Challenges and opportunities

In a rapidly changing world, social and ecological challenges are evolving at a fast pace. Climate change, increasing micropollution, rising population density, energy crises,… These are just a few of the factors that also have an impact on the water sector. We are continually searching for appropriate answers, while keeping an open mind. In doing so, we strive to achieve the maximum return on shared resources, provide a profitable offering for our customers with a positive impact on society and the environment and create strong partnerships with all actors in the water and utility sector.

Achieving The Maximum Return On Investments

Development and optimisation of the waste water treatment infrastructure

With the new cooperation agreement, we were assigned a coordinating role by the Flemish Government which would involve matching supra-municipal investments to those of towns, cities and municipalities. Until now, the Region would assign us a programme of projects for the development and optimisation of the supra-municipal treatment infrastructure every year. Now we are guided by the investment plans of the municipalities and link supra-municipal projects to them seamlessly. The actual design phase only starts after all the parties involved have expressed their commitment. By taking possible risks into account early on, we expect to reduce the lead time of a project. The design of the projects carried out will thus better reflect the latest vision and insights too.

Aquafin is one of the largest clients for infrastructure works in Flanders. Hence we provide a considerable volume of work for the consultancy firms and contractors we work with. In terms of deliveries, we were able to allocate the planned delivery budgets for investment projects, asset management projects and energy projects in 2022, thanks to the joint efforts of Aquafin and its partners. In total, we delivered 178 million euros in projects to the Region. We also brought a record 372 million euros’ worth of new projects to market, with municipal projects accounting for 112 million euros.

Reliable infrastructure

Over the past few decades, the Flemish Region has invested heavily – via Aquafin – in the expansion of the domestic waste water treatment infrastructure. Through intelligent asset management, Aquafin does everything possible to keep the ageing infrastructure in good condition. The Flemish Region recognises the need to increase investments in asset management and will increase the budget for projects of this type by 5 million euros a year until it reaches 55 million euros in 2026.

The sewer infrastructure of towns, cities and municipalities is also ageing and failure could cause significant social and ecological damage. In view of this, the Flemish Government wants to have a clear picture of the condition of Flemish sewers by the end of 2027. In 2021, Aquafin worked with the Association of Flemish Cities and Municipalities (VVSG), AquaFlanders, the Flemish Environment Agency, Vlario and the towns, cities and municipalities and their sewer operators to devise standards and minimum requirements for sewer inspections. By the end of 2022, all municipalities had to have a complete sewer inventory and have prepared a first version of their inspection plan. Aquafin managed to complete this task successfully for its municipality customers as well as identify the action that needed to be taken in respect of the other sewer operators. Rightly so as the total value of the sewerage assets in Flanders is estimated at 70 billion euros. With a total cost of 60 million euros to implement the inspection plan in all municipalities, this still means that only 0.09% of the reinvestment value is being spent on inspection. We apply higher standards for the supra-municipal system because the consequential damage is usually considerably higher. We also extend this method to municipalities that call on us for asset management.

Economic Compensation For Technical Partners

Due to Covid-19, contractors had to take special measures to protect their employees. That resulted in significant additional costs that could not have been foreseen at the time of bidding for the project in question. Aquafin took the lead in determining fair compensation for the unforeseeable costs and loss of return in the form of a lump sum based on a percentage of the contract price. An arrangement that was later adopted by other clients.

“We reached a bilateral agreement with Aquafin extremely quickly regarding a simple arrangement for the loss incurred,” says Eli Desmedt of VlaWeBo, the Flemish federation of building contractors for road works. “A good example of partnership and open communication, with the deliberate choice of a win-win for all parties, which was very much appreciated by VlaWeBo, Bouwunie and their member contractors. The pragmatic arrangement has undoubtedly meant that long legal disputes and the associated costs of proceedings have been avoided but above all, our people have been spared negative energy.”

The high level of inflation was a considerable challenge for the consultancy firms we work with. By staggering the payment of fees, aligned with the underlying costs, Aquafin was able to help them absorb the high wage increases at the beginning of 2023 and thus reduce cash flow problems.

Digital Platform

At the request of the Region, Aquafin has since developed a digital platform that enables all towns, cities and municipalities to monitor the status of their inspection programme and also lets the Flemish Government get a clear view of that status at any time. Rosi, the platform that we developed for our municipality customers, goes one step further and gives municipalities transparency as far as the inspection planning and results level. They can also find recommended actions along with a clear estimate here.

