No future without water

There are constant paradoxes concerning water: we are the second country in Europe in terms of per capita consumption but we have a distribution network that disperses almost half of it.

In the fourth consecutive year of our collaboration with The European House – Ambrosetti, we therefore chose to work on a study – “Acqua: azioni e investimenti per l’energia, le persone e i territori” (Water: actions and investments for energy, people and communities) – that can provide a clear indication of the potential for action to safeguard this invaluable resource which, ahead of sun and wind, represents the country’s first source of renewable energy; the abundant availability of water enables Italy to generate 18% of its GDP, something like 320 billion euro a year.

For decades we have underinvested in water infrastructure and, despite the turnaround in recent years, a further effort is needed to close the investment gap of more than 20 euro/year per inhabitant, which separates us from the European average of 78. The study identifies a number of precise courses of action: a 48 billion euro investment package over 10 years that can guarantee positive economic returns of a further 77 billion.

This precious resource is now at risk, as reported by the UN. Climate change is accelerating and therefore, in addition to medium- and long-term decarbonisation projects, we need to adapt and equip ourselves with damage limitation and mitigation actions.

The impact of the transformation is visible in many of the key areas of our lives: security, well-being and confidence in the future. There is a need for a systemic approach to the water cycle, reflecting its vital role in the agricultural, civil and industrial sectors, as well as its use for energy, with the aim of providing a key to an integrated analysis of the state of water resources in our country and the main actions to optimise their use.

Circularity may once again be the best answer for climate change mitigation: reuse, reduction of losses and consumption, and recovery of rainwater could allow Italy to have an additional 9.5 billion cubic metres of water, more than the amount lost in 2022, 37% of the water consumed in one year in our country, according to the latest ISPRA data.

One of the most important levers for circular consumption is the reuse of purified water for industrial and irrigation purposes. Today, water, following treatment, is simply pumped back into canals and rivers. It is therefore largely wasted, as it is not immediately reused. Creating water storage facilities downstream of sewage treatment plants to serve agricultural businesses or industries would help meet consumption needs, especially during drought periods.

In addition, purification in many areas is still inadequate: closing this gap, through new plants, could recover 5.4 billion cubic metres of water. These measures can be complemented by initiatives such as the installation of individual smart water meters to raise awareness among citizens for more conscious consumption (saving 0.2 billion cubic metres) or new reservoirs to recover rainwater.

As already mentioned, water is the most important renewable source for our country’s energy mix and will play a key role in achieving the 65% RES share of the national electricity demand, as envisaged in the draft of the new PNIEC; this precious resource is also the only renewable source that can be programmed, and is therefore essential to guarantee security and flexibility to the national energy system.

As shown in last year’s study “Verso l’autonomia energetica italiana: acqua, sole, vento, rifiuti le nostre materie prime” (Towards Italian energy autonomy: water, sun, wind, and waste, our raw materials), the Italian hydroelectric park shows growth margins that can be achieved through the repowering of existing assets (4 TWh per year) and the construction of new small hydro plants throughout the country (1.8 TWh). The renewal of hydroelectric pumping systems (2 TWh), as well as the productive use of reservoirs for irrigation purposes (1 TWh) and the construction of new hydropower plants in currently unexploited rivers and reservoirs (3.7 TWh) will also prove strategic. Measures capable of generating around 12.5 TWh per year of clean energy, an essential contribution to achieving Europe’s decarbonisation targets.

In this framework, the role of industrial operators such as A2A and the collaboration with local stakeholders becomes strategically important. Italy has already embarked on a virtuous path towards safeguarding water, which has seen investments by water infrastructure managers almost double between 2012 and 2022, partly thanks to Arera’s regulatory activity that has made investments bankable.
It is therefore clear that the joint action of institutions, industry and citizens is vital for the careful and virtuous management of this primary asset. A2A, as a Life Company, is ready to play a responsible role in a common front to protect water resources.