1990–present: Liberalisation and privatisation
Between 1990 and 2000, the Italian electricity market was progressively liberalized.[72] In 1991, Law No. 9/1991 sanctioned a first partial liberalisation of the production of electricity generated from conventional sources and renewable energy sources; companies were allowed to produce electricity for their own use with an obligation to hand over the excess amount to Enel.[72][76] In July 1992, the Amato I Cabinet turned Enel into a joint-stock company with the Treasury as the sole shareholder.[77]
In 1999, the D'Alema I Cabinet issued Legislative Decree no. 79 of 16 March 1999 (known as the Bersani Decree) to liberalise the electricity sector. This opened up the possibility for other actors to operate in the energy market. Enel—which had so far been the only actor in the production, distribution, and sale of electricity in Italy—had now to change its corporate structure by distinguishing the three phases and constituting itself as three different companies: Enel Produzione, Enel Distribuzione, and Terna, respectively, for energy production, distribution, and transmission. Moreover, Enel could produce only 50% of the national production according to the new law.[78][79][80][81]
That same year, 31.7% of the company, in its new structure, was privatised. Following privatization, Enel was put on the stock market; its shares were listed on the Italian Stock Exchange with a value of €4.3 per share; the total number was 4,183 million shares for a total value of €18 billion.[82][83]
In this period, Enel was involved in several new projects. In 1993, the company built the Serre photovoltaic plant. At the time, this was largest of its kind in Europe with an installed capacity of 3.3 megawatts.[84] In 1997, Enel, France Télécom, and Deutsche Telekom funded Wind as a joint venture, a mobile and fixed telecom operator.[85] In 2000, Enel launched a project to connect Italy's and Greece's power grids by laying a 160 km underwater power line, capable of carrying 600 megawatts, to connect Otranto (Apulia) with the Greek city of Aetos. The project, completed in 2002, had a total cost of €339 million.[86][87]
During the 2000s, the company worked to reduce the environmental impact of the production of energy and on a progressive internationalization of Enel through a number of mergers and acquisitions.[88][89] In 2000, Enel signed an agreement with the Italian Ministry of the Environment and the Ministry of Economic Development in which the company committed to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 13.5% before 2002, and by 20% before 2006.[90] That year, Enel acquired CHI Energy, a renewable energy producer operating in the US and Canadian markets, for $170 million.[91] In the following years, Enel continued investing in renewable energy and clean technologies. In 2004, the company was included in the Dow Jones Sustainability Index, a stock market index that evaluates the financial performance of companies based on economic, environmental, and social performance.[92]
In 2008, Enel formed Enel Green Power, a company dedicated to developing and managing the production of power from renewable energy.[93] In 2009, Enel launched the Archilede project, a new urban lighting system chosen by 1600 municipalities. This new intelligent lighting technology resulted in approximately 26 GWh per year of energy saving, and reduced carbon dioxide emissions by 18,000 tons per year.[94] That same year, the company opened a new photovoltaic power station in the Park of Villa di Pratolino, in Florence. The project - called "Diamante" – was to build a plant capable of storing, as hydrogen, enough of the solar energy accumulated during the day to meet night-time requirements.[95] In 2010, the Archimede combined cycle power plant became operational at Priolo Gargallo, near Syracuse in Sicily. This was the first thermal solar field to use molten salt–technology integrated with a combined cycle gas facility.[96]
Enel had several acquisitions and divestments in this period. In 2001, the company won the tender offer for the purchase of Viesgo—a subsidiary of Endesa—a company active on the Spanish market in the production and distribution of electricity, with a net installed capacity of 2400 megawatts.[97] In 2002, Enel divested Eurogen SpA, Elettrogen SpA, and Interpower SpA in compliance with the Bersani Decree provisions on the liberalization of electricity production.[98][99] In 2001, Enel acquired Infostrada, previously a subsidiary of Olivetti, at a cost of 7.25 billion euros. Infostrada was later merged with Wind, with 17 million customers.[100][101]
In 2008 and 2009, Enel Stoccaggi and Enel Rete Gas were sold to investors, mainly Primo Fondo Italiano per le Infrastrutture. In 2011, Enel opened the first pilot carbon dioxide–capture facility in Italy, in the area of Brindisi, in the existing power plant ENEL Federico II.[103] That year, Enel Distribuzione built its first Smart grid in Isernia, a grid capable of effectively adjusting the two-way flow of electricity generated from renewable sources. The total investment for this project was €10 million.[104]
