“PPPs are a strategic pillar of ACCIONA’s international expansion in the water sector”

ACCIONA has recently secured strategic contracts in Spain, Brazil, and other markets. What would you say are the key differentiating factors in your value proposition for water network operation and maintenance?

Undoubtedly, the experience we’ve gained over the past 15 years managing this type of contract has enabled us to build a team of highly specialised professionals. They’ve not only been successful in executing the contracts, but also in transferring their knowledge, experience, and quality standards to our business development teams. This has allowed us to unleash our full potential when facing new tenders, which we structure around three core pillars:

Firstly, we have proven operational capacity in very diverse contexts, managing complex, large-scale networks under a wide range of urban, climatic, and socio-economic conditions. The experience we’ve accumulated in markets such as Spain, Panama, Peru, Brazil, Mexico, Italy, and the Middle East enables us to quickly adapt to local environments and apply global best practices.

Digital tools allow us to anticipate incidents, reduce losses, optimise resources, and make data-driven decisions in real time

Secondly, we’ve made a strong commitment to service digitalisation. We incorporate advanced automation and control systems, GIS platforms, hydraulic modelling, network analysis, predictive maintenance, and digital twins. These tools allow us to anticipate incidents, reduce losses, optimise resources, and make data-driven decisions in real time.

Lastly, we approach all our contracts with a clear focus on active sustainability. We aim to maximise energy efficiency, reduce water and carbon footprints, reuse resources, and promote circular economy principles across every phase of service delivery.

Digitalisation has become a central pillar of network management. What technologies is ACCIONA deploying across its operated networks, and how do they translate into improved efficiency, resilience, and service quality?

Today, using technology to operate and maintain water supply and sanitation networks is no longer an option or a trend—it’s a necessity and an obligation. Only through digitalisation can we make informed decisions and operate efficiently. For decades, decisions in the water sector were made in a somewhat arbitrary manner, without a thorough analysis of network conditions. For instance, the decision to replace one section of a network over another in a city often depended on how many incidents a network manager remembered happening in recent times.

At ACCIONA, asset management is the cornerstone of operations. It allows us to plan, record, and analyse every intervention in the infrastructure, from preventive and corrective maintenance to strategic renewals. This data is combined with criticality models, obsolescence analysis, and lifecycle cost assessments to support data-driven investment and maintenance decisions.

We are also deploying digital twins in both water supply and sanitation networks. These systems integrate real-time hydraulic modelling, IoT sensors, SCADA data, and external forecasts, enabling us to anticipate behaviours, simulate scenarios, and respond more accurately to critical events.

Of course, none of this is possible without investment in a comprehensive IoT sensor layer across the network. This infrastructure enables monitoring of flow rates, pressures, water quality, and potential intrusions, automatically generating alerts and facilitating more agile and precise network control. All this information is integrated into the aforementioned platforms to give it full operational meaning.

Projects in Valencia, Bilbao, and Paraná have incorporated advanced tools such as digital twins, IoT sensors, and predictive maintenance. What key lessons have you drawn from these experiences?

These projects have allowed us to consolidate an operation and maintenance model based on smart water cycle management. They’ve also been instrumental in field-testing many of the technologies and methodologies that now define ACCIONA’s global approach.

One of the main takeaways is that technology only delivers value when it’s fully integrated into day-to-day operations and aligned with service objectives. In Valencia, for example, a pilot digital twin implemented in the sanitation system enabled us to simulate and anticipate hydraulic overload scenarios in collectors and pumping stations, improving the management of heavy rainfall events. This predictive capability translates into a significant reduction in discharges and improved urban environmental quality.

In Bilbao, the project was especially valuable for understanding the impact of IoT sensor deployment in large, heterogeneous networks. Installing sensors at critical points has provided a level of visibility we didn’t have before, allowing for much more reliable modelling. We are currently developing hydraulic models for the city’s 27 catchments to determine the necessary investments and upgrades for the sanitation network in the coming years.

In Paraná, Brazil, we’ve focused on predictive maintenance, given that we’re working under a long-term contract. This allows us to prioritise actions based on risk and criticality. The result is not only improved service continuity but also optimised use of both technical and financial resources.

The circular economy is becoming increasingly important in both networks and treatment plants. How is ACCIONA advancing in sludge valorisation, biogas generation, and water reuse across its current operations?