Overflow Monitoring Network

The sewers in Flanders are predominantly of the combined type which means that they transport both waste water and rainwater. Emergency outlets or overflows into a watercourse are provided at certain locations in order to prevent sewers overflowing in the event of heavy rainfall. That admittedly diluted waste water can affect the water quality in brooks and streams. At the request of the Flemish Region, Aquafin started work on the further development of an overflow monitoring network in 2022. By 2025, we will be carrying out permanent monitoring activities at a total of 1,600 overflow locations. Priority will be given to overflows which have the most impact on the watercourse, overflows at critical locations in the system and the replacement of measurement devices at locations that up to 2021, were monitored by the Flemish Environment Agency. The results from the monitoring network can be used to plan targeted investments in order to address the negative impact that overflows have on water quality.

Digitalisation of the infrastructure

In 2022, with financial support from Europe and the Flemish Recovery Plan, we started transforming the waste water and stormwater infrastructure into a ‘smart network’. This means making the control of our infrastructure even more efficient by means of algorithms in the cloud which combine classic field data with data such as precipitation forecasts, energy prices, etc. This will enable us to deploy our plants even more effectively in order to respond to current and future challenges.

Controls developed in 2022:

• Digital twin for Beveren WWTP: this plant is controlled based on an intelligent model (digital twin) in the cloud whereby field data and modelling are combined with artificial intelligence in order to improve performances.

• Smart control of a storm pump: by integrating precipitation forecasts in the algorithm that controls the stop level of the pump, it is possible to operate the pump solely to effectively prevent flooding. As a result, more waste water is subsequently pumped to the water treatment plant and no less than 60% of the overflow operation is now avoided at that site.

• Energy production based on supply and demand: the gas engine that turns the biogas we produce into green energy is started by an intelligent control when we most need power at the WWTP and energy prices are high. That way, we save on purchased energy and smooth out our peak production and offtake from the grid.

An excellent treatment year

The treated waste water from our waste water treatment plants has to comply with European and Flemish quality standards. 3 to 5 parameters are checked in the waste water before and after the treatment process depending on the capacity of the WWTP (see box). For most parameters, there are concentration limits as well as removal percentages to be attained. Concentration limits indicate how many milligrams per litre of a substance can be present in the treated waste water. Removal percentages specify how many percent of the substance we have to remove in the treatment process annually.

In 2022, 99.38% of our WWTPs complied with all the applicable standards. Only 2 of the 324 plants assessed failed to get to the finishing line, both due to a single instance of exceeding a single standard. That is the third best result in Aquafin’s history.

5 Parameters For Clean Water

> BOD: biological oxygen demand – the amount of oxygen required to break down the pollution biologically.

> COD: chemical oxygen demand – the amount of oxygen required to break down the pollution via a chemical process.

> Suspended solids: all undissolved substances in a volume of waste water.

> Nitrogen & phosphorus: nutrients present in domestic waste water. Excessive quantities of these in the watercourse lead to too strong algae growth, which reduces the oxygen content.

Dilution of the sewage water with rainwater affects the removal percentages. In that respect, we benefited from 2022 being a dry year but we could not have achieved such good results without the close monitoring of the treatment process by our employees who were on stand-by day and night. Supply problems and consequently high increases in the prices for the chemicals required for the removal of nitrogen, phosphorus and suspended solids from the waste water also presented a particular challenge last year.

Extra Efforts For Less Phosphorus

Although Aquafin removes 85% of the phosphorus present in the waste water on average every year, the level of phosphorus in Flemish watercourses is still constantly too high. In freshwater ecosystems, phosphorus stimulates the growth of algae as a result of which the oxygen level drops and light incidence is reduced. Both effects have a negative impact on certain species of aquatic organisms. A social debate within the Coordination Committee on Integrated Water Policy (CIW) during which various measures were compared showed that the targeted dosing of iron and aluminium salts in the water treatment process is by far the most cost-effective measure for reducing the phosphorus burden on watercourses. These are vulnerable streams and brooks that are close to the target water quality from the Water Framework Directive.

