Denmark has begun storage of CO2 in the subsoil of the North Sea, according to INEOS, the lead partner in Project Greensand, described as the world’s first cross-border carbon capture and storage scheme (CCS).

According to a 10 September announcement, the 23 partners behind the project have now submitted the final report from the pilot project, which has aimed to develop, test and demonstrate safe and efficient storage of CO2 in the North Sea subsurface.

The group said the thorough technical verification confirms that the stored CO2 remains safely and permanently in the closed Nini West reservoir 1,800 metres below the North Sea seabed, as expected. This part of the work was carried out by independent provider of risk, verification and standardization services, DNV.

“We now have documentation that we have a well-functioning storage for CO2 in the North Sea subsoil, where large amounts of CO2 that would otherwise have been emitted into the atmosphere can be safely and permanently stored. We can see that the stored CO2 behaves as expected in the reservoir 1,800 metres below the seabed. That confidence gives us a solid foundation to take the next steps that will be crucial for CCS in Denmark”, said Mads Gade, Country Manager at INEOS Denmark and Commercial Director at INEOS Energy, the leading partner behind Project Greensand.

“Outstanding work” from all 23 partners
Project Greensand demonstrated that captured CO2 can be transported across borders and stored offshore to mitigate climate change. This was marked by the parties behind the consortium at the event First Carbon Storage on 8 March 2023 in Esbjerg, where Denmark’s King Frederik gave the signal to begin the CO2-storage operation,

It was also marked with a video speech by President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen and speech by Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities, Lars Aagaard.

“We are very proud that we are the first in the world to succeed in developing, testing and demonstrating a well-functioning value chain for safe and efficient capture, transport and storage of CO2 across national borders with the aim of mitigating climate change. This is an important step on the way to meeting Denmark’s and the EU’s climate ambitions, and each of the 23 partners has done an outstanding job. I am impressed by how the task has been solved across many professional groups, which has made this phase of Project Greensand come together”, says Mads Gade.

The intensive work in the EUDP-supported project has also meant that a large group of Danish and international companies have gained valuable experience in the work with capture, transport and storage of CO2, and now have better conditions to play a role in a future CCS market in Europe.

Standing on the shoulders of an earlier project in Greensand
With a completed and verified pilot phase, the way has been paved for the development of CCS in Denmark. The lead partner in Project Greensand, INEOS, has already applied for approval on behalf of licence partners Wintershall Dea (now Harbour Energy) and Nordsøfonden for Denmark’s first large-scale CO2 storage facility, and is now working hard to start CO2 storage in the North Sea by the end of 2025 or the beginning of 2026. The ambition is that up to 400,000 tonnes of CO2 will be stored per year, while the plan is to store up to 8 million tonnes of CO2 per year in the area under the North Sea’s seabed from 2030.

At the same time, work is also underway to investigate whether it is possible and safe to store CO2 underground on land in Denmark, and earlier this year, the Minister for Climate, Energy and Utilities awarded INEOS, Wintershall Dea (Harbour Energy) and Nordsøfonden an exploration licence for an area of the Danish subsurface in Jutland in the Gassum reservoir. The experience from Greensand will be included in the work to demonstrate safe storage also on land.

“We emphasised that Denmark has moved to the forefront of CCS in the world when we stored the first CO2 in the North Sea. Now we are in the process of investigating how to take the next step, and here we stand on the shoulders of the invaluable experience from Project Greensand’s pilot. We are keen to continue this momentum with an ambition that Greensand will be the first CO2 storage facility in operation in the EU, and we are now awaiting the Danish authorities’ approval of a permanent storage. This is an important step, because if Denmark takes just 5% of a future CCS market in Europe, it could mean up to 9,000 jobs, with an economic potential of DKK 50 billion. At the same time, we can support the EU’s objectives, because we have all the prerequisites to create a new industry that is part of the solution to the challenges of the climate”.

The Scottish Government announced a new Green Industrial Strategy on 11 September.

It was unveiled by Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes and colleagues during a visit to Flowcopter, a company based near Edinburgh which is developing drones that can be used in the offshore wind sector.

She said: “This Green Industrial Strategy spells out where we believe the greatest opportunities lie, and where we will focus our attention and resources.

“It provides certainty for businesses – both at home and abroad – by demonstrating where and how we will work to reduce barriers to investment and, where appropriate, share risk and reward.”

The document pinpoints five priority areas: maximising Scotland’s wind economy, growing the hydrogen sector, developing the carbon capture, utilisation and storage sector, supporting green economy professional and financial services, and attracting clean energy intensive industries such as datacentres.

Other specific actions will include: hosting a Global Offshore Wind Investment Forum next Spring, working with the sector to develop hubs of hydrogen production and demand and working with public and private partners to drive investment in key projects.

Responding, Claire Mack, Chief Executive of Scottish Renewables, said:

“Renewable energy is Scotland’s greatest economic opportunity and the Green Industrial Strategy, which has been widely welcomed by industry, will provide a real boost for those committed to delivering on our net-zero ambitions.

“We have worked closely with the Scottish Government on this strategy and are pleased that it has promised to drive forward the full potential for public and private investment in essential infrastructure, with plans to secure the manufacturing facilities Scotland needs to maintain its position as a world leader in clean power.

“We have been clear that the Scottish Government must show a real commitment to supporting companies across the supply chain and we welcome the energy supply chain package of support announced today.

“Scottish Renewables has repeatedly highlighted the need for a robust planning and consenting system alongside a commitment to invest in green skills which has been reflected in the strategy.

“The Scottish Government must now outline how the Green Industrial strategy will strategically align with the anticipated Energy Strategy and Just Transition Plan to fully realise the vast opportunities of renewable energy across all sectors including offshore wind, low carbon heat and green hydrogen.

“The renewable energy industry first called for a Green Industrial Strategy more than two years ago and it is delivery that counts. The Scottish Government must hold itself accountable for what has been announced today and demonstrate confidence that it can deliver Scotland’s clean power future.”

