Alto Alentejo water utility targets 9.6 million m³ in savings

Águas do Alto Alentejo, working with INDAQUA, aims to cut network losses by 9.6 million cubic metres over eight years, averaging 1.2 million cubic metres annually. The project covers over 1,104 km of pipes across ten municipalities, including leak detection and repair, pressure management and infrastructure rehabilitation. The company says it is the first in Portugal to apply the Volumetric Water Benefits concept, allowing savings to be converted into water credits, estimated at 0.78 euros per cubic metre, tradeable via the Aquapositive platform. Results will be assessed yearly against a pre-project baseline, with the performance contract potentially extended by 10 to 15 years.