Draft Programme Working Document

SH Valencia Palace 5* Hotel, Valencia, Spain, 2nd – 4th March

Delivering Smart Circular Solutions for a Sustainable World

Host Utility /Platinum Sponsors:

Overview

The development of smart cities based on both established platforms and the

transformational impact of deep tech, creates ever greater opportunities to support

ambitious circular economy business models. Information and industrial technology is

now being developed and deployed at a scale, which allows the delivery and scaling up

of circular economy solutions in water, energy and waste which were barely imaginable

only a few years ago.

With sustainability and resilience as top priorities for leaders managing water, energy

and waste, WEX Global 2020, will analyse how resources will be optimised by the

transition to circular economy models powered by the integration of increasingly

powerful smart technologies.

WEX Global 2020, will illuminate the best practices of leading edge institutions and

companies that are delivering and scaling up the smart circular economy and enabling

the citizens of the globe to live well within a world of limited resources

WEX Global Speakers

• Jaime Barba Sevillano, CEO, GoAigua, Spain

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• Mohsen Mortada, President Cole Engineering, Canada

• Andy Shiveley, Special Assisitant City Manager, Kansas City, USA

• Albin Kaelin, CEO, Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency,

Switzerland

• Khaled bin Zwaid Al Qureshi, CEO, Water and Electricity Company (WEC), Saudi

Arabia

• Bob Bryniak, CEO , Golden Sands Management Consulting, UAE

• Richard Menezes, CEO, Utico, UAE

• Adel Hagekhalil, General Manager and Executive Director, Los Bureau of Street

Services, USA

• Engº Nivaldo Rodrigues da Costa Jr, Superintendente , Business Unit of

Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment, SABESP, Brazil

• Jon Z Bentley, Executive Partner, Water Sector Leader, IBM Services, UK

• Frank Rogalla, Director of Innovation and Technology, FCC Aqualia, Spain

• Dragan Savic, CEO at KWR Water Research Institute. Netherlands

• Lila Webley, Chief Executive, British Water, UK (tbc)

• Jose Diaz-Caneja, CEO, Acciona Agua, Spain

• Samer Mazloum, Managing Director, Ostar Holdings, Saudi Arabia

• Steve Kaye, CEO, Uk Water Indstry Research (UKWIR),UK

• Richard Lancaster, Technical Director Biosolids, Atkins, UK

• Mohammad S. Halawani, CEO, International Water Distribution Company

(Tawzea)

• Miquel Carbo, Senior Director-Energy DSO’s and Water Industry Lead, SAP,

Spain

• Omar Hammoud, President, APG Neuros inc, Canada

• Patrick Kaminsky, Managing Director, GKW Consult

• R S Tyagi, Expert Advisor at Expert Member for Delhi Master Plan 2041 &

Evaluation of smart cities, Member Delhi JAL Board, India

• Keith Hays, VP & Founder, Bluefield Research, Spain

• Klara Ramm, CEO, ClaraEnvironment, Member of General Assembly Eureau,

Poland

• Andrew Donelly, Advisor to the Board/Head of Network Monitoring Unit, EPAL,

• Michael Strahand, Managing Director, ATi, UK

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• Dr Ralf Bufler, CEO Europe, CDM Smith, Germany

• Phil Reid, TechnicaL Director for Sustainable Design, Red Engineering, UK

• Mehdi Khoury, Associate Research Fellow, Centre for Water Systems at the

University of Exeter, UK

• Mark Kaney, Director – Asset Management (Europe), Black & Veatch, UK

• Miguel Angel Sanz, Director of Strategic Development, Treatment Infrastructure,

Suez, President of the Board, International Desalination Association, France

• Pedro Miranda, Head of International Production Dept. for Desalination, Acciona,