A new study attempts to shine a light on the enormous scale of uncollected rubbish and open burning of plastic waste in what’s described as the first ever global plastics pollution inventory.

University of Leeds researchers used AI to model waste management in more than 50,000 municipalities around the world. This model allowed them to predict how much waste was generated globally and what happens to it, say the researchers.

Their study, published in the journal Nature, calculated a staggering 52 million tonnes of plastic products entered the environment in 2020 – which, laid out in a line would stretch around the World over 1,500 times.

It also revealed that more than two thirds of the planet’s plastic pollution comes from uncollected rubbish with almost 1.2 billion people — 15% of the global population — living without access to waste collection services.

The findings further show that in 2020 roughly 30 million tonnes of plastics — amounting to 57% of all plastic pollution — was burned without any environmental controls in place, in homes, on streets and in dumpsites. Burning plastic comes with ‘substantial’ threats to human health, including neurodevelopmental, reproductive and birth defects.

The researchers also identified new plastic pollution hotspots, revealing India as the biggest contributor — rather than China as has been suggested in previous models — followed by Nigeria and Indonesia.

(Above) Infographic: Top 10 Plastic Polluters Ranked (image credit: Dr Angeliki Savvantoglou of Bear Bones). Click to enlarge.

Lack of rubbish harms health, environment and economy
The researchers believe the study shows access to waste collection should be seen as a basic necessity and a vital aspect of sanitation, alongside water and sewerage services.

While uncontrolled burning of plastic has received very little attention in the past, the new calculations show it to be at least as big a problem as rubbish thrown into the environment, even once uncertainty in the model is taken into consideration.

Dr Costas Velis, academic on Resource Efficiency Systems from the School of Civil Engineering at Leeds, led the research. He said: “We need to start focusing much, much more on tackling open burning and uncollected waste before more lives are needlessly impacted by plastic pollution. It cannot be ‘out of sight, out of mind’.”

First author Dr Josh Cottom, Research Fellow in Plastics Pollution at Leeds, said: “Uncollected waste is the biggest source of plastic pollution, with at least 1.2 billion people living without waste collection services forced to ‘self-manage’ waste, often by dumping it on land, in rivers, or burning it in open fires.”

Dr Cottom added: “The health risks resulting from plastic pollution affect some of the world’s poorest communities, who are powerless to do anything about it. By improving basic solid waste management, we can both massively reduce plastic pollution and improve the lives of billions.”

Each year, more than 400 million tonnes of plastic is produced. Many plastic products are single-use, hard to recycle, and can stay in the environment for decades or centuries, often being fragmented into smaller items. Some plastics contain potentially harmful chemical additives which could pose a threat to human health, particularly if they are burned in the open.

New plastic pollution hotspots revealed
According to the paper’s estimated global data for 2020, the worst polluting countries were: India: 9.3 million tonnes — around a fifth of the total amount; Nigeria: 3.5 million tonnes; and Indonesia: 3.4 million tonnes.

China, previously reported to be the worst, is now ranked fourth, with 2.8 million tonnes, as a result of improvements collecting and processing waste over recent years. The UK was ranked 135, with around 4,000 tonnes per year, with littering the biggest source.

Low and middle-income countries have much lower plastic waste generation, but a large proportion of it is either uncollected or disposed of in dumpsites. India emerges as the largest contributor because it has a large population, roughly 1.4 billion, and much of its waste isn’t collected.

The contrast between plastic waste emissions from the Global North and the Global South is stark. Despite high plastic consumption, macroplastic pollution — pollution from plastic objects larger than 5 millimeters — is a comparatively small issue in the Global North as waste management systems function comprehensively. There, littering is the main cause of macroplastic pollution.

Growing fears for sub-Saharan Africa
While many countries in Sub-Saharan Africa have generally low levels of plastic pollution, they become hotspots when looked at on a per-capita basis with an average 12 kg plastic pollution per person per year, equivalent to over 400 plastic bottles. For comparison, the United Kingdom currently has the per-capita equivalent of less than three plastic bottles per person per year.

Researchers are worried this indicates Sub-Saharan Africa could become the world’s largest source of plastic pollution in the next few decades, because many of its countries have poor waste management and the population is anticipated to grow rapidly.

World needs a ‘Plastics Treaty’ informed by science
Researchers say this first ever global inventory of plastic pollution provides a baseline — comparable to those for climate change emissions — that can be used by policymakers to tackle this looming environmental disaster. They want their work to help policymakers come up with waste management, resource recovery and wider circular economy plans, and want to see a new, ambitious and legally binding, global ‘Plastics Treaty’ aimed at tackling the sources of plastic pollution.

Dr Velis said: “This is an urgent global human health issue — an ongoing crisis: people whose waste is not collected have no option but to dump or burn it: setting the plastics on fire may seem to make them ‘disappear’, but in fact the open burning of plastic waste can lead to substantial human health damage including neurodevelopmental, reproductive and birth defects; and much wider environmental pollution dispersion.”

Second author Ed Cook, Research Fellow in Circular Economy Systems for Waste Plastics at Leeds, said: “In the past policymakers have struggled to tackle this problem, partly because of the scarcity of good quality data. We hope that our detailed local scale dataset will help decision-makers to allocate scarce resources to address plastic pollution efficiently.”

The Oxford Rivers Portal, a website and map that aims to help people understand the health of the Thames and its tributaries in Oxfordshire and make informed choices about safer river conditions, has been launched today (9 September) by environmental charities the Rivers Trust and Thames21 and research institute the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH).

The launch of the Oxford Rivers Portal follows increasing public concern over the state of England’s rivers, as well as a growth in interest in wild swimming and watersports.

