PREVIEW: A look ahead at the future of water

Amane Advisors is once again teaming up with RBC Capital Markets to host the 2023 Future of Water Conference in New York City next month. The invite-only investor event will feature a combination of informative panel sessions and opportunities for one-on-one meetings with leading global water companies.

With sessions geared toward institutional, private equity, and infrastructure investors, attendees will discover differentiated investment insights from panels covering the biggest themes and trends across major facets of the water sector.

RECAP: Key takeaways from the American Water Summit

The 11th American Water Summit, held in Los Angeles in January, focused on ‘rethinking’ the water sector, particularly in the context of drought, inflation, climate change, new legislation, funding opportunities, and more. Amane Partner Bill Malarkey and Principal Vinod Jose were in attendance and shared some of the key takeaways from the event.

“One interesting insight was that US utilities are starting to take measures to diversify their water sources to improve resiliency. In addition to surface water and groundwater, utilities are exploring ways to incorporate storm water, rainwater, and wastewater. However, seawater is still considered a last resort source, as it remains cost prohibitive for many,” said Vinod.

“Utilities are hopeful that regulations allowing the use of wastewater as a source will come into place in the near future, but managing public perception is likely to remain a challenge.”

One session explored how companies beyond the traditional water sector are beginning to pay closer attention how water may pose a strategic risk to their business in the future – both at operational sites and further upstream in their value chains.

“As stakeholders become more aware of the value at risk, conversations are moving away from return on investment and towards taking action to avoid an existential crisis. There was wide acceptance that the impact of climate change (in the context of climate adaptation) is not only limited to volume, but also quality, due to higher surface water temperatures which triggers higher microbial activity,” added Vinod.

“Similarly, it was clear that industrial water users are beginning to take their water stewardship roles more seriously, laying out ambitions to become ‘responsible water management’ companies. Likewise, many oil & gas companies believe they can be ‘water positive’ if they can find a way to economically treat and redirect it to reuse applications in their local communities.”

RECAP: Highlights from the World Water Tech Innovation Summit

Amane Principal Vinod Ramachandran took part in the World Water Tech Innovation Summit in London this February, with panel discussions, presentations, and networking events focused on topics including climate change, water scarcity, advanced water treatment solutions, water reuse, smart water networks, and the digital transformation of the water industry.

“Apart from the significant focus on smart networks and leak detection, I also found it interesting to learn more about the importance of decentralized water treatment systems for rural and remote communities as well as the potential for wastewater treatment and reuse for agricultural, industrial, and municipal purposes,” said Vinod.

“It was also encouraging to learn more about the “Spring” initiative, a knowledge-sharing and project showcase platform aimed at facilitating collaborative innovation amongst UK utilities.”

Here’s a look at some of the other events taking place across water, resource recovery, and energy recovery and where you may be able to spot some of our team members.

Be sure to get in touch with our team if you would like to connect at an upcoming event!