At ACCIONA, the circular economy is not an abstract concept but an integrated operational strategy applied to both wastewater treatment infrastructure and networks. Our goal is clear: reduce waste, generate resources, and increase overall system efficiency.

In wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs), we promote sludge valorisation through advanced treatment technologies such as anaerobic digestion, thermal drying, and composting. These processes yield stabilised, safe biosolids for agricultural use or soil amendment. In addition, we implement co-digestion with external organic waste streams, which boosts biogas production and enhances the energy efficiency of the overall process. In several facilities, this biogas meets a significant portion of the energy demand through cogeneration, and we are progressing toward biogas upgrading to produce reusable biomethane or inject it into the grid.

Trenchless technologies and low-impact environmental solutions will continue gaining prominence due to their technical efficiency

In parallel, we operate water reuse systems using tertiary—and even quaternary—treatment processes, enabling treated effluent to be reused for agricultural irrigation, urban street cleaning, industrial applications, or aquifer recharge. This is particularly relevant in water-stressed regions, where these solutions help relieve pressure on conventional water sources and ensure a sustainable supply.

From the network perspective, we incorporate circular criteria into both planning and execution. A clear example is the use of trenchless technologies for network rehabilitation, such as cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining or pipe bursting, which allow pipelines to be renewed while minimising excavation, waste generation, aggregate consumption, and disruption to the urban environment. This methodology not only reduces the carbon footprint but also extends the service life of existing infrastructure with high economic and environmental efficiency.

In urban environments with ageing infrastructure, what are the key factors for reducing losses, prioritising investments, and renewing networks efficiently and sustainably?

Managing ageing water networks requires a strategic vision grounded primarily in deep knowledge of the asset. At ACCIONA, we tackle this challenge through a comprehensive asset management approach that combines digital technologies, data-driven planning, and innovative technical solutions.

One of the key elements is the digitalisation of the network inventory using GIS tools integrated with CMMS platforms, which allows us to maintain full traceability of materials, age, historical incidents, and functional criticality. This database feeds prioritisation models that incorporate hydraulic, economic, environmental, and social criteria to plan renewals based on technical rationale rather than reactive measures.

From this foundation, trenchless technologies play a fundamental role. Techniques such as cured-in-place pipe (CIPP) lining, pipe bursting, or the insertion of flexible pipe allow for the rehabilitation of pipelines without the need for open-cut excavation, significantly reducing construction waste (aggregates, debris, backfill materials), CO₂ emissions associated with heavy machinery and transportation, the use of new materials by leveraging existing alignments, impacts on traffic, local businesses, and urban quality of life, and, of course, execution times and the overall cost of the intervention.

These technologies are especially valuable in densely populated and highly urbanised environments, where the social impact of conventional works would be unacceptable. Moreover, they can extend the service life of existing infrastructure by up to 50 additional years, easing pressure on public budgets.

In summary, efficiently and sustainably renewing networks requires combining deep knowledge of the asset’s condition, prioritising trenchless technologies as the preferred solution, and planning based on impact, risk, and cost-efficiency criteria.

Looking ahead to the medium term, how does ACCIONA envision the future of water network maintenance, and what capabilities do you consider essential to meet the sector’s upcoming challenges?

Water network maintenance is undergoing a profound transformation, driven by digitalisation, climate pressure, regulatory demands, and the need for both economic and environmental efficiency. At ACCIONA, we envision a future in which maintenance is no longer reactive but instead intelligent, preventive, and predictive—guided by data and automation.

One of the key pillars will be the consolidation of advanced asset management strategies, supported by tools such as digital twins, interconnected CMMS platforms, and degradation and reliability models that allow failures to be anticipated before they occur. This entails evolving towards a maintenance culture based on asset lifecycle, where every intervention is justified by criteria of criticality, risk, and cost-efficiency.

The widespread deployment of sensors in networks through IoT, combined with data analytics algorithms, will enable near real-time decision-making, resource optimisation, reduced service disruptions, and enhanced system resilience in the face of extreme events.

Another essential capability will be the sustainable renewal of assets, particularly in consolidated urban environments. Trenchless technologies and low-impact environmental solutions will continue gaining prominence due to their technical efficiency and reduced urban and climate footprint.

