Innovation and Energy Neutrality: A Conversation with Carla Correia of Águas de Portugal

In the quest for sustainable solutions within the water sector, Águas de Portugal (AdP) is paving a forward-thinking path under the leadership of Carla Correia, its Chief Executive. In a special series of conversations supported by Isle Utilities and in collaboration with the Asian Development Bank, we delve into the innovations and strategies that AdP is implementing to tackle environmental challenges and aim for energy neutrality by 2030.

A Journey of Leadership and Innovation

Opening the conversation, Carla Correia shared her professional journey, which has uniquely prepared her for her current role. With a robust background in legal and economic science, Carla transitioned from legal practice to focus on the water and environmental sectors over 26 years ago. Her roles within the Águas de Portugal group have spanned from legal positions to strategic leadership roles, each contributing to her comprehensive understanding of the industry.

The Águas de Portugal Mission

Serving about 80.9 million people across 270 municipalities, Águas de Portugal was founded with a clear mission to ensure safe, reliable, and sustainable water and wastewater services in Portugal. As a testament to its commitment, the group manages an extensive infrastructure including thousands of kilometers of water supply networks, numerous treatment plants, and dams that secure water quality and availability across the country.

The 360 Innovation Strategy

Águas de Portugal’s approach to innovation centers around a comprehensive 360 strategy. Pioneered in a context where, 30 years ago, less than 15% of the Portuguese population had access to wastewater treatment, AdP has been instrumental in transforming water services throughout Portugal. The 360 strategy focuses on four key pillars: efficiency, security, resilience, and autonomy. This involves identifying cost drivers such as energy, sludge, and human resources, and launching specific programs to address these areas. Notably, the ZERO program embodies this focus, setting a group-wide commitment to achieve energy neutrality by 2030.

Pioneering Energy Neutrality

As the largest public electricity consumer in Portugal, AdP consumes an impressive 700 gigawatts per hour annually. Recognizing this, the group embarked on a bold journey towards energy neutrality in 2020. Combining renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, hydro, and biogas, they are confident of meeting their 2030 target, having already reaped benefits such as energy security during adverse scenarios, like international power cuts.

Advice for Other Utilities

For those seeking to follow in AdP’s innovative footsteps, Carla offers pragmatic advice: be ambitious yet realistic, focus on energy efficiency, digitalization, and incremental investments. Start with small projects to build capacity before scaling up. Importantly, begin now, as the ROI and benefits for both organizations and society are clear.

Closing Thoughts

Reflecting personally, Carla urges individuals to cherish time with loved ones and remain true to one’s values. It’s this adherence to honesty, respect, resilience, and care that has guided her career and catalyzed the transformation she leads at AdP today.

In closing, this discussion with Carla Correia reveals how Águas de Portugal is harnessing innovation and strategic foresight to set a benchmark for sustainability in the water sector, paving the way for others to follow.