Page 8 - European Energy Innovation magazine - spring 2023 edition

Spring 2023 European Energy Innovation
8 WATER

Let’s talk more about water!

By Pernille Weiss, MEP, EPP Group (pictured)

ater is vital for life and The money needed to invest in these for water should be on a par with
without it the world changes should always be put into energy. Unfortunately, the value of
as we know it would perspective: the cost of taking actions water remains too often under the
Wnot exist. However, for business is estimated to five radar and this situation can no longer
as a finite natural resource, water is times lower than the cost of water continue.
increasingly facing major challenges. risks. It remains, however, easier said
Notably, water demand is projected than done, and we must not neglect As the chair of the European
to increase by 55% globally between the need to develop sustainable Parliament´s Water Group, a grouping
2000 and 2050 by the OECD to satisfy roadmaps for each of the relevant of parliamentarians passionate about
the needs of an ever increasing industrial eco-system. the topic of water that regularly
urban population. Meanwhile, climate meets and organise events in the
change in Europe is expected to One of the most critical aspect Parliament, I am proud to participate
cause more droughts in the South regarding water efficiency is that with my colleagues in raising the
and more floods in the North. The ready-made solutions already exist. profile of water in the EU agenda.
Green transition thus requires clever European companies are global
water management. It becomes of leaders in water technologies and We do so by providing a space
outmost importance to manage and Denmark, especially, is home to where we, policy-makers, meet with
use water intelligently. In this context, some of the world’s most water- relevant industry stakeholders to
the EU must become water-smart – efficient firms whose products (such discuss the concerns and priorities
that is to recognise the true value of as pumps, valves, and temperature of the sector. This type of exchanges
water – as soon as possible. control) can help reduce water is particular important if we want to
consumption in industries. shape an adequate and informed
Industries have a crucial role to play legislation that is well in tune with the
in this equation: the industrial water In fact, the Danish water sector has latest development of the sector.
sector in Europe accounts for 50 set an aspiring goal for itself: to
percent of water withdrawal in the become energy and climate neutral Last month, we had the opportunity
continent. The most critical industrial by 2030. All of this is making the for instance to engage with several
sectors are also the ones that European continent well-placed Danish multinational companies
consume the most water (energy, to develop and showcase the (Grundfos, AVK, Rambøll, NIRAS,
semiconductors, raw materials, innovations needed for our future Carlsberg Group) and understand
pharmaceutical, etc.). Therefore, water-smart society. how the industry could mitigate and
water resources in industries need overcome the challenges of water in
to be utilised more efficiently. This With many of the solutions at hand, a sustainable and efficient way.
actually represents one of the most the time is now ripe to scale up these
untapped potential of the green solutions. Extending the application Another way to put water on top of
transition. By doing more with of these technologies and exporting the EU agenda is to include strong
less, the industry can become a them to other countries would bring references to water efficiency in two
key catalyst in mitigating the water many added benefits. For instance, (on-going) important environment
challenges efficiently and sustainably. a report from 2022 concluded that legislations: the Urban Waste Water
the “global spread of Danish waste Treatment Directive, which aims to
Being resource-efficient will not water technology and solutions can make sure wastewater is treated
only reduce our impact on the provide energy savings equivalent equally across EU Member States;
environment, on biodiversity, and to the current European electricity and the Industrial Emissions Directive,
our climate, but will also help to production with coal”. which aims to better regulate
minimise the risks of water shortage. pollutant emissions from industry.
Moreover, this approach can Secondly, and more broadly, the topic
strengthen our competitiveness while of water needs to be included higher Both legislations need to work
positioning the European continent as in the EU political agenda. Given towards the development of a holistic
a role model globally. its importance, our considerations approach that leads us to have a true

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