SMAT at COP31 in Antalya
Date of the event:
On 18 November 2026, as part of COP31 in Antalya, Turkey, the Turin-based company SMAT takes part in the Italy Pavilion, presenting Piedmont's experience in turning large Alpine hydroelectric infrastructure into multi-purpose systems, in which priority for drinking-water supply is combined with power generation and irrigation needs [1][2].
The side event
The presentation takes place as part of a side event organised by SOGESID together with the Politecnico di Torino, titled "From Planning to Implementation: Building Resilient Cities through Sustainable Water Management, Innovation, and Effective Governance", dedicated to moving from planning to the delivery of concrete solutions for climate resilience [1]. The event brings together representatives of SOGESID, the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security, Italian development cooperation, ISPRA, the One Water Italy Committee, the Politecnico di Torino, the Università Federico II of Naples, the Green Building Council Italia and the utilities IREN and SMAT, with closing remarks by the deputy minister of the Environment and Energy Security, Vannia Gava [1][2].
Piedmont's model
The experience presented by SMAT began with the Susa Valley Aqueduct, opened in 2019, which uses water from the Rochemolles hydroelectric reservoir and, through a 500-litre-per-second plant and about 70km of pipelines, also makes it available for drinking water [1][2]. The same model has been scaled up with the Orco Valley Aqueduct, fed by the system of Gran Paradiso reservoirs managed by IREN. The Locana treatment plant, with a capacity of 800 litres per second and about 140km of pipelines, provides a new source of drinking water for about 130,000 residents across some fifty municipalities [1][2]. The project, also built with PNRR and Fondo opere idriche funding, required clearing 176 authorisation procedures and was completed in two years and seven months [1][2].
Statements
SMAT's chairman, Paolo Romano, says that taking part in COP31 shows Piedmont's ability to develop concrete responses to climate change, noting how infrastructure built in the last century can take on new roles [1][2]. SMAT's chief executive, Armando Quazzo, who presents the project in person at COP31, says the Orco Valley shows how it is possible to move from strategy to concrete delivery even for complex infrastructure, and in a short time [1][2].
Sources
- COP31: SMAT porta ad Antalya il modello piemontese delle infrastrutture idriche ad uso plurimo — L'Agenda News, 11 November 2026
- L’ACQUEDOTTO DELLA VALSUSA IN TURCHIA: SMAT PRESENTA IL MODELLO SULLE INFRASTRUTTURE ALPINE — Valsusa Oggi, 11 November 2026