Location: Amsterdam RAI
- Speaker - Adam Hosking, Jacobs
- Speaker - Frederico Martins Fernandes, Águas do Porto
- Speaker - Howard Neukrug, Chair LUOW
- Speaker - Ole Johnsen, Billund Vand and Energi
Session: AIWW Conference Utility Leaders Forum (ULF) – round 1
Utility Leaders Forum 2019: coping with dependencies.
The Utility Leaders Forum (ULF) catalysis discussion and partnership between CEOs of water and wastewater utilities. Utility leaders from across the globe will share the challenges they are facing, with the aim of developing ideas to solve those challenges. Utilities will focus on the need to invest in water availability, resource and energy recovery, as well as maintaining, improving and expanding their infrastructure whilst supporting affordable tariffs. The involvement of potential financiers in the early stages of project development is key. The future of utilities lies in the industrial use of reclaimed water, water conservation by domestic customers, irrigation efficiency in the agricultural sector, and reclaimed water use in city landscaping. What does a ‘multi-utility’ means in role and responsibility? The following questions will inform the discussions at the roundtables in the Utility Leaders Forum.
- What have you learned that is useful to other utilities?
- What would you like to learn from other utilities?
- What is financially necessary to implement and scaling up solutions?
Connecting utility networks
- Leading Utilities of the World
Leading Utilities of the World (LUOW) is a network of the world’s most forward-thinking water and wastewater utilities, as defined by the network’s 14 distinct innovation areas. Its members represent the gold standard of utility innovation and performance throughout the developed world’s water sector. LUOW is an initiative of the Global Water Leaders Group, a non-profit organization aiming to create a better story for water worldwide. To create a global network of the world’s most successful and innovative water and wastewater utilities to help drive performance across the sector by recognizing achievement, providing a network for sharing ideas, and inspiring others to improve.
Three utilities presented by their CEOs will be awarded to the Leading Utilities Of the World network. These utilities represent the ‘Gold Standard’ of outstanding innovation and performance in the economically developed world. They will be awarded because of the special performances and innovations that they have achieved. The awarded water utilities from major world cities will present their approaches for the future. At the ULF we create the opportunity to have a deep dive session with these three utilities.
- Blue Deal
The Blue Deal program offers long-term collaboration with regional and national governments in finding and developing solutions to improve water management.
Dutch Water Authorities, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management have therefore joined forces in a program known as the ‘Blue Deal’. The Blue Deal program runs till the end of 2030. Its goal is to help 20 million people in 40 catchment areas around the world gain access to clean, sufficient and safe water.
Amsterdam Agreements
Presenting the results of the Amsterdam Agreements between Berliner Wasserbetriebe, SIAAP Paris, Department of Environment New York City, PUB Singapore, Hofor Copenhagen and Waternet Amsterdam. These utilities present their results and challenges for coming years. What are the latest developments of the agreements?
Themes at the round tables
- Inauguration themes of best perfomances
- How can we use SDG6 to reach the goals of SDG5 (gender) and SDG13 (climate action)?
- Resilient Utilities Index Framework
- Revolutionary developments on ICT Data Robotica digital and smart solutions
- Energy recovery and sustainable solutions in energy transition
- Micro pollutants and new substances in the water cycle
- Extreme weather events / climate adaptation new measures and tools to prepare for robust strategies
- Inauguration themes of best perfomances
- Water Re-use Safety Planning
The session chair is Roelof Kruize, CEO of Waternet and Managing Board of AIWW
All of the tables have 10 participants who will remain at the same table during the duration of the session to provide the opportunity for indepth discussions:
- Chair
- Case owner/ Expert
- Future Water Leader
- 7 utility executives, experts, high-level delegates
Location: Amsterdam RAI Room: E103-E104
Utility Leaders Forum 2019: coping with dependencies.
The Utility Leaders Forum (ULF) catalysis discussion and partnership between CEOs of water and wastewater utilities. Utility leaders from across the globe will share the challenges they are facing, with the aim of developing ideas to solve those challenges. Utilities will focus on the need to invest in water availability, resource and energy recovery, as well as maintaining, improving and expanding their infrastructure whilst supporting affordable tariffs. The involvement of potential financiers in the early stages of project development is key. The future of utilities lies in the industrial use of reclaimed water, water conservation by domestic customers, irrigation efficiency in the agricultural sector, and reclaimed water use in city landscaping. What does a ‘multi-utility’ means in role and responsibility? The following questions will inform the discussions at the roundtables in the Utility Leaders Forum.
- What have you learned that is useful to other utilities?
- What would you like to learn from other utilities?
- What is financially necessary to implement and scaling up solutions?
Connecting utility networks
- Leading Utilities of the World
Leading Utilities of the World (LUOW) is a network of the world’s most forward-thinking water and wastewater utilities, as defined by the network’s 14 distinct innovation areas. Its members represent the gold standard of utility innovation and performance throughout the developed world’s water sector. LUOW is an initiative of the Global Water Leaders Group, a non-profit organization aiming to create a better story for water worldwide. To create a global network of the world’s most successful and innovative water and wastewater utilities to help drive performance across the sector by recognizing achievement, providing a network for sharing ideas, and inspiring others to improve.