On a single map, it brings together live raw sewage spill alerts, water quality measurements taken by the Environment Agency and citizen scientists, water levels, flood warnings, bacteria measurements at bathing water sites and sewage treatment rates* at both Oxfordshire’s designated bathing waters, Port Meadow in Oxford and Wallingford Beach. Users can zoom in and click on any of more than 2,000 locations to find out real-time information or data from the past three years.

Previously, these varied data sources were available on different websites and were difficult to access.

Claire Robertson, Oxford Rivers Project Officer at Thames21, said: “Water quality and the health of rivers must improve. The main sources of pollution are agriculture and the water industry, plus a growing threat from plastics and forever chemicals. As more people look to England’s rivers for recreation, we all need to up our game.

“We hope this portal makes it easier for people to decide whether they want to swim, or take out their canoe or paddleboard, on a certain day or not.

“River swimming is so good for you if you do it safely: don’t go into water you can’t swim against, don’t jump into water where you don’t know what’s underneath, and wash your hands after swimming.”

Dr Virginie Keller, an environmental modeler at UKCEH, added: “River pollution is now a major issue of concern for many people but it’s difficult to get clear, up-to-date information about water quality and conditions locally. Our portal is a ‘one-stop shop’, bringing together a variety of data in an accessible way.”

The development of the Oxford Rivers Portal is part of the European GOVAQUA project which aims to accelerate a transition towards sustainable and equitable water use by better water governance. It is funded by the European Union and UK Research and Innovation.

The team behind the portal says the data and information will enable users to gather evidence to understand the state of their local water courses and thus stimulate discussions between the public, regulators and water companies about policies and management relating to rivers and streams.

As designated bathing sites, Port Meadow in Oxford and Wallingford Beach are tested weekly for potentially harmful bacteria by the Environment Agency between mid-May and the end of September. Apart from one day at Wallingford, all the bacteria readings at these two sites have been below the level of concern this season.

Analysis of data from 2023 has found that five out of the seven local sewage treatment works for which data has been provided, show indications of illegal “early” spills of raw sewage.

Sewage treatment works must reach a minimum flow level (called “flow to full treatment”, or FFT) before they can legally discharge raw sewage to rivers and streams via storm overflows, to prevent it backing up in the system. The works are meant to be operating at this minimum level for between one and four hours before a raw sewage release is permitted.

However, on 183 occasions, treatment works had not met this minimum flow rate in the past 24 hours before a raw sewage discharge occurred. Oxford sewage treatment works had 77 separate “early spills” totalling 1,839 hours, Appleford works had 89 spills totalling 1,692 hours, and Stanton Harcourt works had seven early spills totalling 1,322 hours.

*Sewage treatment rates show the rate of sewage treatment at a sewage treatment plant in litres per second. Users of the portal can use this data to find out if a sewage treatment plant is operating at full capacity or operating at low capacity.

The Environment Agency’s director of water, Helen Wakeham, has discussed plans to increase scrutiny of water companies in England and Wales in a new water sector podcast.

Targeted recruitment campaigns, more site inspections and enhanced digital systems will drive better performance from the industry, Wakeham told the WiseOnWater Podcast: Conversations in Flow, from media specialist WiseOnWater and technology company Xylem UK & Ireland.

“We’ve an awful lot more investment in water regulation. We consulted earlier this year on increasing our charges for water quality discharges and we’ll use that to increase our scrutiny of water companies,” Wakeham told podcast host Natasha Wiseman.

Site inspections will increase to more than 10,000, to be supported by new recruits, including “boots on the ground” and data analysts, Wakeham said. “It’s a really exciting time. There are a lot of people around with loads of experience. It’s brilliant for those people to be joined by a new cohort with new ideas.

“Data can help us. When I started my career in 1990 it really was whack-a-mole. These days we can be a lot cleverer than that. We’ll be able to focus our effort on where we know the problems are. We’ll be able to visit the places that matter to people.”

Reflecting on the public’s heightened awareness of water quality, Wakeham said: “I think what started off as perhaps quite a narrow debate about storm overflows has brought the value of water to people’s attention. While some of those conversations are hard, it’s brilliant to have water very much more in the public consciousness. I think we’ve realised how central it is for all of us.”

The WiseOnWater podcast, which launched on 9 September 2024, is a monthly deep dive into the ever-changing landscape of the UK water sector.

Joining Wakeham on episode one is Margaret Read, director of policy at the National Infrastructure Commission, who explores the proposed £96 billion 2025-30 AMP8 investment.

She said: “We’ve got a lot of different issues to solve in the water sector. The first one which we’ve looked at in detail is the water supply question. We haven’t built any reservoirs in the UK for over 30 years and we’re facing a big gap between supply and demand.

“Secondly, we’ve got problems, as everybody knows, with water pollution and that requires a big investment to resolve. Then thirdly, we also need to maintain our existing assets. So, it does sound like a big amount of money, but we will need it – we also need to be realistic about what can be delivered over that period.”

Read urged regulators and government to “speak with one voice” and “be really clear with the public that there is a need for this new infrastructure and that they will have to pay for it”.
“That takes some political courage,” she added, “but it’s really important.”

For project delivery, Read said water companies need to collaborate more closely with each other and the supply chain to “solve these problems once rather than many times”.

Pollution reduction, nature-based solutions, smart metering, leakage, drought resilience and bill increases were among other conversation topics in the 30-minute podcast episode.

Episode two focuses on skills, recruitment and retention with guests Peter Simpson, chief executive of Anglian Water and Sarah McMath, chief executive of MOSL. Future episodes feature Wessex Water chief executive Colin Skellett and the managing director of Xylem UK & Ireland, Ian Thompson.

Wiseman, founder of WiseOnWater and non-profit news platform Make Water Famous, said: “In each episode of the WiseOnWater podcast we’ll bring together the brightest minds in water, from industry leaders and policymakers to engineers, communicators and researchers. These are the people tackling the pressing challenges of today and ensuring the future availability of our most precious resource.

