ENERGY MANAGEMENT & WATER TRANSITION

Water and energy are strategic systems underpinning the functioning, competitiveness, and sustainability of the entire economy. Today, they are at the centre of a profound transformation driven by climate change and increasing pressure on natural resources, the need to accelerate both the energy and water transitions, technological evolution, and geopolitical dynamics, as well as the imperative to provide increasingly resilient, efficient, and sustainable services while ensuring that no one is left behind. In Europe, this transformation is being shaped by systemic objectives. Climate neutrality by 2050, established under the European Green Deal, requires a deep transformation of energy systems, raising new questions about energy production, supply, electrification, efficiency, security, and investment. At the same time, with the adoption of the European Water Resilience Strategy in 2025, the European Union has placed water resilience at the centre of its climate and industrial agenda, setting a target to improve water efficiency by at least 10% by 2030 and promoting a more integrated, circular, and innovative approach to water resource management. At the global level, total investment needs for water infrastructure are estimated at €11.4 trillion by 2040, with a financing gap of approximately €6.5 trillion compared with current trajectories (World Economic Forum, Acea, University of Cambridge, 2026). Between 2024 and 2025, the Acea Group invested approximately €1.44 billion in 2024and €1.53 billion in 2025. The largest share of these investments was allocated to the water sector (around 60% of the total), primarily for networks, maintenance, and wastewater treatment infrastructure. In the energy sector, investments amounted to approximately €442 million in 2024, rising to around €534 million in 2025, supporting the development of infrastructure and facilities, including renewable energy assets. The transformation of water and energy systems represents a critical challenge for businesses, institutions, and territories. In the coming years, the demand for professionals capable of understanding the complexity of these sectors and leading processes of innovation, investment, and transformation will increase. Water Managers and Energy Managers will play an increasingly pivotal role in supporting the transition of the water and energy sectors and in enhancing the competitiveness and sustainability of the broader economic system. Against this backdrop, the Certificate in Energy Management and Water Transition explores the key regulatory, economic-financial, engineering, and environmental dynamics that characterise the energy and integrated water service sectors, with particular reference to the business models of the Acea Group. The programme aims to provide students with the tools, methods, and knowledge needed to understand and manage energy and water transition processes, addressing the challenges associated with sustainability, innovation, and the resilience of critical infrastructure. The programme is enriched by real-life Acea business cases, enabling students to apply the knowledge acquired to concrete contexts and engage with the operational and strategic challenges facing the sector, as well as through in-class activities and practical exercises. The programme is structured into six modules of four hours each, for a total of 24 hours of instruction.

No prior knowledge or skills are required to attend the course.

By the end of the course, students will be able to: • Understand the main challenges and opportunities in the energy and water sectors; • Interpret the regulatory and market context of the energy and water sectors; • Assess the economic and financial sustainability of infrastructure projects; • Understand the main technologies and engineering solutions applied to infrastructure systems; • Analyse energy and water transition strategies. The Certificate is particularly relevant for professionals working in the water, energy, environmental, and circular economy sectors.

