Amane’s Future of Water Conference explores the biggest themes and trends across the water sector

Amane Advisors once again teamed up with RBC Capital Markets to host the 2023 Future of Water Conference in New York City in May.

With more than 140 attendees, the invitation-only event featured a series of panel sessions geared toward institutional, private equity, and infrastructure investors, with C-level panelists giving their unique tak

es on the biggest themes and trends across the water sector.

The day was packed with interesting insights and perspectives on everything from climate change and water scarcity to PFAS and digital adoption.

You can read more insights from the conference in our blog post.

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Exploring exciting opportunities emerging in the US renewable natural gas industry at Biogas Americas 2023

Photo via Biogas Americas

Amane Partner Amedeo Vaccani and Principal Vinod Jose got a glimpse at the future of the fast-growing renewable natural gas (RNG) industry at Biogas Americas 2023 in Chicago in May. With more than 1,500 attendees – double the number of last year’s attendees – the conference reflected the growing momentum and excitement generated by this versatile resource.

Reflecting on his experience, Vinod dubbed RNG, also known as biomethane in Europe, as the “Swiss Army Knife’ in the renewable energy basket, due to the fact that it can be generated using multiple feedstock options, including methane from dairy farms, landfill gas, agricultural waste, and municipal waste, as well as the fact that it offers a variety of end uses, including electricity generation, transportation, or direct pipeline injection.

“Much of the conference focused on the fact that this high degree of versatility also creates unique challenges and makes understanding the opportunities in RNG a bit more complex,” said Vinod.

“For instance, experts highlighted the lack of a standard methodology in determining the Carbon Intensity (CI) score of RNG, which is crucial for evaluating the commercial viability of projects.”

Keynote speakers, including Alexis Glick, CEO of Nature Energy, and Neil Smith, CEO of Vanguard Renewables, emphasized the need for simplification, standardization, and increased collaboration within the industry as a means of overcoming this and other challenges.

“These are still early days for this industry, but Amane is now supporting more companies and investors in exploring opportunities in the RNG sector and I’m excited to see the expanding role this resource can play in the renewable energy mix,” added Vinod.

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Supporting the transformation of China’s environmental sector at IE-EXPO

Amane Partner Alex Zhang presenting at IE-Expo China

China’s environmental and climate protection market has matured in recent years. As a result, many business leaders are exploring new growth and transformation opportunities.

To support this transformation, Amane’s team in Shanghai hosted a gathering for more than two dozen executives across the environmental sector to coincide with this year’s IE-EXPO China.

Amane Partner Alex Zhang also gave a presentation at the expo to share insights around why companies are eager for new opportunities and how to best prepare for transformation.

“The pandemic impacted the growth trajectory of many environmental protection companies in China – resulting in more saturated markets and less space to gain a foothold.”

“As a result, many companies are eager to think innovatively about their next steps,” said Alex.

“We are seeing new market opportunities emerge in areas such as lithium extraction from salt lakes, hydrogen energy, recycled water and hazardous waste utilization, among others.

“But transformation also creates new risks and challenges. Businesses must ensure they have the right funding, teams, tools, and systems in place to succeed,” he added.

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Amane leaders reflect on the state of water at Global Water Summit 2023

The opening plenary at GWS 2023. Photo via Global Water Summit

More than 800 delegates representing more than 60 countries descended on Berlin this May for the flagship water sector event of the year.

This year’s Global Water Summit featured an impressive roster of international speakers exploring all facets of the water sector, with a focus on how investing in water technology and infrastructure is necessary to adapt to climate change and unlock new levels of economic growth.

Among the speakers were several Amane Partners, including Bill Malarkey, who discussed the outlook for the water industry in the context of the climate imperative, rising interest rates and other challenges.

Reflecting on the event, Bill said there is a growing awareness among municipalities and corporates that the primary impacts of a changing climate are going to be felt in the water sector but few are taking serious action to address their water-related risks.

Amane’s Bill Malarkey participating as a panel speaker. Photo Via Global Water Summit

“Water sits at the heart of climate adaptation, and the historic underinvestment in water infrastructure, digital transformation, and innovation is hindering many cities and businesses’ ability to respond as quickly as is needed.”

“We’re talking about the world’s most essential resource, so as water sources become less reliable and plentiful, and the public becomes more focused on the quality of the water they use, it’s easy to see why water will be among the most significant global investment themes in the years to come.”

“While there are significant challenges and competing priorities when it comes to investing in water infrastructure and technology, we heard very clearly at this Summit that there is growing consensus around the urgent need to ramp up capital spending and explore emerging opportunities in water reuse, unconventional water, and decentralized solutions.”

Amane’s Bastien Simeon (L) participating as a panel speaker. Photos via Global Water Summit

Partner Bastien Simeon served as a speaker in the “New Rules for Desalination Finance” panel event, which explored the ways in which the market for desalination is growing beyond the Gulf region.

One of the key focuses of that discussion was the increasingly important role both International Finance Institutions (IFIs) and Development Finance Institutions (DFIs) play in the development of ‘alternative’ water resources, including both desalination and water reuse projects.

“Given the reality of worsening global water scarcity, these types of projects are increasingly needed in emerging markets, as highlighted, for example, by the large-scale desalination program being implemented by ONEE in Morocco,” said Bastien.

Amane Partners Mathieu De Kervenoael and Christophe Guillet and Principal Vinod Ramachandran also attended the Summit.