Spain

• Mohamed Taibi, Projects Director, Algerian Energy Company, Algeria

• Pernille Ingildsen, Senior Chief of Projects, Kalundborg Forsyning A/S

• Jim Southworth, Chairman, Box Energi, UK

• Jorge Malfeito, Director of Research and Development, Acciona

• Pavel Polikar, Chairman of the Board, Czech Water & Vak Havlíčkův Brod, Czech

Republic

• Andrew Donelly, Advisor to the Board, Head of network Monitoring Unit,

Portugal

• Alberto Carvalho Neto, International Director, BEWG, China

• James Moat, Managing Director, BOX Energi

• Mohamed Chaffi, Director General, Beni Saf Water Company, Algeria

• Jon Brigg, Manager of Innovation, Yorkshire Water, UK

• Joao Simoa Pires, Executive Director, PWP, Portugal

• Dirk Wittenberg, COO, Remondis Aqua International, Germany

• Khalid Tahri, Techniccal and Engineering Director, ONEE, Morocco

• Truls Klavestad, Sales Manager, Leica Norge, Norway

• Pedro Povoa, Director of Asset Management, Aguas de Tejo Atlantico, Portugal

• Oliver Grievson, Technical Lead Z-Tech Control Systems, UK

• Ryan Welsh, Chief Engineer at City of Cincinnati, Metropolitan Sewer District,

USA

• Juan Manuel Revuelta, Director General, Finnova Foundation, Brussels

• Michael Botse Baidoo Chief Manager Project Planning and Development, Ghana

Water Company

• Tadeusz Krezelewski, President, Krevox, Poland

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• Nuno Broco, Director of Engineering, ADP, Portugal

Where Engineering Meets Scientific Discovery: How Deep Tech is Transforming Water, Energy and Smart Cities Chair: Jaime Barba Sevillano, CEO, GoAigua Panel: Jon Z Bentley, Executive Partner, Water Sector Leader, IBM Services, Dragan Savic, CEO at KWR Water Research Institute, Miquel Carbo, Senior Director-Energy DSO’s and Water Industry Lead, SAP

The increasing emphasis placed on the emergence of Deep Tech anticipates a step change in impact on many SDGs including those related to water, waste and energy. The outcomes will have a transformational effect on the development of the smart cities of the future and the manner in which key resources are managed.

• What is deep tech?

• What is the next era of commercialisation for transformative technology in

water, energy and waste and what will be the opportunities for smart cities

• How do they enable change, create differentiation and catalyse innovation in

water and energy

• Funding deep tech

Sponsored by:

Leaders Forum Chair: Mohsen Mortada, President, Cole Engineering Panel: : Adel Hagekhalil, General Manager and Executive Director, Los Bureau of Street Services, Jose Diaz-Caneja, CEO, Acciona Agua, Khaled bin Zwaid Al Qureshi, CEO, Water and Electricity Company (WEC) As we modernize global water and energy infrastructure, we are faced with various pressures resulting from changing workforce, innovation, economic conditions, and demand for sustainable infrastructure. This panel discussion will provide industry leaders from different sectors with the opportunity to share their vision of the future of the water and energy sectors in the context of changing economies. It will also provide an insight into common themes in infrastructure development from various geographies and economic maturity. Sponsored by:

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Technical Leaders Forum

Panel: Frank Rogalla, Director of Innovation and Technology, FCC Aqualia, Jorge Malfeito, Director of Research and Development, Acciona, Oliver Grievson, Technical Lead Z-Tech Control Systems, UK,

The unstoppable momentum of urbanisation and industrialisation are driving climate change with enormous consequences for the future of our world. A revolution in resource efficiency, powered by innovation in digitalisation, decarbonisation and decentralisation is the only way of meeting the challenges facing water and energy as the life source of smart cities. Six world leading experts discuss how technology is transforming the future of water energy and smart cities.

• Harnessing the internet of things to create value and efficiency

• Role of digitalisation as an enabler of the circular economy

• Delivering decarbonisation in water and energy

• Impact of decentralised energy resources

• What new technologies are on the horizon to optimize reaource efficiency

Smart Cities, Water, Energy and Waste Panel: Phil Reid, TechnicaL Director for Sustainable Design, Red Engineering, R S Tyagi, Expert Advisor at Expert Member for Delhi Master Plan 2041 & Evaluation of smart cities, Member Delhi JAL Boar Combating climate change and transforming the management of water and energy are core challenges on the path to a sustainable future for business, society and the environment Decarbonizing energy consumption – from the way in which we heat and light buildings, the way we transport goods, people and services to the way in which we process water – is at the centre of addressing climate challenge in smart cities.

• What does a sustainable world look like and how can we realize it?

• What are the roles all stakeholders including business, policy makers and

political leaders can play in ensuring more rapid progress toward that world?