“We are especially excited to be supported by Xylem UK & Ireland, who have a deep understanding of the needs of this sector. It has never been more important for organisations in water to explore new collaborative communications initiatives if we are to ensure a sustainable water future for the UK and beyond.”

Andrew Welsh, water utility sales director at Xylem, said: “At Xylem we believe that meaningful conversations are the cornerstone of progress in the water sector. Partnering with WiseOnWater to launch this podcast allows us to bring critical discussions to the forefront, driving awareness and collaboration on the most pressing water challenges.

“By connecting industry leaders, policymakers, and innovators, we aim to not only highlight the issues but also inspire actionable solutions that will shape a sustainable future for the UK’s water infrastructure.”

Episode one of the WiseOnWater podcast is available now on Spotify.

International research team say they have identified more than 120 organic micropollutants and investigated their role in damaging aquatic organisms

Tonnes of dead fish, mussels and snails were seen floating on the River Oder (Germany) in early August 2022. It soon became clear what was causing the environmental disaster in the German-Polish border river: a mixture of excessive salinity, high water temperatures, low water levels and excessive inputs of nutrients and wastewater triggered a bloom of the brackish water algae Prymnesium parvum, whose algal toxin prymnesin has a lethal effect on organisms. A team of scientists coordinated by the Helmholtz Centre for Environmental Research (UFZ) collected and analysed water samples at the time. The result, published in Nature Water today (6 September), appeared to show that high concentrations of organic micropollutants exacerbated the lethal effects of prymnesin.

Summer 2022’s environmental disaster led to the death of up to 60 per cent of fish biomass and up to 85 per cent of mussel and snail biomass in the River Oder. In August 2022, the UFZ set up an interdisciplinary ad hoc working group together with researchers from the Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), the University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna (Vetmeduni) and the University of Birmingham. They took water samples at five locations along the Oder, extracted poisoned fish and analysed and evaluated the samples. “The aim of the study was to find out which micropollutants are in the Oder, how they affect aquatic organisms in the river and what threat the cocktail of algal toxins and micropollutants could pose to humans,” says Prof Dr Beate Escher, lead author and environmental toxicologist at the UFZ.

As the researchers now explain in the scientific journal Nature Water, they were able to detect more than 120 organic micropollutants in the water samples. The highest concentrations of chemical substances were found for the flame retardant tris(1-chloro-2-propyl)phosphate, the polymer additive hexamethoxymethylmelamine and the corrosion inhibitor 1H-benzotriazole. Most of the pollutants detected were presumably discharged into the Oder from sewage treatment plants, but their concentrations were low. However, the scientific team also found pollutants such as 2,4-dichlorophenol, which were probably discharged from industry, as well as pesticides and their degradation products, such as chlorotoluron, which were discharged directly into the water from agricultural land. “The concentrations of these chemicals are not unusually high, but are typical for European rivers”, says Beate Escher. “They did not lead to fish mortality, but together with the algal toxins they can lead to additional stress for aquatic organisms.”

The researchers used the risk quotient RQ to analyse the extent of this stress and thus the risk of the detected pollutants for aquatic organisms. The RQ is defined as the ratio between the measured concentration of a pollutant and its predicted no effect concentration (PNEC). If the RQ exceeds the value of 1, the pollutant can affect aquatic life. The researchers added up the RQs of the detected chemicals and thus obtained mixture risk quotients (RQmix) of between 16 and 22 at the sampling sites. “All RQmix values significantly exceeded the threshold value of 1, which indicates a potential risk to aquatic organisms from pollutants,” says co-author and water chemist Dr Stephanie Spahr from IGB. Only 30 organic micropollutants were included in the model, although thousands of organic chemicals are probably present in the river. The chemical cocktails extracted from the water samples also showed clear effects in laboratory experiments with algae, water fleas and zebrafish embryos, which are considered common models for aquatic organisms.

The researchers investigated how these pollutants and the prymnesins found in the Oder interact as mixtures in water extracts using neurotoxic effects on human nerve cells in vitro. “This test, which is commonly used in bioanalysis and water quality assessment, does not aim to assess the risk to human health, but rather to identify the mixture effects of neurotoxic chemicals,” says Beate Escher. Assistant Professor Dr Elisabeth Varga, a food and environmental analyst at VetMedUni Vienna, provided an algal toxin standard that is very similar to the prymnesins identified in the Oder. The in vitro assays are carried out at the UFZ in automated high-throughput screening in the modern CITEPro[SH1] technology platform in very small volumes. “It was therefore possible to test this prymnesin standard and other detected micropollutants as well as the water extracts directly,” says Beate Escher. Even at very low concentrations in the nanomolar range, prymnesins shortened the outgrowths of nerve cells that are responsible for signal transmission and killed the cells.

In addition, many organic micropollutants quantified in the water extracts were analysed: several substances were neurotoxic, but at significantly higher doses. “Through mixture modelling and comparisons of the neurotoxicity measured in the extracts, we were able to show that prymnesins dominate the neurotoxic effect. However, the micropollutants we detected also contributed to this,” says Elisabeth Varga. However, the effects of pollution on aquatic organisms in rivers such as the Oder could ultimately be much greater. “The prymnesins have a very high proportion of the cocktail effects, which are exacerbated by micropollutants. This puts even more pressure on the entire ecosystem of the Oder, which is already under great stress,” says Beate Escher. And Prof Dr Luisa Orsini, co-author and Professor of Evolutionary Systems Biology and Environmental Omics at the University of Birmingham, adds: “The warmer temperatures and extreme weather events caused by climate change can make such toxic algal blooms an even greater risk for inland and marine waters and the population.”

CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE

Urban locations worldwide are struggling to manage stormwater drainage, in the face of extreme weather. The opportunity appears vast, for those who can help solve the problem, as Envirotec writes.