At ACCIONA, asset management is the cornerstone of operations, enabling strategic, data-driven decisions concerning water infrastructure

At the organisational level, it will be crucial to have multidisciplinary teams that integrate technical, digital, and environmental expertise. The maintenance of the future will demand skills in data analysis, interpretation of digital models, geospatial information management, and the operation of continuous digital platforms.

We also foresee an evolution in contractual models. The inclusion of performance indicators, energy efficiency frameworks, and sustainability clauses will become increasingly common, requiring operators to demonstrate tangible results in terms of hydraulic performance, service quality, and environmental footprint reduction.

In short, water network maintenance in the coming years will be more technology-driven, sustainable, and focused on data-based decision-making. At ACCIONA, we are already moving in that direction—investing in innovation, training, and digital tools that enable us to continue leading the responsible and efficient management of water infrastructure.

The contract in Brazil, covering 48 municipalities, represents a major milestone. What strategic and technical lessons does this project offer for replication in other emerging markets?

The public-private partnership contract for the provision of sanitation network services in 48 municipalities in the state of Paraná, Brazil, is one of ACCIONA’s most ambitious projects in Latin America and a benchmark for its global strategy in emerging markets.

One of the key strategic lessons is the importance of building strong public-private partnerships, where the private operator contributes technical expertise, management efficiency, and investment capacity, while the public client retains service oversight and ensures social coverage. In this case, collaboration with the state-owned company SANEPAR has shown that it is possible to advance towards universal service provision through a model based on cooperation and shared responsibility.

From a global perspective, which regions currently offer the greatest opportunities for the development of water and sanitation networks, and what types of projects is ACCIONA focusing on?

From a global perspective, the greatest opportunities for the development of water and sanitation networks are concentrated in Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and, of course, Spain.

In Latin America, where ACCIONA already has a strong presence, we continue to see enormous potential in projects that combine coverage expansion, such as Brazil’s public-private partnerships, with loss reduction, as in the recently awarded contract in Costa Rica, or network renewal, like the preventive maintenance contracts in Peru. These examples show that there is room for hybrid models that enhance system performance while generating both social and environmental value.

The Middle East stands out as a key region due to its firm commitment to digitalisation, water reuse, and hydrological resilience. Many countries are promoting projects with a strong technological component, and ACCIONA is well-positioned to deliver advanced solutions for network management, integration with desalination, and smart asset control.

In terms of project types, we are placing particular focus on large-scale network operation and maintenance, especially in major urban environments, where we can leverage our operational experience and digital capabilities.

In Spain, for instance, there is growing momentum among public companies to adopt service provision contracts for the operation and maintenance of water supply and sanitation networks, increasingly incorporating renewal and replacement models with significantly larger budgets. This is why we are also paying close attention to opportunities in the domestic market.

What role are public-private partnerships playing in ACCIONA’s international development, and what conditions do you consider essential to ensure their long-term success and sustainability?

Public-private partnerships (PPPs) are a strategic pillar of ACCIONA’s international expansion in the water sector. In many countries, particularly in emerging markets, these models represent the most effective way to address structural deficits in water supply and sanitation networks, mobilise investment, improve operational efficiency, and ensure universal and sustainable access to water and sanitation.

Managing ageing water networks in urban environments requires a strategic vision grounded primarily in deep knowledge of the asset

For ACCIONA, PPPs are not merely a contractual framework, but a balanced collaboration model that aligns public objectives with private capabilities. Our experience shows that, when well designed, PPPs can create shared value, improving both the technical indicators of the service and its social and environmental impact.

We believe the key conditions for ensuring the success and sustainability of these partnerships include clarity and institutional stability—meaning legal certainty, regulatory transparency, and strong governance to foster trust among stakeholders; appropriate risk allocation—ensuring risks are assigned realistically and proportionally to each party’s ability to manage them, avoiding imbalances that could threaten project viability; social engagement and transparency—success also depends on public acceptance, which is why we promote communication, social action, accountability, and collaboration with the communities served; and finally, local capacity building—which is one of ACCIONA’s distinctive strengths in PPPs, involving the training of local staff, knowledge transfer, and integration of regional suppliers, thereby contributing to the socioeconomic development of the area.