Also in 2011, Enel became part of the United Nations Global Compact, a United Nations initiative to encourage businesses to adopt sustainable policies worldwide,[105] and signed a cooperation framework agreement with the World Food Programme, to fight against world hunger and climate change. The cost of the project was €8 million, which included the production and distribution of high-efficiency cooking stoves, the installation of photovoltaic systems in the all WFP logistical premises, and giving support to humanitarian interventions.[106][107][108] In the same year, the company was added to the FTSE4Good Index of the London Stock Exchange which measures businesses' behaviour in terms of environmental sustainability, relationships with stakeholders, human rights, the quality of working conditions, and fighting against corruption.[109][110]
In 2012, Enel sold the remaining 5.1% of Terna in its possession, thus exiting completely from the high-voltage market.[111] In 2013, Enel signed an agreement, in Sochi, for the sale of 40% of Arctic Russia, a joint venture with Eni, which in turn controlled 49% of SeverEnergia, for $1.8 billion.[112][113] In May 2014, Maria Patrizia Grieco was elected president of the board of directors; and Francesco Starace was appointed CEO.[114] The company's main objectives were set to be the reorganisation of activities in Iberia and Latin America and debt reduction.[115][116]
Enel took part in Expo 2015 in Milan as an Official Global Partner. With a €29 million investment, as well as building its own pavilion, Enel built a Smart City over the entire Expo area, simulating a city of 100,000 inhabitants with a total energy consumption of 1 GWh per day.[122][123] The Smart City comprised a smart grid for the distribution of electricity, an operations center for the monitoring and management of the smart grid, an information system that allowed visitors to view in real-time the electricity consumption in each pavilion, charging stations for electric vehicles,[124] and LED lighting of the entire exhibition site.[124]
During 2016–2018, Enel carried out a series of operations aimed at digitising and innovating the Group, with particular attention to sustainability. In January 2016, Enel launched the “Open Power” brand, which presented the company with a new visual identity and a new logo. The concept of “openness” became the driver of the Group’s operative and communicative strategy.[125][126] In June 2016, Enel presented the Enel Open Meter, the 2.0 smart meter designed to replace first-generation electronic meters. Open Meter was designed by Italian designer and architect Michele De Lucchi. In July 2016, Enel launched an Innovation Hub in Tel Aviv to scout 20 start-ups and foster collaboration, while offering a personalized support programme.[127][128] In December 2016, Open Fiber completed the acquisition of Metroweb Italia for €714 million.[129][130]
In 2016, a hydrogen-fueled power station located in Fusina, near Venice was commissioned but only produced energy for less than two years with costs of energy production 5-6 times higher than conventional sources.
In March 2017, Enel inaugurated the Innovation Hub at University of California, Berkeley, an initiative for start-up scouting and collaboration development.[131][132] In April 2017, in joint venture with Dutch Infrastructure Fund, the company launched the largest “ready-to-build” solar PV project in Australia.[133] In May 2017, Enel launched E-solutions, a new global business line to explore new technologies, as well as to develop products.[134] In July 2017, Enel joined Formula E for the first zero-emission event in the championship’s history in New York.[135] In September 2017, Enel ranked 20th in Fortune’s 2017 “Change the World” list and became one of the top 50 companies in the world – and the only Italian company – to have a positive social impact through business activities.[136] In the same month, Enel and ENAP inaugurated Cerro Pabellón, the first geothermal power plant in South America and the first in the world to be built at 4,500 meters above sea level.[137]
In October 2017, the company inaugurated an Innovation Hub in Russia in collaboration with the technological hub of Skolkovo.[139] In the same month, Enel was included in the Top 20 of Forbes World’s Best Employers List 2017[140] and was confirmed by the non-profit global platform CDP as a global leader in the fight against climate change.[141] In November 2017, Enel presented E-Mobility Revolution, a plan which seeks to install 7000 recharging stations for electric vehicles by 2020.[142] In November 2017, Enel presented the 2018-2020 strategic plan, which was characterised by a focus on digitization and new offers to customers.[143][144] In December 2017, Enel and Audi signed an agreement to develop electric mobility services.[145] In the same month, the Group launched the Enel X brand.