Aquafin is currently rolling out the installation of phosphate analysers at 50 WWTPs. Based on continuous measurement, the right amount of chemicals is then added automatically in order to achieve the target value of 0.3 mg/l on an annual basis while the standard for most WWTPs is 2 mg/l. The new European Urban Waste Water Directive is expected to bring the standard to 0.5 mg/l for all WWTPs from a population equivalent of 10,000. Phosphorus that is removed during the treatment process accumulates in the sludge produced. The more phosphorus that is removed, the more will also be recoverable via sludge processing in the future.

Sludge as an energy provider

The residual sludge produced during the biological treatment process is a form of biomass consisting of 99% water and 1% dry matter. It is thickened and dewatered as much as possible at the WWTP itself, before being carried away for processing.

Half of the biomass is digested at one of our 13 digestion plants spread throughout Flanders. We convert the biogas produced in this way into electricity and heat and at one WWTP, it is now converted into biomethane. Over the next few years, we will be adding another 4 biomethane units.

We dry out one third of the total (digested and undigested) biomass in our three sludge dryers to make pellets as a renewable energy source. The remaining two thirds of the sludge is incinerated as dewatered sludge and therefore not dried.

One sludge dryer runs mainly on self-produced biogas and two run on natural gas. Due to the impending shortage of gas following the war between Russia and Ukraine, we looked for a temporary different solution for the two gas-fired dryers in 2022 to help ensure security of supply. The dryer in Leuven ran at half-capacity for just over three months while the dryer in Houthalen was powered by fuel oil instead of gas for four months.

Over the next few years, we will continue to rely on the old sludge dryers but by 2026, they will be replaced by two new sludge dryers, one in the east and one in the west of Flanders. The new dryers will run on residual heat from industry, at a lower temperature, without using fossil fuels. Until that time, the current dryers will be properly maintained to enable them to continue fulfilling their task. To that end, the dryer from Deurne was shut down for two months in 2022 so that a number of major maintenance tasks could be carried out.

In addition, by 2026 our brand new sludge treatment plant at the Arcelor Mittal site in Ghent will be operational. In the beginning, this sludge mono-processor will process two thirds of the sludge from our plants without the addition of other waste streams. This will enable maximum recovery of energy and raw materials. The steel producer will use all the steam produced at the plant in its processes which will enable Arcelor to reduce its CO2 emissions by 65,000 tonnes a year. At a later stage, we also want to recover phosphorus from the sludge incinerator ash on a large scale here. That will make this plant unique in Europe.

GREEN GAS FOR 1,600 FAMILIES

You can use a gas engine to convert biogas into green energy, which is what we are currently doing at 12 of the 13 WWTPs with a sludge digester. In 2021, we commissioned our first biomethane installation at the Antwerpen-Zuid WWTP, which upgrades biogas to high-quality green gas that is then injected into the grid. By doing this, we make even better use of the energy released from sludge digestion. The green gas that we produce in AntwerpenZuid is equivalent to the consumption of 300 families. In 2024, we are planning to commission 4 additional biomethane installations, in Ghent, Harelbeke, Genk and Dendermonde. Together, these will enable us to provide 1,600 families with renewable green gas.

Striving for climate neutrality

Last year, Aquafin presented its Energy and Climate Plan for aligning ourselves with Flemish energy and climate targets – and even going one step further. The plan contains a number of concrete targets and sets a course for evolving towards climate neutrality. The basis for this is the inventarisation of the total greenhouse gas emissions throughout our value chain which was started in 2022 but will be further refined.

The most tangible and concrete aspects we have been working on for many years are our own energy targets. The transport and treatment of domestic waste water is a highly energy-intensive process, making Aquafin one of the largest energy consumers in Flanders. In order to keep control of our energy bills, since 2010 we have set ourselves the goal of becoming 1% more energy-efficient every year compared to model consumption and therefore in relation to the expansion of our assets. Year after year, we have achieved that goal which means that by the end of 2022, we had recorded efficiency gains of approximately 13.5% compared with 2010. We realised these gains mainly by replacing outdated, energy-guzzling equipment with new energy-friendly variants and by optimising automatic controls in the treatment process.

In 2022, Aquafin delivered 3.1 million euros in energy projects. The expansion of solar arrays at our WWTPs accounted for a significant share of this. These investments are financed with resources from the Energy Fund which is managed by the Flemish Region. The savings on energy bills that they generate are reinvested in the fund for new investments.

