Scottish Water Reduces Energy Consumption by 60% and Cuts Greenhouse Gas Emissions with Sustainable Water Technology

Rhea-AI Summary

Scottish Water (NYSE: XYL) has deployed advanced technology at 200 pumping stations to reduce energy consumption by up to 60%, accelerating its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040. In collaboration with Xylem, the utility achieved cost savings, reduced emissions, and extended the life of critical assets with advanced digital technologies.

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• Scottish Water has successfully reduced energy consumption by up to 60%, showcasing a significant achievement in its journey towards carbon neutrality.
• The collaboration with Xylem led to pronounced cost savings, including a 99% reduction in unplanned maintenance and a 40% reduction in energy consumption.
• By deploying advanced digital technologies, Scottish Water has achieved real-time visibility and control across its network, leading to substantial cost and energy savings.
• The deployment of advanced monitoring systems has allowed Scottish Water to extend the life of critical assets and reduce the possibility of failure by proactively maintaining areas at risk.

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• None.

Utility Deploys Advanced Technology Across Its Network to Accelerate Progress Towards Net Zero Emissions

WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Scottish Water has made a big dent in its greenhouse gas emissions by deploying advanced technology at 200 pumping stations across its network. By combining high-efficiency pumps and advanced digital technologies, the utility has reduced energy consumption by up to 60%, accelerating its goal of becoming carbon neutral by 2040.

As Scotland's publicly owned water supplier, Scottish Water provides essential water and wastewater services to more than 2.6 million homes and 150,000 business premises across Scotland. Its pump stations move water across a large geography, including remote villages and islands, so the utility was challenged to keep energy consumption and emissions down.

In collaboration with leading global water technology company Xylem (NYSE: XYL), Scottish Water began trialing a smart pumping solution at two pilot sites, Maple Grove and Cross Dene. The trial delivered pronounced cost savings, including a 99% reduction in unplanned maintenance and a 40% reduction in energy, prompting the utility to adopt the technology across its network.

“Moving and treating wastewater is incredibly energy intensive. Around 17% of transport emissions in Scotland are from the water and wastewater operations sector, so anything we can do will have a big impact for both Scottish Water and the country,” Nathan Wield, Wastewater Operations West Manager for Scottish Water, said. “By deploying smart technology, we can prolong the lifetime of our equipment, prevent callouts, and reduce downtime, so there is less service disruption and reduced risk of environmental impact. This delivers real cost savings for the Scottish people and gives us a major boost in our work to reduce our impact on the climate.”

A pioneer of digital innovation, Scottish Water combined several Xylem technologies – Avensor monitoring and Flygt Concertor intelligent pumps – to deliver the cost and energy savings. The utility now has real-time visibility and control across its network. Remote monitoring has enabled the Scottish Water team to replace weekly callouts with monthly inspections.

As a result, the utility saved more than 400,000 miles of reactive travel and 37,000 liters in diesel consumption, reducing its annual carbon output by 160 tCO2e.

“Reducing greenhouse gas emissions across the water sector presents a unique opportunity to rethink water management. New approaches and advanced technologies can help water utilities go further, faster,” Ian Thompson, Xylem Vice President UK & Ireland, said. “Innovative utilities like Scottish Water are a prime example of what can be achieved by harnessing the power of digital to decrease the sector’s impact on the environment – and still deliver a resilient, cost-effective, and reliable service for communities.”

Scottish Water also deployed advanced monitoring systems to extend the life of critical assets, including a main pipeline that runs more than 10 miles from the Blairlinnans Water Treatment Works to a reservoir in West Dunbartonshire. Using Xylem’s SoundPrint Acoustic Fibre Optic System – the first of its kind in Europe – Scottish Water carried out extensive inspections of the pipeline, allowing the utility to reduce the possibility of failure by proactively maintaining areas found to be at risk.

Data from the inspection showed that only 2% of the pipeline needed maintenance attention. Scottish Water achieved significant cost savings by extending the life of the remaining pipe sections resulting in fewer disruptions to customers. That approach to monitoring and targeted maintenance also further reduced the utility’s greenhouse gas footprint by avoiding emissions associated with unnecessary pipeline replacements.

Meet the people involved in accelerating Scottish Water’s journey to net zero emissions by 2040: Technology powers Scottish Water's emission reduction journey, transforming pumping stations and paving the way to net-zero goals

About Xylem

Xylem (XYL) is a leading global water technology company committed to solving the world’s critical water, wastewater, and water-related challenges through technology, innovation, and expertise. Our more than 22,000 diverse employees delivered combined pro forma revenue of $7.3 billion in 2022. We are creating a more sustainable world by enabling our customers to optimize water and resource management and helping communities in more than 150 countries become water-secure. Join us in the effort at www.xylem.com and Let’s Solve Water.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231207154844/en/

Houston Spencer

+1 (914) 240-3046

Houston.Spencer@xylem.com

Source: Xylem Inc.

FAQ

What advanced technology has Scottish Water deployed to reduce energy consumption at its pumping stations?

Scottish Water has deployed high-efficiency pumps and advanced digital technologies, including Xylem's Avensor monitoring and Flygt Concertor intelligent pumps, to reduce energy consumption by up to 60% at 200 pumping stations.

What cost savings and reductions in energy consumption were achieved through the collaboration with Xylem?

The collaboration with Xylem led to pronounced cost savings, including a 99% reduction in unplanned maintenance and a 40% reduction in energy consumption at Scottish Water's pumping stations.

How has Scottish Water achieved real-time visibility and control across its network?

Scottish Water has achieved real-time visibility and control across its network by deploying advanced digital technologies, such as remote monitoring and smart pumping solutions.

What advanced monitoring systems has Scottish Water deployed to extend the life of critical assets?

Scottish Water has deployed advanced monitoring systems, including Xylem's SoundPrint Acoustic Fibre Optic System, to extend the life of critical assets and reduce the possibility of failure by proactively maintaining areas at risk.

What is the goal of Scottish Water in terms of emissions reduction?

Scottish Water aims to become carbon neutral by 2040, and the deployment of advanced technology at its pumping stations is accelerating its progress towards this goal.