Utilities
Municipalities, Utilities, Water Boards, Sewage Associations, Institutions under Public Law
The topic of metering is increasingly being discussed in the drinking water supply sector, both from a cost and efficiency perspective as well as in terms of data protection. Smart meters are initially a higher investment than manual meters, but save significant (personnel) costs during operation thanks to direct digital data transmission and integration of the meter data into corresponding billing systems. In addition, with differentiated consumption data, network flows can be recorded more accurately and leaks can be localized more quickly.
EU directive on Municipal Wastewater is adopted! The revised Municipal Wastewater Directive was published by the EU in December 2024 and must now be transposed into national law. Large wastewater treatment plants are affected first, but adjustments have also been made for smaller wastewater disposal companies, only postponed. Many specific questions remain unanswered, including the form of producer responsibility for the chemical and pharmaceutical industries. Specifically, there are also discussions about ending Germany’s special approach to recording measured values.
The generation of heat from wastewater is increasingly being discussed as part of local heating concepts that municipalities have to draw up. Very practical problems often stand in the way of direct use, such as insufficient sewer dimensions or a lack of proximity between the sewer sections and potential consumers of local heat. However, the greater potential in the effluent from sewage treatment plants is also increasingly being taken into account in heat planning.
Services ZACHARIAS CONSULTING
The challenges and upcoming changes for operators could go on and on. ZACHARIAS CONSULTING supports operators in these areas with specific advice, concepts, expert opinions, project management and more. Below are some examples from specific projects:
- Technical concepts for heat from wastewater, connection of districts or decentralized wastewater treatment plants to larger units
- Economic feasibility studies for project alternatives
- Preparation and evaluation of investment decisions
- Consulting and expert opinions in the course of organizational changes of water supply or wastewater disposal companies
- Process engineering evaluation of existing wastewater or drinking water plants
- Project management, coordination and communication within the organization or company as well as with stakeholders in the political and social environment
Industry
Equipment Manufacturer, Plant Manufacturer, Service Companies
For years, we have observed a trend towards traditionally well-known brands and companies increasingly being brought together under one roof in order to offer customers – essentially the operators of systems and networks – the broadest possible range of services from a single source. The collection and analysis of data and the resulting control of processes are of particular importance. For the industry, this in turn means that they must manufacture their units, systems and software to be as system-open as possible so that the solutions can be integrated into their customers’ existing systems. This claim on the one hand is offset by a higher data security risk on the other.
It is therefore important for companies to recognize trends at an early stage, e.g. which data transmission systems will prevail, as well as which national or EU-wide standards and regulations will be adapted in the future. For example, the amendment to the Sewage Sludge Ordinance obliges medium-sized and large wastewater disposal companies to dispose of their sewage sludge thermally in future. At the same time, phosphorus must be recovered as an important resource for food production. This has not only led to a considerable surge in demand for mono-incineration, but numerous research projects and pilot studies have also been launched that focus on P recycling.
Services ZACHARIAS CONSULTING
With its many years of operator experience, ZACHARIAS CONSULTING can provide companies with valuable information on trends, regulations and market developments, as well as regionally adapted and individual solutions. Below are some examples from specific projects:
- Market research in the field of drinking water supply, in particular the control and operational management of networks
- Assessment of the development of the wastewater market
- Evaluation of technological trends in the water industry, e.g. contribution of wastewater disposal to the heat transition or introduction of digital meters in drinking water supply
- Support in the introduction of new, intelligent measurement technology
Investors
Companies at home and abroad, Financial Investors
The water sector is seen by many investors as an opportunity for sustainable and stable financial investment. Therefore, in addition to the large companies described above, which bring together well-known medium-sized companies under one roof, investors from outside the sector, e.g. financial funds, are also interested in the water market. In addition, companies based abroad are looking to enter the German or European market.
What many of these investors have in common is that they operate internationally and therefore have little knowledge of the market, the water industry in Germany and the national or EU-wide regulations that form the overall market environment and growth potential and form the basis for possible investment decisions.
International knowledge platforms are often used for initial studies and market research, which in turn access individual experts for the respective sector.
Services ZACHARIAS CONSULTING
ZACHARIAS CONSULTING provides support in individual cases with knowledge of the situation in Germany, e.g. how the water industry is structured on the drinking water or wastewater side and what a company must pay attention to if it wants to establish itself successfully on the market.