Besides improving the energy efficiency of our infrastructure, we are working on phasing out the use of fossil fuels by 2030. In that context, a programme for electrifying the heating of our service buildings is currently being carried out and we are still working to make our vehicle fleet greener too. From 2024, only BEV (fully electric) service vehicles and company cars will be ordered and we are also looking at replacing 4 trucks with electric variants. But the biggest step will be taken in 2026 when two new sludge dryers will be commissioned. These will only use industrial residual heat while we will still partly be using natural gas in our dryers until then.

DUAL-PURPOSE CONTROL OF ENERGY PRODUCTION

To keep the energy transition affordable in the future, it will be important to maintain a balance between supply and demand on the electricity grid throughout the day. The increasing number of ways to produce renewable energy and greater peaks in current consumption due to increased electrification have upset the balance of the grid. In 2022, Aquafin developed an innovative control algorithm that only allows the gas engine for producing green energy from biogas to start up at the time when our own electricity consumption on site peaks and the market price for electricity is high. That way, we avoid having to purchase expensive electricity and at the same time avoid the extra load on the grid by not supplying power to it that we will need ourselves a few hours later.

Production Of Renewable Energy On An Upward Trend

Meanwhile, we are in the process of expanding the production of renewable energy. At the end of 2022, we had 23 solar panel farms in operation at our sites. This number should have increased by at least 7 by the end of 2023. The current installed capacity of 10.6 MWp should by then have reached 13 MWp, which is equivalent to the production of 3,250 domestic solar panel installations. This year, we are also going to carry out a market consultation regarding 4 sites for the development of large-scale wind turbines.

In addition to our energy objectives, the energy and climate plan also states our ambition to seize opportunities to help build a sustainable energy transition, by aligning our electricity demand with the needs of the grid via smart controls, for example.

Under the title ‘renewable energy from waste water’, Aquafin with its projects connected with sewer thermal energy and biomethane was nominated for the first Trends Impact Awards in the circular economy category.

The jury considered the projects modern and innovative and appropriate in view of the major challenge presented by the energy transition. They also praised the scalability of the projects in Flanders which give waste water added value too. A wonderful compliment!

Growing With A Profitable And Impactful Offering For Our Customers

Sewer thermal energy

The search for new sustainable energy sources has never been greater than it has been in the past year. After an innovation process and an initial application at its own Campus, Aquafin has been offering sewer thermal energy – or heat recovery from waste water –since 2022. There are two possible forms of sewer thermal energy: one based on the sewer water in the collector and the other based on the treated waste water after water treatment and before it is discharged into surface water. Sewer thermal energy is an excellent energy source if there is a waste water pipeline with a sufficient flow rate in the immediate vicinity. This then makes the technology a good alternative for heating and cooling office buildings, public buildings, sports complexes and clusters of at least 15 dwellings, for example.

There has been a lot of interest from towns, cities and municipalities but also from project developers and construction companies who are constantly looking for renewable energy alternatives. We are expecting to carry out the effective rollout of 15 projects over the next few years.

Transparent sewer management

More than 1 out of 3 Flemish cities, towns and municipalities collaborate with Aquafin for sewer management, either directly or via our partnerships with water companies water-link, De Watergroep (Riopact), Pidpa and Farys. Rosi is a user-friendly digital platform that can give you a transparent insight into the state of the sewers, the planning and results of inspections, the estimation of risks and advice on measures at any time. Rosi responds to Flemish objectives to map the state of the sewers by 2027 but goes one step further by also linking interpretations and possible actions to this. Within a period of eighteen months, the number of municipalities using Rosi tripled from 35 to 110.

Smart controls for municipal infrastructure

The algorithm for the intelligent control of waste water and stormwater management infrastructure combines real-time measurements with precipitation forecasts. This makes it possible to add an extra useful function to the basic function of the infrastructure. With smart control, a basin that was originally built to slow the draining of stormwater can be used to store rainwater in times of drought. The water can then be made available to nearby agricultural and horticultural businesses, for example. Another example are collective rainwater reservoirs that are partially emptied by means of a smart control system before a major storm occurs, thus guaranteeing extra storage. There are also other controls set up to avoid overflow operation as much as possible.