Three utilities presented by their CEOs will be awarded to the Leading Utilities Of the World network. These utilities represent the ‘Gold Standard’ of outstanding innovation and performance in the economically developed world. They will be awarded because of the special performances and innovations that they have achieved. The awarded water utilities from major world cities will present their approaches for the future. At the ULF we create the opportunity to have a deep dive session with these three utilities.
- Blue Deal
The Blue Deal program offers long-term collaboration with regional and national governments in finding and developing solutions to improve water management.
Dutch Water Authorities, the Dutch Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management have therefore joined forces in a program known as the ‘Blue Deal’. The Blue Deal program runs till the end of 2030. Its goal is to help 20 million people in 40 catchment areas around the world gain access to clean, sufficient and safe water.
Amsterdam Agreements
Presenting the results of the Amsterdam Agreements between Berliner Wasserbetriebe, SIAAP Paris, Department of Environment New York City, PUB Singapore, Hofor Copenhagen and Waternet Amsterdam. These utilities present their results and challenges for coming years. What are the latest developments of the agreements?
Themes at the round tables
- Inauguration themes of best perfomances
- How can we use SDG6 to reach the goals of SDG5 (gender) and SDG13 (climate action)?
- Resilient Utilities Index Framework
- Revolutionary developments on ICT Data Robotica digital and smart solutions
- Energy recovery and sustainable solutions in energy transition
- Micro pollutants and new substances in the water cycle
- Extreme weather events / climate adaptation new measures and tools to prepare for robust strategies
- Inauguration themes of best perfomances
- Water Re-use Safety Planning
The session chair is Roelof Kruize, CEO of Waternet and Managing Board of AIWW
All of the tables have 10 participants who will remain at the same table during the duration of the session to provide the opportunity for indepth discussions:
- Chair
- Case owner/ Expert
- Future Water Leader
- 7 utility executives, experts, high-level delegates
Subsession
ULF Table 1: Inauguration of best performances: Leading Utilities of the World
ULF Table 2: How can we use SDG6 to reach the goals of SDG5 (gender) and SDG13 (climate action)?
Theme: Integrating water and resources management
Blue Deal Sustainable Development Goals. This program is a collaborative commitment to realise SDG 6 to increase access to clean drinking water and improved access to sanitation for people in developing countries.
Drinking utilities, governments, and NGOs are each working on reaching SDG6 based on their own expertise and knowledge. But what do these different types of organizations need from each other to really contribute to gender equality and climate action as well? How can they help each other turn their ambition into action? We want to explore potential exchanges based on good practices and struggles from WaterWorx, Blue Deal and the WASH SDG program.
ULF Table 3: Resilient Utilities Index Framework
Theme: ICT & Data: artificial intelligence and smart robotica
Resilience is one of the key challenges facing water management climate adaptation. Utilities will need a comprehensive resilience framework to asses and understand the opportunities for improvement. This framework index, by Arcadis, encourages proactive interventions.
Scan the code below for your organisational resilience!
ULF Table 4: Revolutionary developments on ICT, data, robotica, digital and smart solutions
Theme: ICT & Data: artificial intelligence and smart robotica
Most water companies are currently collecting data in the context of an optimisation process, which is still a man-made decision, the step that most companies want to take in the near future is to use a predicative tool. When are companies and business ready for decision automation? Which key words and factors must be met?
ULF Table 5: Energy recovery and sustainable solutions in energy transition
Theme: Energy transition and resource recovery
What will urban water and waste management look like in 2040?
Urban water and waste management must in the coming decades go for a next level of recovery ie use the recovered resources on the site to make valuable commodities such as SCP, which are ‘desired ‘by the consumer. This involves to STOP conventional activated sludge, nitrification, denitrification, burning biogas to CHP.
ULF Table 8: Inauguration of best performances: Leading Utilities of the World
ULF Table 9: Water re-use safety planning
Theme: Energy transition and resource recovery
With pressure on fresh water sources mounting, reuse is becoming increasingly important. How can risk analysis and water safety planning methodologies be used to ensure safe reuse? The EU regulation on minimum requirements for water re-use offers a starting point. Using illustrative examples we will discuss best practices and lessons learned – the devil is in the details.
ULF Table 6: Micro pollutants and new substances in the water cycle
Theme: Energy transition and resource recovery
https://thegreatbubblebarrier.com/en/
Start-up The Great Bubble Barrier (TGBB), investigates to what extent microplastics occur in the effluent of a waste water treatment plant and to what extent a ‘Bubble Barrier’ can prevent microplastics from being discharged with the effluent to the lake IJssel, PWN’s most important source for drinking water production.
We have three main aspects for this research project: Operation parameters that determine retention of microplastics by a ‘Bubble Barrier’ to protect surface water, further development of the analytical method for characterizing micro- and nano plastics and insights into the effectiveness of a ‘Bubble Barrier’ on the capture of different sizes of microplastics.
ULF Table 7: Extreme weather events / climate adaptation new measures and tools to prepare for robust strategies
Theme: ICT & Data: artificial intelligence and smart robotica
Worldwide, utilities play an increasingly important role in adapting to climate change. Utility frontrunners in adaptation measures will share their insight and experiences. Here we question how to act on climate adaptation and what role and measures can utility take?
