The future of sustainable energy runs through bold choices and a shared vision between industry, institutions and citizens. This is the message that emerged from the "Sfide di sostenibilità" conference organised by Gruppo Marazzato, a company specialising in environmental solutions, at the Fondazione Marazzato in Stroppiana, in the province of Vercelli. The event brought together twenty-five speakers across five major themes: from energy communities to next-generation nuclear power, from the challenges of the energy transition to biofuels and the possible role of waste-to-energy plants in the transition to a truly circular economy. Here is what emerged.

Marazzato, "energy as a collective challenge"

"Sustainability is a matter of collective conscience", stressed Alberto Marazzato, the group's chief executive and newly elected vice-president of Confindustria Vercelli with responsibility for sustainability. The event, organised in collaboration with Eni, opened with a contribution from Lucia Nardi, head of Corporate Culture and Historical Archive at Eni.

The account — told through images drawn from the historical archive (more than 6 kilometres of shelving, 500,000 images, 5,000 audiovisual items, all open to the public) — traced how Italy managed to become an economic and industrial powerhouse from the post-war period onwards, and also paid tribute to the figure of Enrico Mattei, a pioneer of Italian post-war energy development.

The conference, moderated by journalist Roberto Sposini of LifeGate, hosted local authorities and representatives from companies, research groups and universities, confirming the multidisciplinary approach needed to tackle contemporary energy challenges.

Energy communities, beyond solar panels

The debate on energy communities highlighted the need to move beyond the simple equation of "energy community equals solar panels". Giuseppe Mandrone from the University of Turin stressed the importance of broadening the vision to include other renewable solutions, while Matteo Caldera from Enea underscored the crucial role of data analysis in optimising energy use and promoting private self-generation. Andrea Amalberto, president of Confindustria Piemonte, reiterated the need for an energy policy that actively involves municipalities in identifying sites for new plants.

The return of nuclear power: between benefits and perceptions

The topic of nuclear energy dominated one of the most attended panels. Guido Saracco from the Politecnico di Torino presented nuclear power as "a viable solution in line with today's energy needs", with acceptable safety levels in both current and future technologies. However, a widespread mistrust among Italians persists, as demonstrated by the survey presented by Carmen Aina and conducted by the Università del Piemonte Orientale. Salvatore Belsito from Newcleo outlined new procedures for reducing the toxicity of nuclear waste, while Lara Ponti from Confindustria national stressed the need for bold decisions on the part of institutions.

Biofuels and hydrogen: what future?

The panel on biofuels tackled the complex relationship between production capacity and environmental benefits, with Devis Colombo, commercial director at Volvo, analysing the difficult balance between production capacity and the environmental benefits of not only biodiesel and HVO (hydrotreated vegetable oil), but also hydrogen — long considered a possible alternative fuel, yet whose widespread adoption is still hampered by prohibitive costs and the need for an industrial breakthrough. The final roundtable addressed the topic of waste-to-energy treatment of waste, a sector in which, as several speakers pointed out, Italy still plays a marginal role compared to other European countries.

Alberto Marazzato closed the conference with a pragmatic reflection: "We all know that recovery and recycling must be encouraged, but 'zero waste' does not exist. Waste-to-energy can close the loop for non-recoverable waste". One figure above all gives pause for thought: Italy has very few sites for special waste and must export it abroad at high cost, effectively supplying raw material that other countries convert into energy.