AMP8 : Utilities Should Embrace Technology Providers in AMP8  | MEM Magazine

Water Companies Urged to Embrace Technology Providers for AMP8

As the demands of AMP8 and the ambitious targets of The Environment Act come into focus, water companies need to embrace technology companies much more readily, says Andrew Welsh, water utilities director at Xylem Water Solutions UK & Ireland.

The transition between five-year asset management plan (AMP) periods in the regulatory cycle of the water industry in England and Wales is always a challenging time. The final phase of AMP7 is being carried out during a period of unprecedented public and media scrutiny, especially around the role combined sewer overflows (CSOs) play in discharging pollution to water bodies.

The spotlight has been back on the sector, as Ofwat’s 2022-2023 water company performance report, published on 26 September 2023, said that the majority of water companies have underperformed.

Emphasizing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

1. Legislative framework

The UK Government published its storm overflows discharge reduction plan in August 2022, committing water companies to spending £56 billion between 2025 and 2050 to reduce spills from CSOs discharging to inland waterways and designated bathing waters. This comes after the 2021 Environment Act made it the responsibility of water companies to monitor discharges through any outfall from a wastewater treatment plant, storm overflow or CSO.

That comes on top of the £5.2 billion spend between 2020 and 2025 on asset improvements, investigations, monitoring and catchment interventions required by WINEP – the Water Industry National Environment Plan for phosphorus removal. In addition, the sector’s journey to net zero carbon in England and Wales by 2030, while it should ultimately drive down energy costs, will still be complex – bringing together a range of technologies and initiatives, along with cultural and behavioral changes.

2. Technological expertise

For technology companies like Xylem, that can provide multiple solutions to a myriad of challenges, we are looking for opportunities to show water companies what is possible in terms of their existing assets, along with the new technologies that could deliver transformation on operations and capital delivery. We have invested in an experienced UK water sector business development team, and, alongside traditional routes, Xylem believes there is value to water companies in letting us engage directly with them.

Senior leaders within water companies are invited to make use of our specialists in both water resources and wastewater, along with digital and condition assessment services. It is important that the market is aware of what technology companies like Xylem can do in both water and wastewater, and that they involve us in the conversation with their partners about how they will deliver their programs into AMP8 and beyond.

Without inviting us in at the earliest stage possible, alongside the consultancies and contractors, talking as a technology company, it is hard to see how they will be able to meet the extraordinary expectations of their customers and regulators. Deep engagement will ensure they meet their challenges. This can be demonstrated with the roll-out of smart water meters – we have been working closely with major UK utilities to provide thousands of Sensus smart meters, which are successfully helping customers reduce water usage.

3. Barriers to delivery

With two years to go to AMP8, Xylem is seeing an acceleration of AMP7 programs, and a push to reduce overflow discharges. The early ones are on bathing rivers like the River Wharfe in Ilkley, Yorkshire; the Leam in Warwickshire and the Teme in Shropshire.

The Environment Act (part 5, section 82) legislation requires water companies to monitor rivers, streams – and eventually estuaries – for the statutory parameters of temperature, dissolved oxygen, turbidity, pH and ammonia. The good news is that this is familiar territory for Xylem’s analytics team, as the company’s YSI Sondes have been used exclusively by the Environment Agency for this exact purpose for some 15 years. By working closely with this partner, Xylem has further developed the YSI EXO platform to be smaller, lighter and lower cost. Xylem’s Innovation Hub in Cambridge has taken this approach further by enhancing the optimization and efficiency of the EXO Sonde platform.

Trials have also been carried out with most utilities, to verify the system for use in relation to the Section 82 requirement. Interestingly, a number of water companies are already using the technology, but only in their clean water teams.

4. Plant optimization

More challenging is where water companies are not hitting their flow-to-full-treatment (FFT) capabilities at the wastewater treatment works on dry weather days, while discharging through outfalls and overflows. This could indicate that the capacity of works has not kept up with the increase in population growth in the catchment, so perhaps only 80-90% of wastewater is being treated.

A technology company like Xylem can help water companies bring their treatment plants back to FFT capability by reviewing the activated sludge process (ASP), pumps and pumping stations. Treatment Optimization can also deliver reductions in N2O process emissions one of the largest impacts on GHG in wastewater treatment and might be achieved via a range of options and does not necessarily mean large capital investment.

5. Energy reduction

The greatest benefit is likely to be a reduction in energy consumption, which will bring down operational costs and make a measurable contribution to 2030 net zero carbon targets. One example is improving blower efficiency by 30 to 50% by fitting high-efficiency blowers to medium-to-large ASPs. The huge rise in energy costs in the last two or three years – more than tripling for some utilities – means payback can shorten to just 18-24 months.

Furthermore, other technologies can deliver more effective ways to target the tightening phosphorus consents required by WINEP. The Co-Mag and Bio-Mag system developed by Evoqua, which joined Xylem in May 2023, are already being employed in Severn Trent Water on a number of sites and in Yorkshire Water at Knostrop and Blackburn Meadows.

Xylem’s teams are also seeing a trend towards sequencing batch reactors (SBRs), which utilities are finding attractive due to their smaller footprint and process enhancement capability. The cost and carbon benefits include greater energy efficiency with no RAS, reduced embedded carbon, and less tank

SDGs, Targets, and Indicators Analysis

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 6: Clean Water and Sanitation
• SDG 7: Affordable and Clean Energy
• SDG 9: Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• SDG 13: Climate Action
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals

The article discusses the challenges and opportunities in the water industry, focusing on the transition between AMP periods and the ambitious targets set by The Environment Act. These issues are directly related to SDG 6, which aims to ensure availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all. Additionally, the article mentions the need for energy reduction and innovation in the sector, connecting it to SDG 7 and SDG 9. The impact of these efforts on cities and communities (SDG 11) and climate action (SDG 13) is also highlighted. Finally, the importance of partnerships between water companies and technology providers aligns with SDG 17.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

• SDG 6.3: Improve water quality by reducing pollution, eliminating dumping, and minimizing release of hazardous chemicals and materials.
• SDG 7.2: Increase the share of renewable energy in the global energy mix.
• SDG 9.4: Upgrade infrastructure and retrofit industries to make them sustainable.
• SDG 11.6: Reduce the adverse per capita environmental impact of cities.
• SDG 13.2: Integrate climate change measures into national policies, strategies, and planning.
• SDG 17.17: Encourage and promote effective public, public-private, and civil society partnerships.

The article emphasizes the need for water companies to reduce pollution and improve water quality, which aligns with SDG 6.3. It also highlights the importance of increasing the share of renewable energy in the water sector (SDG 7.2) and upgrading infrastructure to make it sustainable (SDG 9.4). The article mentions the impact of these efforts on cities and communities (SDG 11.6) and the need to integrate climate change measures into policies and planning (SDG 13.2). Finally, the emphasis on partnerships between water companies and technology providers supports SDG 17.17.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

• Reduction in combined sewer overflow (CSO) discharges
• Investment in asset improvements, investigations, monitoring, and catchment interventions
• Progress towards net zero carbon emissions by 2030
• Energy consumption reduction in wastewater treatment plants
• Implementation of storm overflows discharge reduction plans
• Increase in the share of renewable energy sources in the water sector
• Number of partnerships established between water companies and technology providers

The article mentions several indicators that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets. These include the reduction in CSO discharges, investment in asset improvements, progress towards net zero carbon emissions, energy consumption reduction in wastewater treatment plants, implementation of storm overflows discharge reduction plans, increase in the share of renewable energy sources, and the number of partnerships established between water companies and technology providers.

Table: SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

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Source: memuknews.com

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