• Increasing the use of renewable energy

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• Implementing smart water monitoring systems

• Exploring and prioritising opportunities by quantifying impact

• Financing smart city development

• What are the challenges facing telecommunications operators in information

management for Smart Cities

Sponsored by:

The Innovations Forum: Panel: Frank Rogalla, Director of Innovation and Technology, FCC Aqualia, Spain, Juan Manuel Revuelta, Director General, Finnova Foundation, Brussels An interactive forum featuring short presentations of 6 innovative technologies from invited companies. Each presentation will be followed by questions, analysis and debate involving both the audience and a panel of distinguished experts. The panel will ultimately decide upon the winner of the Aqualia Innovation Forum Award at WEX Global to be presented at the Gala Dinner to be held on 3rd March 2020 Sponsored by:

Smart Instrumentation & Control in the Water Industry Panel: Oliver Grievson, Technical Lead Z-Tech Control Systems, UK, Michael Strahand,

Managing Director, ATi

Using instrumentation & control to bring about a manufacturing approach to the

international water sector. Optimising efficiency across the whole anthropogenic water

cycle from source to stream.

Optimising Asset Management through Smart Operation and Maintenance Chair: Mark Kaney, Director – Asset Management (Europe), Black & Veatch, Pernille

Ingildsen, Senior Chief of Projects, Kalundborg Forsyning A/S

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Smart operations and maintenance is a game changer, which enables utilities to be

completely pro-active rather than reactive, in their approach to asset management. In

the best organisations data science and predictive analytics are rapidly becoming as

important as the skillsets of their people in driving the modus operandi of the

company. However, building a successful data driven model requires a holistic

understanding to asset management, underpinned by organizational change, in which

innovation is incorporated at a social, cultural and organisational level across the

entire enterprise.

• Critical factors behind data driven companies

• Setting up a culture of innovation

• Diagnostic analytics – condition, performance and uptime monitoring of the

health of assets

• Dynamic Preventative Maintenance - preventing failures before they occur by

using intelligent predictions and dynamic maintenance planning

• Prognostic Maintenance interventions - using machine learning, pattern

recognition and advanced analytics to optimise, manage and deliver

interventions

Sponsored by:

Smart Cities Start 8 Feet Below the Ground Keynote: Andy Shiveley, Special Assistant City Manager, Kansas City, USA

In the midst of the high tech buzz surrounding the advent of smart cities it is easy for

municipal planners to ignore what is happening beneath streel level. However the

experience of Kansas demonstrates that the smart technology below the surface is the

real foundation of the city of the future.

Kansas City’s Smart Sewer program and storm water management system is the largest

infrastructure investment in the city’s history. It is projected projected to save

taxpayers nearly $1 billion in coming years. The city uses IoT sensors, as well as AI and

deep data-sets, for controlling sewer and stormwater flows and predicting wjhere

maintenance or replacement of existing pipework is required. The new method saves

money and protects the major waterways.

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Digital Desalination in the Circular Economy: Intelligent Water for the Future

Technological advances have made desalination a more sustainable and affordable solution

for producing new water resources for the circular economy. As a result, desalination is

moving away from the sea and is now seen as a solution for both industrial wastewater

treatment and inland utilities reliant upon groundwater supplies. What are the

developments which are pushing the boundaries of desalination and can it now be an

enabler of circular economy practises?

Serious Games - Transforming the future of customer

engagement and professional training

Panel: Mehdi Khoury, Associate Research Fellow, Centre for Water Systems at the

University of Exeter, Dragan Savic, CEO at KWR Water Research Institute. Netherlands

Staying ahead of the curve with public engagement will become vital for operators that

want to survive in the context of climate change and the ensuing blame game resulting

from the predictable social and political effects of resources scarcity

Implementing Serious Games for the optimisation of water distributions systems, for

flood prevention, and for policy making in the context of climate change has huge

potential for transforming the way companies in the sector improve training and

communication, maximise customer satisfaction, and multiply business opportunities.

• What are Serious Games?