“Managing too much water” is the biggest challenge facing UK water utilities today, according to Bluetech Research director Paul O’ Callaghan, during his opening address at the group’s flagship event in Edinburgh in June.¹ It’s a problem where the public is becoming increasingly impatient, and the regulator is putting on pressure. It’s also a pressure point where the coping costs are astronomically high, and he cited estimates that the cost of flooding in the US is US$400 billion.

It was one of “eight areas for opportunity” in water technology outlined in his talk, with other big ones including “water reuse”. That’s the problem with water, you either have too much or too little of the stuff.

When it comes to avoiding inundation, well-designed infrastructure is obviously important, but the sheer quantity of rainfall that can now fall without warning in many places clearly complicates things.

Climate change is expected to bring a more variable water cycle,² with weather conditions veering towards extremes of dryness and wetness. And this seems to be a key factor in the increasing difficulties being faced worldwide, when it comes to managing the hydraulic capacity of sewer and stormwater networks. In New York, for example, where CSO pollution in the harbour had caused public disquiet 15 years ago, a problem that was subsequently resolved, the issue of sewer security and stormwater management seems to be once more climbing the agenda, following a series of unprecedented storms.³

Senescent structures
Sewer security is a growing problem worldwide, although it seems especially acute in the UK, attributable in part to the proportion of the nation’s sewer network that is combined with stormwater, in contrast to the US, for example, where sewer and stormwater networks seem to be mostly separate. While overflows can occur with both combined and separate sewage networks, the CSOs are obviously more vulnerable to extreme weather. They are also more often associated with older cities.

One country with more of them than the UK is Italy. However, a more likely flashpoint of public disapproval seems to be wastewater treatment, with only a little over half of the country’s wastewater currently being treated to EU standards.⁴

Globally, the regulation is becoming tighter and more specific, which is driving the urgency of tackling the problem.

In the UK this also includes mandatory levels of investment, with Defra’s National Storm Overflow Plan, for example, having earmarked more than £10 billion for storm overflow improvements – triple the previous level of investment.

But there’s a potentially big price tag. For example, completely removing and replacing CSOs, would require an entirely new sewer network costing up to £600 billion⁴ and widespread, disruptive roadworks over many decades, according to a recent white paper on sewer security published by Global Water Intelligence in collaboration with Grundfos. So, there is a need to target fixes and solutions, to achieve a balance between improved sewer security outcomes and economics (and customer bills).⁵

Defra’s recent (2022) plan requires utilities to make improvements in sewage release from combined systems, and sets out specific requirements, although some of these appear ambiguous or difficult to police. For example, water companies will only be allowed to discharge from storm overflows where they can demonstrate there is no local adverse ecological impact. In a recent book,⁶ Dr Julian Doberski wonders whether such a thing is even possible.

In any case, the pace and scope of change hasn’t been sufficient to satisfy many environmental pressure groups.

When it comes to the way the issue is being perceived by the wider world, problems of under-ambition and even neglect seem to take a far more prominent place, and this certainly ratchets up the pressure on utilities to find solutions quickly.

Ofwat’s recent investigation into water companies’ conduct highlights systemic problems and a failure to invest in water infrastructure, with fines of £168 million having been handed out to Thames Water, Yorkshire Water, and Northumbrian Water in July.

As the CIWM’s Policy Director Alastair Chisholm commented in August: “Historic abuses by water companies and failures by regulators to keep them in check mean there is now a rearguard action to remedy the damage,billed as ‘record investment’. Whilst this is necessary, it cannot come without wide and deep, meaningful change.”

He called for “considerable investment over the long-term, allied with far stronger, yet outcomes-focused regulation that prioritises the necessary actions, catchment-by-catchment, to begin the process of recovering the health and resilience of our waters.”⁷

A considerably strengthened environmental regulator was another necessary ingredient suggested by Chisholm and others.

But the question of what constitutes success in achieving “sewer security” seems to have more complexity than a straightforward focus on “number of spills”, and there seems to be some distance still to travel to properly understand it, and to find solutions.

Sizing up the problem
One aspect of the question of “how to get there” can be addressed by a combination of short-term and long-term interventions. For example, short-term fixes include using disinfection at CSOs, or digital tools to better understand and pre-empt outfalls, while longer-term ones such as building new infrastructure are also getting underway.⁸

At a discussion session on “Sewer Security” at BlueTech Forum in June, delegates shared views on the various pieces of the puzzle. Chaired by Phil Tomlinson of water technology firm Grundfos, he opened the session with a nod to the fact that maybe technology alone can’t solve the problem, that it’s not just about “cool stuff”.

One delegate indicated problems with the way the issue is being perceived. There has been some fair criticism of the regulatory environment, and a lot of opprobrium focused on English utilities. It’s not a new problem, although it has become more acute given the intense rainfall, and the “monsoon-style events” of recent years. What’s not being picked up enough is that a lot of the work being done on the ground by utilities has been good, he said.

“I don’t think we understand the problem properly,” said one participant.

A first line-of defence in this respect would seem to be monitoring CSOs. Nearly all of these are monitored in England, but there are outstanding issues regarding the usefulness of this activity, suggested participants in the discussion. For example, how do we access, utilise, store and act on this data? Also, how might you get the data quickly enough to act on it?

Digital tools are one way to identify pain-points and high-risk areas in the network, offering a way to prioritize remedial work and reduce costs, through the use of IoT sensors and analytics. The GWI/Grundfos white paper gives the example of Grand Rapids (Michigan, US) where the city had already completed a sewer separation project in 2015, but needed a better understanding of inflow and filtration in the network, to meet a regulatory requirement (which mandated that there be zero overflow events of any kind, except during a wet weather event exceeding a 24-hour, 25-year storm). The use of digital tools allowed inflow and filtration issues to be solved for $30-50 million, compared to initial estimates of $1 billion.⁹

Maximizing hydraulic capacity
One direction of travel seems to be the use of digital technology to make the most of the capacity available in the network, or to allow the use of additional infrastructure features, which might include canals, as is the case with Glasgow’s Smart Canal system (see side panel “Smart canals”, at the end of this article).¹⁰

Presenting at the Bluetech event, Dr Sonja Ostojin, Head of Innovation with Environmental Monitoring Solutions (EMS), summarized the UK’s storm overflow challenge. Solutions are needed quickly, she said, and the old-style grey ones, like building a massive tank, “won’t work this time”.

