SDGs.