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Agenda

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The UK’s next major industrial constraint may not be power, carbon or planning — it may be water. As hydrogen production scales, SAF facilities advance, AI-driven data centres expand and manufacturing electrifies, demand for high-quality water, treatment capacity and compliant discharge is rising rapidly. Yet water infrastructure has rarely been positioned at the centre of industrial strategy. This forum brings together regulators, utilities, developers and investors to examine whether the UK’s water system is prepared to support the next phase of net zero industrial growth.

The UK Industrial Water Infrastructure Security Summit. The 1 day summit will bring together 200+ government officials, regulators, key industry stake holders, leading academia, and service companies. This will be accompanied alongside a side exhibition of 10+ exhibitors showcasing technologies and services.

Conference Sessions

Sessions One and Two

Hear directly from government regulators and industry leaders on how water security is becoming a central pillar of the UK’s industrial energy strategy. The session will cover abstraction and discharge regulation, planning and environmental consent processes, and the critical infrastructure required to unlock future industrial capacity.

Schedule:

9:25
Chairs Opening Address: Professor Joe Howe, Professor and Academic Lead: Humber Industrial Cluster, University of Lincoln
9:30
Andy Turner, Director of RAPID, Ofwat

"The Major Water Infrastructure Programme: Transitioning from Planning to Delivery"

The presentation will set the context for water supply infrastructure development and will explore how collaborative support from government and regulators helps enable water infrastructure providers to deliver.
9:50
Roger Hoare, Deputy Director for Water Infrastructure Delivery and Growth, Environment Agency
10:10
Jane Gaston, Chief Executive Officer, Net Zero North West
10:30
David Lamb, Industrial Growth Strategy Manager, United Utilities

"Water security as an enabler of UK industrial growth"

Future industrial growth will depend on secure, sustainable and deliverable water infrastructure. This presentation will examine how emerging sectors including data centres, hydrogen, clean energy, advanced manufacturing and sustainable aviation fuel are changing the scale, timing and location of industrial water demand. It will set out why early engagement, spatial planning and the principle of using the right water for the right purpose are essential to enabling growth. Drawing on United Utilities’ work in the North West, the session will explore the role of recycled water, non-potable networks and data-led planning in supporting industrial development without placing unnecessary pressure on potable supplies or the environment.
10:50
Q&A
11:00
Coffee & Networking Break

This session will examine the critical role of water and next-generation energy infrastructure in delivering industrial decarbonisation. We will explore increasing water scarcity, the growing tension between industrial demand and domestic supply, and how new energy vectors are reshaping long-term resource planning. The discussion will also address the water intensity of emerging industries, the infrastructure required to support major projects, and the regulatory landscape surrounding planning, consent, and environmental impact. Attendees will gain insight into how water strategy must align with industrial growth, energy security, and sustainable development objectives.

Schedule:

11:45
Dr Nicolas Manea, Business Development Lead, Power Responsive, National Energy System Operator (NESO)

" How Industrial Water Users Can Participate in NESO Services"

Industrial water users represent a significant, yet underutilised, opportunity to support flexibility within the GB energy system. This session explores the strategic role this sector can play in contributing to NESO services, highlighting the pathways to participation, the potential value for industrial organisations, and the key considerations for enabling engagement at scale.
12:05
Geoff Darch, Head of Strategic Asset Planning, Anglian Water

"How Water Resources Management is supporting Net Zero Infrastructure"

Water resources are under significant pressure from population growth and industrial demand, pollution and climate change, and now new demands related to the transition to net zero. Restoring the environment, whilst managing these pressures is complex but urgent action is needed. This presentation will demonstrate how collaboration in the east of England is helping to identify requirements and deliver solutions, whilst highlighting issues still to be overcome.
12:25
Q&A
12:35
Industrial Environmental Permitting and Planning Panel Discussion

Amy Longmore-Gaskell, Associate Director – Planning, Turley

Jenny Marshall-Reed, Water Resources Resilience Manager, Environment Agency

Lina Nieto Pacheco, Associate Director, WSP

Sam Fox, Chief Strategic Planner, United Utilities
13:15
Lunch & Networking Break
14:15
Chairs Opening Address: Professor Joe Howe, Professor and Academic Lead: Humber Industrial Cluster, University of Lincoln
14:20
Industrial Water Uses Panel Discussion " What are the new water and infrastructure demands for industrial decarbonisation?"

Faye McAnulla, Hydrogen Business Development Manager, HEB/Uniper

Kay Champion, National Decarbonisation Manager, Environment Agency

Geoff Darch, Head of Strategic Asset Planning, Anglian Water

Eleanor Akers, Strategy & Business Development Director, Carbon Neutral Fuels

Ben Harrop, Senior Policy Advisor, Department For Energy Security & Net Zero
15:05
Grant Spence, Director, Net Zero Energy Systems.

“Regional Industrial Decarbonisation Planning and Future Water Requirements – Case Study and Next Steps based on the NEWID and NZIP Projects”

“Availability of water is increasingly being identified as critical to implement future industrial decarbonisation and growth projects. However, definition of likely requirements remains uncertain and dependent upon individual and collective decisions taken by regional industrial sites. The presentation takes learnings from the whole energy system approach applied by the NEWID and NZIP projects to profile future industrial energy demand in North Wales, the North West and Southern Scotland and considers how the approach applied in the delivery of these projects could be developed in future project phases to include definition of holistic utility demand requirements – including water as well as energy.”
15:25
Q&A

Session Three

This session will explore the role of private water networks, and emerging public–private partnership and financing models. Ultimately, it will address the key question facing the sector: who will fund the next generation of water infrastructure?

Schedule:

15:30
Who will fund the next generation of water infrastructure?

Shelley De Souza, Director, Investment and Advisory , National Wealth Fund

Catherine Darby-Roberts, Associate Director & Humber Leader, Arup

Christophe De Carmoy, CEO, Meridiam - Fulcrum Infrastructure Management Limited

Geoff Darch, Head of Strategic Asset Planning, Anglian Water
16:00
Coffee & Networking
16:30
End of Conference

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