Lieutenant General Carmine Masiello and Chief Executive Officer Fabrizio Palermo were the signatories to the memorandum of understanding

A collaboration focused on the rational use of water and energy resources to foster the circular economy, contribute to reducing consumption and protecting the environment, as well as to train Italian Army personnel in water management. Today, a memorandum of understanding between the General Staff of the Army and Acea, Italy’s leading water operator, was signed by Lieutenant General Carmine Masiello, Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, and Fabrizio Palermo, Chief Executive Officer of Acea. The objectives include specialised personnel training and the implementation of water and energy efficiency measures, as well as the integration of renewable energy sources.

The memorandum provides for the launch of initiatives for training and the exchange of know-how in environmental sustainability, energy efficiency and water resource management, as well as for identifying best practices to reduce water and energy consumption. For Armed Forces personnel, such as Commanders or their Energy Referent/Energy Manager consultants, the collaboration includes training activities such as workshops and executive programmes on water management. Among the topics to be addressed are the operational stages of the water cycle, water supply, the uses of water in infrastructural and military contexts, technological systems aimed at water saving, methods for managing the water system, and its optimisation made possible through technological innovation, artificial intelligence and process digitalisation.

Research and study activities are also planned for the development of pilot projects that include water and energy saving measures within Armed Forces facilities, in a “Net Zero Water Building” and “Nearly Zero Energy Building” perspective: from the implementation of systems to ensure the availability of water resources through collection/storage solutions and the reuse of non-conventional water resources (e.g., rainwater, wastewater, seawater, etc.), to the installation of sensors and monitoring systems, with the use of artificial intelligence to optimise consumption; from the implementation of systems to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, to the implementation of electrification measures for energy consumption for the production of thermal energy enabling the decarbonisation of consumption, up to the installation of renewable energy self-generation systems and electrical storage systems aimed at achieving Net Zero Carbon.

Carmine Masiello, Chief of Staff of the Italian Army, in his speech highlighted that: “The collaboration strengthens the Army’s commitment to dialogue with civil society, promoting an integrated vision of the national system.” He continued: “I am particularly satisfied with the professional redeployment opportunities offered to our personnel, men and women with proven skills, whom I consider a concrete and reliable asset for the national productive system.”

“The memorandum of understanding represents a further step forward in the path that we are pursuing in water protection and environmental sustainability. We have a responsibility towards the citizens and the areas we serve every day, and this important collaboration will help raise awareness of the complexity of water and energy issues by identifying best practices for the rational use of these valuable resources,” stated Fabrizio Palermo, CEO of Acea.