2017 is going to be a big year for water. In fact, Suez’s CEO just predicted that “water is going to be more valuable than oil.” This was after Suez’s recent announcement to acquire GE water – in an effort by the French company to focus on industrial water and the US market. On this World Water Day… Continue reading It’s a Critical (and Exciting) Time for Water: A Preview of What’s to Come
Category: Our Take
What’s holding up Public-Private Partnerships in US Municipal Water?
Pittsburgh’s mayor has announced the city will explore the viability of contracting a private firm as a full financial and operational partner to Pittsburgh Water and Sewer Authority (PWSA). Bluefield Research has recently published market insight on public-private partnerships (P3s) highlighting both the rationale and the challenges for a move to outsource the utility’s management. The reoccurring issues of underinvestment, water quality events,… Continue reading What’s holding up Public-Private Partnerships in US Municipal Water?
World Water Tech Conference: Facing Reality, One Drop at a Time
Bluefield Research attended this year’s London gathering of the World Water Techconference series with guarded optimism. The incoming US administration promises a boost in infrastructure spending, commodities prices are rebounding to support water infrastructure investments, a plethora of new technology solutions are gaining traction, and panelists captured the water industry’s desire to see greater collaboration on a number of issues.… Continue reading World Water Tech Conference: Facing Reality, One Drop at a Time
CAPEX or OPEX? Lines Blur for Water Utility Spend
Municipal water utilities are looking for new financing approaches as they face the familiar challenges of massive capital improvement costs, rising operational expenditure, and razor-thin operating margins–all issues we’ve covered in depth in our US and European municipal water infrastructure reports. The predictable revenue streams from water supply and sewerage services should provide ample base for low-cost finance. But… Continue reading CAPEX or OPEX? Lines Blur for Water Utility Spend
Where Do We Go from Flint?
The impact of Flint, Michigan’s water crisis continues to reverberate throughout the US water industry after nearly two years. Concerns over drinking water quality, specifically contamination from lead pipes, have grown exponentially as Flint highlighted the issue for the public and water utilities around the U.S. Crews in Flint have replaced pipes for 800 homes through January… Continue reading Where Do We Go from Flint?
To DMA or Not to DMA? That is the Smart Water Question
Since UK water utilities began subdividing their distribution networks into sectors in the 1980s, the practice of setting up district metering areas (DMAs) has become synonymous with good management. Operators can tightly monitor flow into these areas using flow meters, and apply night-time low-flow monitoring techniques to identify leaky areas. Now they can prioritize where leakage… Continue reading To DMA or Not to DMA? That is the Smart Water Question
Smart Water: The Future is Now
People take water for granted – they only notice when the water stops running or starts gushing, their usage is limited, or water quality is impacted. Today, water utilities are increasingly being forced to confront their crumbling infrastructure. As a result, consumer water rates have increased over 40% since 2010 and will rise even further. But there are many innovations in… Continue reading Smart Water: The Future is Now
President Trump and the Water Industry: From Talk to Action
Newly minted President Donald J. Trump stated months ago that new infrastructure will help make America great again. Whether it’s our crumbling airports, collapsing bridges, or polluted water systems – look all around and there are infrastructure problems that need fixing. It’s an issue that has bipartisan support, and has been backed up with facts most agree… Continue reading President Trump and the Water Industry: From Talk to Action
Something Old, Something New: Europe’s Water Utilities Get Smart
Water utilities are notoriously known for their aversion to new technologies when it comes to running their drinking water networks—there’s too much risk and often unclear returns. Vendors have been called out for bombarding utilities with information about complex data, analytics, sensors, and other products that has amounted to a lot of noise, but only a… Continue reading Something Old, Something New: Europe’s Water Utilities Get Smart
Europe to Increase Water Infrastructure Spend 23% by 2025 for $526 Billion Total CAPEX
European utilities are planning to invest over $526 billion in water and wastewater infrastructure between 2016 and 2025, according to new forecasts from Bluefield Research. A combination of drivers including utility market restructuring, water and wastewater directives, and improved efficiency have encouraged cities and public water utilities to resume the most aggressive investment programs Europe has… Continue reading Europe to Increase Water Infrastructure Spend 23% by 2025 for $526 Billion Total CAPEX