• Why it is now the right time to look at Serious Games

• How to implement serious games

• The Milbrook Case Study – how a serious game transformed the treatment of a

flooding problem in a UK community

Regional Business Forums The need for rapid economic diversification whilst meeting rising demand for water and energy from industry, agriculture and risig urban populations means that national development strategies are essential to redirect public resources to development

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priorities and to engage private-sector stakeholders in the challenge of supplying the growing power and water demand. Many circular economy opportunities have a sound underlying profitability, but there are often non-financial barriers limiting further scale-up or holding back development in many areas of the world. Policymakers can play an important role in helping businesses overcome these barriers

Our regional business forums will offer overview of the business climate and opportunities in

water and energy in the following 6 different regions of the world:

• Asia

• The Middle East -

• Central and Eastern Europe

• Africa

• Latin America and the Caribbean

Improving the Management of Groundwater Resources in Africa Panel Chair: Eric Kalmbach,Director of Development Assistant Programs, CDM Smith, Michael Botse Baidoo Chief Manager Project Planning and Development, Ghana Water Company

Groundwater resources in Africa are broadly distributed, of generally good quality, and resilient to climate variability, including extreme climate events. They are an essential component of climate change adaptation strategies and are a critical tool in the pursuit of SDGs. Nevertheless, their use has been constrained by a range of socio-economic, technical and institutional factors

• What are the barriers to the more efficient use of groundwater resources in

Africa

• Characterising the availability and distribution of groundwater resources

• Establishing quantitative information regarding groundwater flow and storage

• Environmental resilience of aquifers

• Cooperation in developing transboundary aquifer resources

• Importance of aquifers in developing food security

• The role and importance of the regulatory setting

Sponsored by:

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Middle East Business Forum

Panel: Richard Menezes, CEO and Vice-Chairman, Utico, Mohammad S. Halawani, CEO,

International Water Distribution Company (Tawzea), Samer Mazloum, Managing

Director, Ostar Holdings, Saudi Arabia

The need for rapid economic diversification whilst meeting rising demand for water and

energy throughout the GCC means that national development strategies such as “Vison

2030” in Saudi Arabia are seeking to redirect public resources to other development

priorities and to engage private-sector stakeholders in the challenge of supplying the

region’s growing power and water need

• What critical changes are happening to the business and operational models for

water and power projects in GCC countries?

• How best can companies assess the risks and opportunities they need to

consider right now when investing in water and power utilities throughout the

region?

Sponsored by:

Rational Investment and the Circular Economy Panel:Alberto Carvalho Neto, International Director, BEWG, Bob Bryniak, President, Golden Sands Management Consulting

There is rapidly growing investment in water and energy technologies that not only deliver sound financial returns, but also create social and environmental value. One of the challenges with the circular economy however, is that actual value, may only be realised many years into the future and therefore spending priorities may be difficult to prioritise.

• Measuring success in shifting to circular economy models in water and energy

• Real cost of embedding circular economy principles across water projects and

operations

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• Developing organisation level performance indicators

• Impact based metrics such as energy use and/or energy related carbon

emissions water use and waste generation

• Raw material consumption versus financial value

• Demonstrating the benefit to customers and communities

Sponsored by:

Improving Energy Efficiency in Water and Wastewater Treatment: Panel Chair: Omar Hammoud, President, APG Neuros inc, Ryan Welsh, Chief Engineer at City of Cincinnati, Metropolitan Sewer District, USA

Strategies for optimising process efficiency will become increasingly important for both

municipalities and industrial water users. The vast consumption of energy by water and

wastewater treatment plants alone is driving the need for innovation in the more

imaginative and efficient use of resources

The drive towards carbon neutral water and wastewater treatment is one of the key

areas where the water sector is combating climate change by developing innovative

solutions to reducing greenhouse gas emissions by optimising energy consumption and

encouraging the use of high-potential renewables.

Sponsored by:

Industrial Water Reuse Panel: Albin Kaelin, CEO, Environmental Protection Encouragement Agency

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Technological innovation in Industrial water treatment continues to develop at a rapid pace driven by both increasingly stringent regulation and the commercial opportunities emerging as a consequence of adopting new circular business models.

• What are the biggest challenges in water and effluent treatment? • Implementing high performance circular economy systems • Strategies for prioritising energy reuse and resource recovery as part of a

circular economy strategy • Achieving closed loop, zero waste production

Sponsored by:

Water Reuse from a Circular Economy Perspective and Potential

Risks from an Unregulated Approach

The transition to a circular economy creates significant synergies for the wide adoption

of water reuse as an alternate water supply. Ensuring the safety of water reuse, through

the application of water quality standards appropriate to the specific use, are critical to

gaining public support for the wider implementation of this key strategic measure.