Blue/green advice

By the end of 2024, Flemish municipalities, towns and cities must have a stormwater and drought plan if they still want to rely on water-related subsidies. This is a longterm vision of the best way to deal with stormwater in their area in future projects. In 2022, Aquafin formulated 8 stormwater and drought plans, bringing the total to 39 to date. However, we have noticed that the water between theory and practice is often still very deep. In addition, municipalities sometimes struggle with the water balance when rebuilding a street or district or want to focus on climate robustness. That is the reason why last year, Aquafin developed the ‘blue/green advice’ service for municipalities. By taking an integrated approach, we ensure that various infrastructure elements strengthen each other, with optimum effect for biodiversity and the neighbourhood.

Renovated Campus As A Demo Area

After 18 months of major renovations, the head office of Aquafin was able to return to its familiar address in September 2022. The building was transformed into a sustainable hub that meets the expectations of modern partnerships. At the same time, it is the first location where we have applied sewer thermal energy and employees and visitors are able to experience how blue/green measures improve the quality of the environment.

 Read more (in Dutch)

Strong Partnership In The Water And Utility Sector

Close link with the Blue Deal

The Flemish Government launched the Blue Deal in 2020 as an action plan for tackling water scarcity and drought in Flanders. Aquafin is closely involved in the Blue Deal, both at policy level and via projects. For example, we successfully drew up dossiers for 6 towns, cities and municipalities for subsidies from the Blue Deal within the category of ‘collective rainwater projects’. All these projects save on drinking and groundwater by collecting rainwater via the municipal infrastructure and using it for low-quality applications.

 Read more (in Dutch)

The Blue Deal also subsidises 5 initiatives for the reuse of treated waste water from our WWTPs. In the future, they will use a combined total of 33.3 billion litres of effluent every year as a water source for process or drinking water. The biggest project is Waterkracht, which will upgrade no less than 20 billion litres of treated waste water from 600,000 Antwerp residents to cooling water for companies at the Port of Antwerp.

 Read more (in Dutch)

Aquafin is also closely involved with 2 of the 3 demo areas that are being implemented by VITO – the Flemish Institution for Technological Research – on behalf of the Flemish Government as part of WaterProof, one of the major projects within the Blue Deal. The objective of WaterProof is to formulate a system-based approach for the whole of Flanders via the demo areas. For instance, a business park in Tielt will become the ‘business park of the future’ with all kinds of applications for maximising the infiltration, storage and reuse of stormwater. The second demo which Aquafin is involved with is situated in the fruit-growing region of Haspengouw. One of the reasons for carrying out tests here is to show how treated waste water can be treated and then reused as water for irrigation in fruit cultivation.

 Read more (in Dutch)

In December 2022, the Flemish Government granted Aquafin an additional 5 million euros to make residual water available for use in agriculture and horticulture. We will use this where it is expedient to do so in ongoing and new supra-municipal investment projects to equip buffer volumes with level sensors, controllable valves, a distribution system and smart control. This will enable the buffered water to be used for irrigation while creating sufficient buffer capacity to absorb the next heavy downpour.

Partnerships with water companies

Aquafin believes strongly in cohesion between municipal and supra-municipal infrastructure for waste water and stormwater management. For municipal sewer management, we have been working with water companies water-link and De Watergroep (Riopact) for many years. In 2022, in preparation for a structural partnership from 2023, we entered into an agreement with Pidpa for sewer management in a third town/city/municipality within their water supply area. And we are also working with Farys for the first time in connection with municipal sewer management.

In addition, we have formed partnerships with various water companies with the purpose of upgrading and reusing treated waste water, within the framework of the Blue Deal (see above) and systematically for a lot longer with Aquaduin which turns the treated waste water from our Wulpen and Adinkerke WWTPs back into drinking water, for example.

Research For Sustainable Development

Aquafin is a valued research partner in both the Flemish and international water sectors. Our fundamental research focuses on building up knowledge on four major themes that have a significant impact on society:

Zero-waste water cycle

What we mean by ‘zero-waste’ is the maximised use of residual flows, by recovering raw materials like phosphorus and nitrogen in the water treatment process so that they can be reintroduced into the production chain, for example. For instance, as part of the European WalNUT project, we will be testing as of 2023 how we can recover nitrogen via adsorption from household waste water at our Aartselaar WWTP, so that it can be reused in fertilisers. At our Antwerpen-Zuid WWTP, we are testing a second technique based on air stripping.

