At Expo 2020 Dubai which kicks off in October, leading Italian energy companies such as ENI will showcase the new technologies they are backing as part of the green transition and the circular economy.
Italy's pavilion at Expo Dubai - the first world fair held in the Mideast and the first such major event since the pandemic - will be unique in its sustainability - according to the fair's national commissioner general Paolo Glisenti.
"Italy's will the first totally carbon-free pavilion and I believe Expo's only one equipped with technology to cut the use of traditional energy and achieve lower electricity consumption and water recycling," Glisenti told 'Italy's Beautiful Energy' forum.
Adnkronos news agency organised the event - which centred on Expo Dubai - at its headquarters in Rome on Tuesday.
ENI is investing heavily in the "strategic" United Arab Emirates and the other states bordering the Persian Gulf, the company's chief executive, Claudio Descalzi, told the forum.
"The Emirates, like the entire Gulf region, are a strategic area for ENI, which is making major investments in the region amounting to some 20 billion in the next 5-6 years," he stated.
While innovation is crucial in the energy field, rapidity and pragmatism are also vital in its application, Descalzi cautioned.
"We need to be pragmatic and quick because it's pointless innovating and investing in new technology when there is a medieval system in place that thwarts the efforts made to decarbonize," he said.
At Expo Dubai, Enel subsidiary EnelX will use two striking light installations 'The second sun' and 'The second moon' in the form of two large circles, each composed of around 300 LED lights, suspended 12 metres off the ground, said EnelX managing director Francesco Venturini.
"EnelX manages around 2 million lighting points around the world, so we have a long tradition, and starting with public lighting we have increasingly developed artistic lighting," Venturini told the forum.
Snam will attend Expo Dubai as the Italian pavilion's partner in the promotion of sustainable decarbonization, said the gas group's CEO diplomatic advisor and head of international relations, Ruggero Corrias.
"Snam comes to Expo Dubai with a new statute that will allow it to transport green molecules instead of fossil molecules," Corrias stated.
"The company presents itself as the region's geographic partner and an accord with the main Emirate investment group aimed at decarbonizing and promoting green hydrogen," he added.
Italian oil services group Saipem offers the infrastructure and technology needed for new forms of energy, its managing director, Francesco Caio, told the forum.
"The energy transition requires new plants, new technology and innovation," he said.
"We offer an 'engineering bridge' between the desire for new forms of energy and the ability to bring this to a territory in an economical, safe and inclusive way that respects local communities," Caio added.
Italian grid operator Terna will exhibit a major installation at Expo Dubai - 'Driving Energy' - that shows how electrical energy can be transported sustainably, said the company's grid development strategies and despatching director Francesco Del Pizzo.
"This installation is made with sustainable materials and displays an electrical energy system. It features three 'drivers' - sustainability, innovation and digitalization," Del Pizzo said.
Climate and biodiversity are among key themes of Expo Dubai, which offers an exceptional platform to show the world Italy's commitment to the green transition, foreign minister Luigi Di Maio underlined.
"Italy's attendance is based from the outset on a solid public-private partnership and provides a particular opportunity to highlight our country's contribution to the energy transition," Di Maio said.