Her own group’s Centaur monitoring and control system uses AI to respond to storm water in the system “in real-time”. Gates are used to control the flow through the system, which means capacity within the pipe network can be used to store some of it, preventing spills from storm overflows.

Centaur has been deployed in a few locations since 2017, and is being demonstrated in the EU’s REWAISE project, which aims to address hydraulic capacity issues in wastewater networks. Southern Water has trialled the approach in Kent and the Isle of Wight, and the group’s Keith Herbert has said “it has the potential to be a gamechanger as it is more cost-effective and less carbon heavy than other methods like building storm tanks.”¹¹

Grey infrastructure initiatives like London’s Super Sewer have been the principal means of increasing the ability of sewers to handle increased flows. However, green infrastructure can prevent stormwater from entering the sewer system in the first place, and a growing shift towards this kind of solution seemed to be spotlighted at the BlueTech event.

Sponge cities
The concept of the “sponge city” involves a combination of these different forms of infrastructure, or so suggested the presentation given by Professor Kongjian Yu, credited as the pioneer of China’s sponge city movement, and the founder of Turenscape, a company specialising in this kind of urban infrastructure.

Much like a sponge, a sponge city can absorb stormwater, and then release it for water supply when needed.

Yu spoke about how the environment of cities can be transformed to retain water and create stunning urban landscapes. Grey infrastructure is still a key component in these sponge cities, but the concept implies a noticeable shift to blue and green infrastructure, with improvements in biodiversity and water services.

Scale and ambition certainly seem to underpin the concept, and in Shanghai it has been credited with delivering a multi-billion-dollar cost saving over traditional grey infrastructure.¹²

Since China’s national Sponge City Programme began in 2014, a first group of 20 cities has been targeted for development (following a June 2021 announcement), each receiving around $109-172 million from the central government. The programme intends that 80% of urban areas should meet the standard of retaining 70% of stormwater in situ by 2030, requiring an estimated investment of US$ 1 trillion.¹³

One apparent criticism of the concept, or at least, the insistence that it is not a panacea, comes from Professor Guangtao Fu of the University of Exeter, in a 2022 paper,¹⁴ which points out that a sponge city programme did not prevent the flooding in Zhengzhou in July 2021, when a year’s worth of rainfall occurred within 24 hours, causing a disaster that claimed 292 lives, and initiated a chain of failures including a loss of parts of the electricity network and subsequent paralysis of card and mobile payments.

The paper recommended measures such as resilience mapping, to identify acute pain points in the urban landscape. Its lessons seem to apply specifically to the Chinese situation, where gated communities are the norm, and includes building-level measures such as elevating the height at which electrical systems are positioned, and the use of water-proof materials when building walls to a level higher than the likely flood depth identified by resilience assessments.

Filtering on the fly
Green infrastructure techniques – like wetlands, permeable pavements, and green roofs – can slow down the flow of rainwater, ensuring its more gradual release into rivers and water features, and this seems a huge element of the sponge city concept. Some natural filtration will also occur, removing pollutants from rainwater.

Permeable pavements mean that rainwater can infiltrate the ground, reducing surface runoff and replenishing groundwater. They can help reduce flood risk while also serving to diminish heat island effects.

Similarly, urban wetlands can provide benefits, including reducing the flood risk to homes, promoting biodiversity, boosting air quality, and providing a recreational space.

In June, environmental charity Thames21 said it was working with partners and volunteers to make London a sponge city, through creating wetlands, planting trees and supporting sustainable drainage. One reported success is its ‘Rewilding the Rom’ project in Dagenham, in which a wetland has been developed to connect the River Rom to its floodplain, providing a better environment for wildlife.¹⁵

The CPRE’s Anna Taylor supported the call, highlighting “the urgent need for more rain gardens across the capital to reduce road-run off, ease the pressure on storm water drains, and help to reduce the risk of sewage overflow into our rivers.”

She added: “Sustainable urban drainage assessments should be bog standard when roadworks and streetscapes are being updated.”

Elsewhere in the UK, the Mansfield Sustainable Flood Resilience project was one of the projects which seemed to generate discussion at the BlueTech Forum event. It involves the installation of hundreds of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) throughout the town, making it seemingly “the largest retrofit scheme of its kind in the UK”. This includes blue-green infrastructure intended to slow and store water, such as detention basins, bioswales, rain gardens, tree pits and permeable paving.

The project follows Severn Trent’s identification of the town as one of the most at-risk communities in Nottinghamshire, and it is expected to receive £76 million funding from the utility, providing additional storage capacity for surface water, and creating resilience in the network.

Technology solutions and infrastructure clearly seem to be important, but also just one part of the puzzle, and the Sewer Security discussion during Bluetech attached importance to many other factors, including: improving our understanding of the problem, and also communicating successfully about what needs to be done.

Those close to the problem seem to agree that there needs to be collaboration between a larger number of stakeholders. This could allow the creation of “more supportive and outcome-based regulation”, as the GWI/Grundfos white paper puts it. The document calls for a shift in the narrative of regulation, “away from number of spills and towards regulating overall water quality.

[ SIDE PANEL – Smart Canals ]

With automation, real-time control and weather forecasting, it is possible to make room for stormwater storage in the network, or other available infrastructure, pre-empting extreme weather events before they happen. This can help avoid the costs and carbon costs of additional grey infrastructure.

The North Glasgow Integrated Water Management System (NGIWMS), which opened in 2022, makes use of the Forth & Clyde Canal, receiving the excess stormwater runoff from new regeneration and development areas, then returning the canal to its normal level after the storm.