Robust and healthy water systems

Water quality and quantity are the barometers for robust and healthy water systems. Where quality is concerned, we look at both the treated waste water that we discharge into the surface water and also run-off rainwater that infiltrates, is reused or goes into a watercourse. On a European level, work is being carried out on a new directive for urban waste water which will set stricter requirements for both treated waste water and rainwater compared with the current ones. Aquafin is already preparing for this via various research projects. For instance, the construction of a full-scale post-treatment installation for the removal of micropollutants started at our Aartselaar WWTP in 2022. The Flemish Environment Agency has already carried out a zero measurement on the receiving watercourse which will serve as a calibration point for the results later on. We are also a partner in the EU project StopUP in which research is being carried out into how we can protect our watercourses and the fauna and flora around them against polluted rainwater run-off. We are also carrying out research into the presence and possible removal of PFAS in the waste water and testing rainwater treatment systems.

In connection with water quantity, we are involved in European research into the smart control of rainwater storage basins to enable rainwater to be used for irrigation in agriculture.

B-Watersmart

POST-TREATMENT OF MICROPOLLUTANTS STARTS IN SUMMER 2023

Aquafin wants to be prepared for any future obligation relating to the removal of micropollutants. These are small particles of chemical substances which can be difficult to break down or even be toxic. They are found, for example, in non-stick coatings, medicines, etc. That is why we started to construct a waste water post-treatment installation at our Aartselaar WWTP in 2022, aimed at the removal of micropollutants. From summer 2023, we will combine two already tried and tested techniques here: ozone treatment and treatment using activated carbon. The combination of the two techniques will reduce the ecological footprint of both because less energy is required for lower ozone dosing on the one hand and the activated carbon will last longer on account of the preceding ozone treatment on the other hand.

The research project is a collaboration with the Flemish Environment Agency which already carried out a zero measurement on the quality of the receiving watercourse last year. On an annual basis, the micropollutants will be removed from 75% of the waste water that enters the WWTP.

Digital Water Value Chain

The digitalisation of the water chain is an indispensable lever for maximising smart controls and reuse of waste flows. But it is also indispensable for prioritising measures for improving water quality. One example of this is the Internet of Water Flanders which Aquafin participates in together with imec, the Flemish Institute for Technological Research (VITO), Vlakwa, the Flemish Environment Agency and De Watergroep. Within this project, a network of sensors is being rolled out that will measure quality parameters for various types of water – including overflow waste water – at specific locations in real time. Carefully chosen locations are being equipped with an innovative sensor that stores information on the quality of the overflow water in the cloud. Combined with specific measurement campaigns and models such as Aquafin’s Cockle software which calculates the waste load emitted and surface water measurements, this information will allow the actual impact of an overflow to be estimated, thus allowing targeted intervention.

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Eco-efficient business models

By treating domestic waste water before it is discharged into the surface water, Aquafin makes a substantial contribution to clean and healthy watercourses. At the same time, we reduce our ecological footprint. The infrastructure needed to transport and treat sewage is directly or indirectly responsible for various greenhouse gas emissions. We investigate where the environmental impact is greatest and what we can do to reduce this.

In 2022, Aquafin worked on estimating its greenhouse gas emissions in accordance with the Greenhouse Gas Protocol. We developed our own model based on real measurements on our infrastructure for the direct emissions from the treatment process. The reason for doing that was because we found that the theoretical models from literature did not correspond to the results from our measurement campaigns. The information for calculating indirect emissions in the value chain is still far from available. However, we did draw up an inventory of our purchases of materials and raw materials. In 2023, we will continue to calculate the main emission factors based on the information available. Together with Vlario, knowledge centre for the sewerage sector, Aquafin also quantifies the emissions due to the construction of new sewers. That is because the life cycle analysis of a treatment area made it clear that the production of classic sewage pipes and materials for road construction is particularly energy-intensive. Products that have a lower CO2 footprint such as sulphur concrete, for example, are gradually coming onto the market. Aquafin supports such disruptive innovations and has already used them in projects.

In addition, when quantifying the emissions from a sewerage system, it also became clear that methane emissions from sewers and even from private septic tanks account for a significant share. In 2023, additional measurements will follow for this.