The Certificate addresses the main strategic, regulatory, financial, technical and environmental issues related to the energy, water and environmental sectors, with specific attention to the role of utilities in ecological transition, decarbonisation and infrastructure resilience. The programme explores the national and international context of water and energy resources, analysing key operational, regulatory, and market challenges. It provides an overview of the European and national regulatory framework, focusing on regulatory mechanisms, competent authorities, and the impact of public policies on utility business models. Particular attention is devoted to the Water Framework Directive, the European Water Resilience Strategy, and ecological transition policies. The Certificate also includes applied finance topics for the energy and water sectors, covering infrastructure investments, funding models, tariff regulation and the economic and financial sustainability of projects. Examples of nationally and internationally funded projects are discussed to connect theoretical principles with concrete investment dynamics. A core component of the programme focuses on infrastructure systems engineering applied to energy and water networks. The course examines the principles of design, management, maintenance and asset management for complex and interconnected infrastructures, with a focus on resilience, reliability, service continuity, and investment planning. It also addresses the contribution of innovative technologies and digitalisation, including smart grids, advanced sensors, IoT, real-time monitoring systems, predictive diagnostics, and data use for optimising operational and decision-making performance. The programme gives specific attention to the management of the Integrated Water Service in the Italian context, analysing its structure, the main stages of the value chain — abstraction, treatment, distribution, sewerage, wastewater treatment and reuse — and key operational challenges, including network losses, infrastructure obsolescence, management fragmentation, territorial disparities and the impacts of climate change. Digital and management solutions for monitoring, risk prevention and sustainable resource management are also covered, including smart metering, network districting, early warning systems, and advanced data use. Regarding the energy sector, the Certificate explores the evolution of energy markets, the role of renewable energy sources and decarbonisation processes, with a focus on electrification, energy efficiency, new consumption models, power system flexibility and local markets. The programme also addresses the water-energy nexus, highlighting the interdependencies between water and energy systems and their implications for planning, sustainability and resilience. Finally, the Certificate analyses the relationship between environmental sustainability and business models in the energy, water, and environmental sectors. It covers sustainability tools and metrics, including ESG indicators, carbon footprint and life cycle assessment approaches, together with the principles of circular economy, resource efficiency and technological innovation. The programme highlights the integration of sustainability into corporate strategy, as well as the role of regulation and European targets as drivers of transformation, competitiveness and utility resilience. Each lecture will be complemented by an in-depth discussion of a corporate case study and a practical activity to be carried out in class.

Acea and Intesa Sanpaolo — Water Sector Observatory no. 1: The opportunity of reusing treated wastewater Italian version available here: https://www.acea.it/content/dam/acea-corporate/pdf/it/centro-studi/osservatorio-settore-idrico-riuso-acque-reflue-depurate.pdf An English version will also be made available. Acea and Intesa Sanpaolo — Water Sector Observatory no. 2: The challenge of water in agriculture in the third millennium Italian version available here: https://www.acea.it/content/dam/acea-corporate/pdf/it/centro-studi/osservatorio-sul-settore-idrico-n-2.pdf An English version will also be made available. Acea Research & Studies — European Water Resilience Strategy: Acea’s Call to Action and Blueprint for Change https://www.acea.it/content/dam/acea-corporate/pdf/en/acea-research-and-studies/european-water-resilience-strategy.pdf World Economic Forum, Acea and University of Cambridge — Bridging the €6.5 Trillion Water Infrastructure Gap: A Playbook Publication page: https://www.weforum.org/publications/bridging-the-6-5-trillion-water-infrastructure-gap-a-playbook/

The methodologies adopted to foster active, experiential learning oriented towards the development of Water Manager and Energy Manager skills include: • Experiential and collaborative learning, including group projects, simulations, role-play and mini-challenges based on real-life cases; • Project-based or data-driven learning, including dataset analysis, thematic deep dives and case study redesign; • Guided discussions.

Assessment (pass/fail structure) will be based on team project work, business cases and oral presentations carried out during the course sessions. Requirement for obtaining the Certificate: regular attendance of at least 70% of the learning activities and successful completion of the final assessment. For "non-compliant" students and students exempt from the attendance requirement, learning outcomes will be assessed through an oral examination, defined by the instructor in accordance with the Certificate content, learning objectives, and expected learning outcomes. For this purpose, the examination for "non-compliant" students and students exempt from the attendance requirement may include, at the instructor's discretion, questions on course content, discussion of cases or practical scenarios, analysis and discussion of materials, presentation and discussion of individual assignments, or any other assessment methods deemed appropriate to verify the full achievement of the expected learning outcomes. The Digital Badge will only be awarded to students who meet the minimum 70% attendance requirement. Therefore, students who, for any reason, including exemption from the attendance requirement, do not meet this threshold will not be eligible to receive the Digital Badge, even if they successfully pass the final examination.

Not applicable