• Drivers leading to water reuse – water demand exceeding supply, cost of

removing contaminants

• Opportunities and risks

• Effectively overcoming barriers to water reuse, from public perception to pricing

and regulatory challenges, through a wider circular economy perspective

• Monitoring and ensuring the safety of recycled water

The Smart Approach to integrating Water, Energy and Waste Panel: Dirk Wittenberg, COO, Remondis Aqua International, Germany, Jon Brigg, Manager of Innovation, Yorkshire Water, Water, Energy, and waste policies should be inextricably linked as all have considerable

environmental impacts. The challenges of producing and using energy, water and solid

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waste resources sustainably, represent opportunities to devise solutions, that support

sustainable economic growth.

WWTP are now viewed as “Bio refineries”. The range of technical solutions for Resource

recovery devised by the private sector and research institutions continue to increase.

Applying these technologies in operational plants and new schemes are constrained by

commercial and regulatory restrictions and a lack of Integrated action between the

public and private sector.

Industry convergence and the Internet of Things will bolster the implementation of

smart systems. Real-time data from treatment plants and networks, performance

metrics, and customer consumption patterns will begin to dictate the operations and

investments of utilities in the future.

This session will explore the degree to which integration is beginning to gain traction

and examine the challenges and opportunities.

Circular Economy Strategies for Sludge Management Panel: Richard Lancaster, Technical Director Biosolids, Atkins, Pedro Povoa, Director of Asset Management, Aguas de Tejo Atlantico, Engº Nivaldo Rodrigues da Costa Jr, Superintendente , Business Unit of Metropolitan Wastewater Treatment, SABESP, Brazil The emergence of bioresource markets have transformed our perception of sludge. No longer seen as problem for water companies, sludge, is now seen as a resource offering an array of commercial opportunities, either through the generation of energy or the recovery of nutrients to be reused elsewhere in the circular economy. Methane from thermal hydrolysis for example can be used as a renewable energy source to power the treatment plant, potentially making it cost neutral. Most water companies are now engaged in finding the most efficient approach to exploiting the economic benefits of sludge treatment, energy generation and recycling

• Viewing waste as an opportunity

• Creating storage and recycling hubs for up-cycling and repurposing

• Benchmarking success

• Developing low carbon energy consumption

Desalination and the Circular Economy Panel: Pedro Miranda, Head of International Production Department for Desalination, Acciona, Jorge Malfeito, Director of Research and Development, Acciona In the last 15 years, energy consumption from RO desalination has fallen drastically (from 5-6 kWh/m3 to 3-4 kWh/m3) due to optimized energy recovery and reverse

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osmosis membranes that require less feed pressure for the same standard 45% conversion In enabling the industry to move away from a reliance on fossil fuels a future is emerging where new water can be produced from entirely renewable resources without the generation of greenhouse gases. Is an RO process powered solely by renewables viable?

• What technologies are required, how efficient will they be and what is the

potential capacity?

• Can desalination by RO be considered a source of carbon credits? If it is well

targeted, Reverse Osmosis technology could generate green credits to reduce

companies’ carbon footprints

• Is it feasible to maintain the same trend in reduction of specific energy

consumption in RO over the next 15 years?

• Any there any desalination technologies emerging that are more efficient than

RO and could become the new benchmark in desalination on an industrial scale?

• is it possible to find an alternative use for RO membranes that does not involve

landfills?

• Does the future for brine lie in ZLD (zero liquid discharge) or is there any

process that can re-use this highly saline fluid rather than simply returning it to

the sea

Sponsored by:

Achieving 100% Renewable Energy Supply for the Water Sector Panel: Jim Southworth, Chairman BOX Energi Renewable energy technologies offer signicant oppotunties to the water sector to reduce the industry’s significant carbon footprint and save money.

• Technologies and opportunities for on-site generation

• Risks to the sector and mitigation strategies

• Independent generators and PPA structures

• Long term benefits

• Achieving renewable energy 100% status (RE 100)

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Edge Data Centres and Utility Data Management Panel: Miquel Carbo, Senior Director-Energy DSO’s and Water Industry Lead, SAP

• What is the edge

• Harnessing IOT

• Data networks

• Benefits derived from edge data centres

• Opportunities for utilities

Energy Efficiency and Flexibility Panel: James Moat, Managing Director, BOX Energi

• On site energy storage

• Battery Management and energy trading

Current Partners:

Platinum Sponsor:

Gold Sponsors:

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Silver Sponsors:

Technology Partners:

Institutional and Media Partners:

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