Innovation For Impactful Services And Products

Through fundamental research within R&D, Aquafin not only broadens its knowledge of all aspects of the water cycle, we also prepare Flanders for rapidly changing ecosystems and legislative changes. We also do that via innovation with new or adapted products and services. Just like applied research, innovation is crucial in order to respond to social challenges and create added value.

In 2022, Aquafin invested just under 800,000 euros in innovation, in the form of development costs and all external costs for guidance and collaboration, proof-of-concept, etc.

Previous innovations such as sewer thermal energy and biomethane are gradually being incorporated in operating processes and Rosi, the digital platform where municipalities can find full details of the state of their sewer system, has also been widely rolled out to more than 100 municipalities in the meantime.

In 2022, we achieved a breakthrough in terms of the development of various smart controls to avoid overflow operation or reuse rainwater. There are 10 concrete projects in progress for intelligent control of rainwater buffers, for both our own infrastructure and municipal infrastructure. At the same time, Aquafin is participating in a pilot project with the Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium (RMI) in order to use more refined precipitation forecasts in these controls and enable the infrastructure to be controlled with even greater precision.

Also last year, ‘blue/green advice’ was developed as a new service for municipalities. Even at an early stage in the project, we look for possible opportunities to combine functions in the area concerned and create as much added value as possible. Consequently, we deliver a future-oriented design that not only focuses on stormwater management but also covers spatial planning, biodiversity and even recreation.

People Make Success Possible

Attracting the right talent

There are a lot of job opportunities for the taking at Aquafin, both for new employees and for those who have been with us for a long time. The expansion and deepening of our activities, digitalisation and new forms of collaboration are just a few of the developments that present challenges in many areas. We want to develop the maximum potential available to us by focusing on strong leadership combined with smart teamwork. But we are also constantly looking for new talent to strengthen our teams. In 2022, we formulated an employer branding strategy which highlights Aquafin’s uniqueness as its trump card. Unique in our mission and impact but also unique in opportunities and freedom to choose your own path.

In 2022, we filled no less than 150 vacancies, 99 of which were filled by appointing new colleagues. 51 colleagues changed jobs within Aquafin, which is in line with previous years but shows that job mobility initiatives are working.

Continuing focus on safety

There can be no debate about safety targets: zero accidents must always be the aim. At Aquafin, we actively work towards a corporate culture in which thinking and acting safely are central. We want a safe (working) environment – not just for our own employees, but also for people who work on our behalf and for local residents in areas where we carry out works.

Because no less than four serious accidents occurred on our sites within the space of a few months, one of which was actually fatal, a letter went out in March from our general manager to all our technical partners. It reiterated the collective responsibility of all parties involved in the execution of works. It also directly triggered the launch of a new safety campaign, this time focusing specifically on everyone’s personal responsibility in the context of ‘working together differently and better’. In addition, work is still being carried out in order to ensure that everyone working at our sites is aware of the potential risks. To this end, besides the existing instruction cards containing the main risks, a safety introduction film will be made in several languages.

Among our own employees, the number of occupational accidents remained in line with previous years.

Building well-being and resilience

A safe and healthy work environment is not the only prerequisite for job satisfaction. That is why at Aquafin, we strive to create a positive culture of well-being in which all employees feel good mentally and build up resilience. Connecting with colleagues and with the organisation is crucial in that respect. But so is the extent to which your job suits you, the extent to which you can develop yourself and experience flexibility in achieving a good work-life balance are important factors. A change process was initiated in order to enable such a positive culture of well-being to take root within the organisation.

The new well-being policy was launched in 2022, with periodic questionnaires that would partly probe the same aspects each time and partly focus on a specific aspect such as being able to switch off outside work hours, for example. In addition, a toolbox was developed based on the topic of well-being, with exercises and work methods for working as a team in a simple and practical manner. Colleagues were also trained to become a kind of ‘well-being detector’ by keeping their finger on the pulse in their work environment and responding quickly to signals indicating high stress levels.

Award For Our Hr Approach

For HR Gala, the way Aquafin treats its employees, stimulates them to take control of their job, develop themselves, work better together as a team and also provides tools for all these things, was a good reason to make the company an HR ambassador for a year.

Later on in the year, we were also awarded a pioneering employer certificate for focusing on people-oriented hybrid working.