In January 2018, Enel launched a new green bond in Europe. The issue amounted to a total of €1250 million.[147][148] In January 2018, Enel was confirmed for the tenth time in the ECPI Sustainability Index series.[149] In February 2018, it received the 2018 Ethical Boardroom Corporate Governance award for sustainability and corporate governance standards.[150] In February 2018, Enel became title sponsor of the FIM MotoE World Cup, as well as Sustainable Power Partner of the MotoGP.[151][152] In March 2018, it invested $170 million in the construction of Peru’s largest solar PV plant.[153] In May 2018, Enel became a partner of the Osmose project for the development of integrated systems and services in the renewable energy industry.[154]
At the end of March 2019, Enel became the most valuable company on the Italian Stock Exchange, with a capitalisation of over €67 billion. On 23 September, the company was included in the STOXX Europe 50 index.[157] That same year, Enel's CEO Francesco Starace was awarded the "Manager Utility Energia 2019" prize by the Management delle Utilities e delle Infrastrutture (MUI) Italian magazine.[158]
In April 2022, Enel X Way was launched. It is the new business line of the Group and aims to accelerate the development of electric mobility and combine decarbonization, digitalization and electrification. The initiative was presented by CEO Elisabetta Ripa at Rome's Formula E Grand Prix.[159][160][161]
On May 22, 2023, Enel subsidiary Enel North America announced the Tulsa Port of Inola as the future site of one of the largest solar cell and panel manufacturing plants in the U.S.[162] Enel expects to invest over $1 billion in the facility, creating 1,000 permanent jobs with the possibility of creating another 900 in a second phase.[162] Oklahoma officials have called this the biggest economic development project in the state.[162]
Enel is also active through 3Sun at the Catania Gigafactory, for which it signed a grant agreement with the European Commission in April 2022 under the first call of the EU Innovation Fund for large-scale projects. The project supports the development of TANGO (iTaliAN pv Giga factOry), which involves the construction of an industrial-scale plant for the production of advanced, sustainable, high-efficiency photovoltaic modules at the Catania Gigafactory. The expansion will increase production capacity from 200 MW to 3 GW per year, a fifteenfold growth.[163]
In June 2022, Enel completed its exit from the Russian market by signing two agreements for the sale of its stake in PJSC Enel Russia. Specifically, one sale contract was signed with PJSC Lukoil and another with the Closed Combined Mutual Investment Fund “Gazprombank-Frezia”. The divested stake, representing 56.43% of Enel Russia’s share capital, was sold for approximately €137 million. Through this transaction, Enel fully disposed of its electricity generation assets in Russia, including around 5.6 GW of conventional capacity and approximately 300 MW of wind power facilities at various stages of development.[164][165]
On 10 May 2023, Enel’s shareholders’ meeting approved the appointment of Paolo Scaroni as Chairman of the Board of Directors.[166][167]
On 12 May 2023, the newly appointed Board of Directors, chaired by Paolo Scaroni, held its first meeting. During the session, the Board appointed Flavio Cattaneo as CEO and General Manager.[168]
On 25 October 2023, through Enel Green Power, Enel finalized the sale of its assets in Romania to the Greek company Public Power Corporation S.A. The transaction was completed in accordance with the sale agreement signed on 9 March 2023.[169][170]
In May 2024, Enel announced the completion of the sale of its stakes in the power generation companies Enel Generación Perú and Compañía Energética Veracruz to Niagara Energy. The transaction was carried out through Enel Perú, which is controlled by Enel via the publicly listed Chilean company Enel Américas.[171][172] The following month, Enel also finalized the sale of its entire shareholding in Enel Distribución Perú and Enel X Perú. This transaction was concluded with North Lima Power Grid Holding, a company controlled by China Southern Power Grid International (HK) Co.[173]
In September 2023, Enel transferred 50% of its stake in Enel Green Power Australia to INPEX, establishing a joint ownership for the company.[174]
In December 2023, Enel, through Enel Green Power, completed the sale of 50% of its subsidiary Enel Green Power Hellas to Macquarie Asset Management. The deal led to the formation of a joint venture between the two parties to jointly manage Enel Green Power Hellas’s existing renewable generation portfolio and continue its development pipeline.[175]
In December 2024, Potentia Energy was established as a co-managed venture between Enel Green Power and INPEX, aimed at advancing renewable energy projects. The development pipeline includes more than 7 GW of planned capacity in wind, solar, energy storage, and hybrid systems.[176]
In October 2025, Lene was established as a digital company within the Enel Group, active in the retail energy market. The company is designed to offer electricity and gas contracts in a digital, intuitive, and simplified manner.[177][178]