It was designed to ensure no flooding occurred elsewhere, and would not impact navigation the canal or waste water (which would impact abstraction license conditions).

The canal opened in 1790, providing a sea-to-sea navigation (the world’s first) between Glasgow and Edinburgh.

It uses a real-time hydraulic model in ICMLive software (essentially a digital twin of the canal), which receives data about rain forecasts and canal status from sensors on a SCADA network, predicting the additional storage that will be required, in advance of a rainfall, and automatically lowering canal water levels via actuated sluice gates.

One challenging aspect is the fact that weather forecasts decrease in accuracy when made ahead of time, while the drawdown of the canal itself takes a long time, around 18-hours to drawdown 100mm if all discharge sluices are fully open.

The model is continuously updated as new surface water connections are added with the appearance of new developments in the locality.

The system was designed and developed by AECOM in conjunction with Scottish Canals, Glasgow City Council and Scottish Water.

Notes
[1] BlueTech Forum 2024. Assembly Rooms, Edinburgh. 3-4 June 2024.
[2] “Sewer Security: Enabling resilient water infrastructure” white paper, Global Water Intelligence in collaboration with Grundfos, May 2024. See https://my.globalwaterintel-insights.com/l/2DC/SewerSecurity. [3] ibid [4] ibid [5] ibid [6] The Science of Sewage: What happens when we flush? By Julian Doberski. A Pimpernel Press book for Gemini Adult Books Ltd. Published in 2024. [7] Email, “CIWEM response to breaking news: Proposed Ofwat fines for water companies”, received on 6 August 2024.[8] “Sewer Security: Enabling resilient water infrastructure” white paper, Global Water Intelligence in collaboration with Grundfos, May 2024. See https://my.globalwaterintel-insights.com/l/2DC/SewerSecurity. [9] ibid [10] Glasgow’s Smart Canal (2022). Published: June 12, 2022. See https://waterprojectsonline.com/case-studies/smart-canal-2022/ [11] “Cutting edge technology to be piloted to help reduce storm overflows and flooding in Kent and the Isle of Wight”, Southern Water website. See https://www.southernwater.co.uk/latest-news/cutting-edge-technology-to-be-piloted-to-help-reduce-storm-overflows-and-flooding-in-kent-and-the-isle-of-wight/. [12] Press release. “Water industry needs common purpose, says Mark Fletcher”, from Wise On Water, 17 January 2022. [13] “Are sponge cities the solution to China’s growing urban flooding problems?”, by Guangtao Fu. In WIREs Water, October 2022. [14] ibid [15] “Call to make London a sponge city”. Press release, Thames21, June 2024.

An equipment-supply deal will enable the conversion of an offshore platform supply vessel (PSV) to operate with ammonia fuel, in what is described as a first for this kind of vessel.

The contract was signed between Finnish firm Wärtsilä – which manufactures equipment for the marine and energy sectors – and Norwegian shipowner Eidesvik.

The vessel, ‘Viking Energy’, which is on contract to energy major Equinor, is scheduled for conversion in early 2026 and is expected to start operating on ammonia in the first half of 2026, becoming the world’s first ammonia-fuelled in-service ship. In addition to chartering the vessel Equinor contributes with financing for the conversion. Wärtsilä will then supply the engine and complete fuel gas supply system and exhaust after-treatment needed for the conversion, making it also the first vessel to use Wärtsilä’s recently released ammonia solution.

Ammonia is viewed as a promising alternative fuel as the shipping industry looks to decarbonize. With new global regulations having set a clear destination for shipping – net zero emissions by mid-century – ammonia looks like it’s being primed to play a significant role.

A recent report by Wärtsilä relates to the role that sustainable fuels look likely to play in achieving this target which is set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). According to the report, existing decarbonisation solutions, such as fuel efficiency measures, can cut shipping emissions by up to 27 percent; however, sustainable fuels, such as ammonia, will be a critical step in eliminating the remaining 73 percent.

In this context, Håkan Agnevall, President and CEO of Wärtsilä highlights the importance of cross-industry collaboration: “In just 25 years – the lifetime of a single vessel – shipping needs to get to net zero emissions. Achieving this will require coordinated action by all maritime industry stakeholders to bring about the system change needed to accept a new generation of sustainable fuels.

Wärtsilä, Eidesvik and Equinor have professed a shared a commitment to support the industry’s efforts to decarbonise. The conversion of the Viking Energy is the latest project in a history of collaboration between the three companies. Viking Energy is said to have an impressive record of demonstrating new environmental technologies.

Eidesvik was the world’s first shipowner to have an LNG-powered offshore platform supply vessel, which was powered using Wärtsilä dual-fuel engine technology. It also received the world’s first Battery Power notation, given to Viking Energy, for a battery system (installed also by Wärtsilä, as the firm’s announcement explains).

This latest partnership is a result of the ‘Apollo’ project which is co-funded by the Horizon Europe framework programme. The programme aims to accelerate the transition towards a climate-neutral Europe by 2050 through funding projects, such as Apollo, which contribute research and innovative solutions in various sectors related to climate, energy and mobility.

“Close collaboration throughout the value chain is key to succeed in the green transition. Eidesvik has a unique history of pioneering the implementation of innovative emission-reducing technologies, and we are proud to spearhead yet another groundbreaking project together with Wärtsilä and Equinor,” said Gitte Gard Talmo, CEO & President of Eidesvik Offshore.

In addition to the Wärtsilä 25 Ammonia engine, Wärtsilä will supply the complete ammonia solution, including its AmmoniaPac Fuel Gas Supply System, the Wärtsilä Ammonia Release Mitigation System (WARMS), and a selective catalytic reduction (SCR) system designed for ammonia. A service agreement, covering maintenance, is a highly essential part of the deal. The conversion project is planned for early 2026, with final commissioning expected in Q2 2026.

