AGS – Water Solutions implemented a project of efficient management in water supply systems in two Chilean utilities that reduced non-revenue water in both by about 8.8 percentage points, which is equivalent to an annual recovery of 11.2 million cubic meters and represents a significant cost reduction for these operators.
Initially, the two utilities integrated in the Aguas Nuevas group of companies had a high level of lost water in the system associated with a low level of flow measurement in their networks and very old meters, responsible for an incorrect measurement of customer consumption.
With the objective of reducing the non-revenue water, the project was implemented with an integrated a methodology of management and operation of water supply systems, comprising problem diagnosis, identification of priority areas and the definition of concrete actions to improve the technical and organizational efficiency of these utilities. The project started in January 2015 and ended in March 2020.
The impact of the project
The operators in which the project was implemented, their parent company, and the Chilean Regulatory Authority (SISS), recognized the technical capabilities of AGS to respond to the proposed challenges and established a new partnership to continue the work developed, under which they are analyzing the potential to extend the partnership to new areas of activity – the reduction of undue inflows into urban drainage systems, wastewater treatment optimization and energy efficiency.
The success of the project also promoted contacts with other Chilean utilities, from which a new project has already resulted, also focused on improving the water efficiency of the systems.
This project of AGS was also distinguished in 2017 with an honorable mention, in the category “Services” of the PT Global Water Awards, an initiative promoted by the newspaper Água&Ambiente and the Portuguese Water Partnership, which aims to celebrate the internationalization of companies belonging to the Portuguese water sector.
