Chair's Initial Thoughts & Some Takeaways

After two days of fast-moving sessions, practical case studies, and in-depth roundtables, the bigger strategic picture started to come into focus. What began as a stream of ideas and insights quickly clarified into clear, actionable signals. 

The Current Situation Of The Industry 

Presentations from Thames Water, Anglian Water, Affinity Water, United Utilities, and SES Water confirmed that UK utilities are operating from a technically mature base. Smart meters, pressure management zones, intelligent DMAs, and acoustic monitoring are all firmly embedded. But AMP8 has changed the rules of engagement. The bar is now set higher—with rising regulatory expectations and commercial imperatives demanding tighter integration, greater transparency, and demonstrable outcomes at speed. 

Global presentations—particularly from the Philippines and Côte d'Ivoire—offered a compelling blueprint for what’s possible when legacy infrastructure doesn’t weigh down digital transformation. These utilities are not easing in—they’re leapfrogging, moving directly to digital twins, AI-optimised asset platforms, and IoT-native network strategies. 

In water-stressed regions, innovation has moved from aspiration to operational mandate. Speakers from these markets made it unequivocal—tight budgets haven't stalled progress; they've intensified it. With limited resources, utilities execute faster, directly embedding digital asset visibility, AI-driven operations, and workforce retraining into their core strategies. They’ve often stood up training academies and digital capability hubs in record time

Some Potentially Actionable Takeaways 

As Alex Rosenbaum of Anglian Water outlined, leakage may need to be reframed as a capital investment issue rather than an operational one if your programme has plateaued or if regulatory expectations are rising faster than operational returns. In those conditions, exploring whole-life asset modelling and AI-driven detection may offer a more sustainable route to value than tactical repair cycles alone.

Combine Programmes Where Timelines Align

Where capital works are already planned, such as mains renewal, there may be an opportunity to embed leakage objectives if regulatory and internal priorities can be aligned. And if workforce capability is a limiting factor in tech deployment, hybrid decision models (combining expert review with AI) could improve adoption without overstretching field teams.

Satellite Imaging—When Coverage Trumps Granularity

In large or logistically challenging regions, satellite imaging may be more cost-effective than full ground surveys, especially if access limitations, terrain, or staffing constraints make conventional methods unsustainable. Where confidence in alerts is low due to false positives, layering aerial imagery or multi-sensor validation can refine targeting.

Utilities may need to embed predictive alarms into field workflows—if battery or comms lifecycle risks are undermining reliability, or if customer complaints remain the primary method of identifying events. SES Water’s model shows this integration is viable where telemetry maturity allows.

If the rollout environment includes regulatory pressure, customer segmentation, or drought exposure, phased rollouts should be structured around prioritisation logic—not just geography. Park-based DMA selection criteria can help in these cases. In drought-prone zones, it may also be more compelling to position smart metering as a resilience tool if wider water security messaging is already in place.

Where reporting consistency is weak, a second-line assurance layer could be introduced if there’s cross-functional dependency on the data (e.g. finance, ops, planning). In areas where DMA data is limited, smart metering might offer the clearest ROI if customer insight is driving decision-making across teams.

Real loss standards may need to be revisited if field-verified evidence shows that regulatory baselines are out of sync with local reality—as Orange County Utilities demonstrated. In settings with overlapping drought policy and compliance frameworks, pairing leak detection with economic ‘off-ramp’ models can help if future targets risk becoming unachievable.

For AMP8, overlaying leakage plans with weather and climate event data may be necessary if resilience commitments are material to delivery timelines. And where supply pipe leakage remains low visibility, initiating high-res pilot trials might be justified if building a stronger business case is required.

Where acoustic methods consistently fail—due to infrastructure depth or environmental noise—helium tracing may offer a viable alternative if detection accuracy is mission-critical. It also becomes relevant if suspected unauthorised draw-offs or legacy connections are not documentation.

If you work in low-visibility systems, drainage and outflow monitoring may help flag hidden losses, particularly if upstream detection remains unreliable. For legacy infrastructure, phased upgrades starting with AMI may be the most feasible pathway if internal readiness for digital twins is limited. Where staff resistance is a factor, capacity-building may be required.

Where networks experience pressure variability, hydraulic modelling and adaptive PRVS may be necessary if your AMP8 strategy depends on predictive control or leakage prevention. Real-time telemetry investment becomes compelling if dynamic control or forecasting is required across zones.

If your asset base has suffered prolonged underinvestment, low-cost, high-impact interventions, such as basic leak detection and pressure control, should be prioritised if capex constraints continue. Where operational coordination is lagging, establishing an integrated operations centre may be justified if delays are cross-team.

These takeaways reflect only a fraction of the strategic material covered. 

A full breakdown of these themes will be available in the 500-page report pack launching Wednesday, 7 May 2025, including every presentation, transcript, Q&A, and leadership-level summary.