The Cockett Wick Seawall Improvement scheme has been completed, said the Environment Agency on 15 August, describing a project that aims to provide protection against tidal flooding for more than 3,000 homes and businesses in one of the most vulnerable areas of the country.

With a £12m investment, the works include the placement of 14,000 tonnes of Norwegian granite, installation of over 150 steel piles and 330m of reinforced concrete footpath and seawall.

This scheme is a key part of the Essex and South Suffolk Shoreline Management Plan which aims to sustain the viability of the seaside communities. This scheme provides long term flood resilience, supporting aspirations for further growth and regeneration of seaside towns.

Now finished, the key objective of the project has been to provide an adaptive approach to meeting challenges from climate change. The new wall has been designed to maintain the sea views from the promenade and to account for the impacts of sea level rise and climate change by accommodating a further wall raising in 50 years’ time.

Decarbonisation was at the heart of decision making and was reached through collaboration with our contractor (BAM Nuttall) and design consultant (Jacobs). The design was amended to use 152 recycled steel tube piles rather than new steel sheet piles, saving approximately 1,000 tonnes of carbon. We ensured further carbon savings by transporting the revetment rock in 6 barge movements instead of 700 flatbed lorry loads, saving 48 tonnes of carbon. We have redistributed 1,200 tonnes of surplus rock to support several local collaboration projects with landowners to protect seawalls from erosion.

EA staff and contractors were engaged with community activities throughout the works. This included demonstrations at local schools, taking on two work experience students, raising £1,400 for a local charity and hosting regular drop-in sessions.

John Lindsay, Essex Coastal Engineer for the Environment Agency, said:

“We’re delighted that the Cockett Wick Seawall Improvements scheme is now finished. The work will make a real difference to providing long-term flood protection for the local community, protecting homes and businesses and supporting the future growth, investment and regeneration of Jaywick.

“We would like to thank the local community for their patience, support and cooperation during the completion of the works.”

Robert Harvey, Project Manager for BAM Nuttall, said:

“We are delighted to have worked collaboratively with the Environment Agency and Jacobs on the Cockett Wick project, providing a successful flood defence scheme for the area, with sustainability, innovation and the local area at its core, benefiting generations to come.”

Louise Oldfield-Trim, Project Manager for Jacobs, said:

“A key factor in the project’s success was the full commitment to collaboration by the entire team, including the Environment Agency, BAM and Jacobs. By prioritising sustainability at the forefront of the design, we developed an innovative scheme that achieved substantial carbon efficiencies. This essential cooperation throughout the design and construction stages ensured a smooth, cost-effective delivery.”

Floods Minister Emma Hardy said:

“The completion of the Cockett Wick Seawall Improvement project ensures thousands of homes and businesses in one of the most vulnerable areas of the country will receive better protection from the growing threat of tidal flooding.

“Protecting communities around the country from flooding, including those on the Essex coast, is one of our core priorities. That’s why this Government will launch a Flood Resilience Taskforce to turbocharge the delivery of flood defences, drainage systems and natural flood management schemes.”

The pace at which renewable energy is being developed in China is leading to a slowdown in the approval of new coal-powered projects, according to a new report from the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air and Global Energy Monitor.

However, even though the number of new coal power permits has decreased, the existing pipeline of projects still poses a challenge for China to meet its climate targets and energy transition ambitions, says GEM.

According to the report, in the first half of 2024, China reduced coal-power permits by 83% compared to the first half of 2023, permitting only 9 gigawatts (GW) in H1 2024. “Following the surge in coal power permits exceeding 100 GW annually in 2022 and 2023, the current decline in coal power activity is further reflected in the reduction of new and revived coal power proposals, totalling 37 GW in early 2024, down from 60 GW in early 2023,” says a news release.

Despite these signs of a shift, it may not be enough to reshape the country’s emissions decisively.

In the first half of 2024, says GEM, construction began on over 41 GW of coal projects, nearly equaling the total that started construction during all of 2022 and constituting more than 90% of global new coal construction activities. Moreover, the government’s goal of bringing 80 GW of coal-fired capacity online in 2024 indicates a potential increase in project completions in the latter half of the year, from 8 GW commissioned in H1 2024.

GEM attributes the slowdown in coal power permitting to the rapid development of renewable energy in China, where the pace of installation now appears able to meet China’s electricity demand growth. This shift has prompted the central government to revise its policy focus. While continuing to support clean energy development, the government is also prioritising carbon emission reductions to meet its climate and energy goals. By limiting new coal power projects and emphasising grid reforms, energy storage, and other clean solutions, China can set the stage for significant emission reductions.

However, this transition will require phasing down the existing massive coal power fleet and addressing the interests of coal power stakeholders. To meet long-term emission targets, China must also accelerate the retirement of existing coal plants and cancel previously permitted projects.

Given China’s strategic shift towards reducing carbon emissions and the rapid development of clean energy, it is unlikely we will see another surge in coal power approvals in China similar to that of 2022-2023. Nevertheless, China’s technical plans to reduce rather than eliminate carbon emissions from coal power and its continued insistence on coal as a baseload power source indicate that coal power will continue to play a significant role in the near-term energy landscape.

To mitigate the global climate crisis, China’s upcoming Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and 15th Five-Year Plan must include ambitious targets for both coal consumption reduction and renewable energy expansion.

Qi Qin, lead author of the report and China Analyst at CREA, said: “The development of clean energy enables the Chinese government to set more ambitious goals for reducing coal power generation and carbon emissions. China needs to stop allowing room for fossil fuel emissions to grow in its policies. Energy security should be achieved through clean energy and a more flexible, market-oriented power grid, rather than by burning coal.”

Christine Shearer, Research Analyst at Global Energy Monitor: “The steep drop in new coal plant permits is a hopeful sign that China’s massive solar and wind builds are dampening its coal ambitions. With clean power now capable of meeting the country’s electricity demand growth, China should cancel its remaining coal proposals and accelerate the retirement of its existing coal plants.”