Turning old mines into renewable energy Gold to gigawatts
From billing tool to grid edge: the four stages of AMI value
Grid-edge intelligence
On-meter AI processing and predictive maintenance without truck rolls.
Visibility — Thames Water: 28,000+ customer-side leaks detected, ~43 million litres saved per day Visibility/customer — households reducing use by 5+ gallons per day with usage data and conservation messaging
Prediction
Asset-condition analytics and digital twins
Visibility
Near real-time anomaly detection and leak alerts
Prediction — PUB Singapore, Changi Water Reclamation Plant digital twin; Houston Public Works flood digital twin with Microsoft Azure Planning application — Palm Beach County, hourly AMI data used in rate setting, ~635,000 residents served
Billing
Early next year, water will begin flowing between two vast pits at the former Kidston gold mine in northern Queensland, Australia, spinning turbines that will generate 250 megawatts of electricity for up to eight hours at a time. It’s one of the world's first large-scale mine-to-energy conversion projects.
Automated reads and meter accuracy
Brendan Duffy Lead Engineering Geologist, GHD T he effort it has taken to get water and While decarbonisation is often framed as a task of building from scratch, projects like Kidston demonstrate a smarter alternative: leveraging the infrastructure we already have. electricity flowing at the site, an open-cut mine that closed in 2001, shows how old mines can play an important role in the energy transition, if the right steps are taken.
From pilot to scale: Turning AMI into a strategic capability Turning AMI into a utility-wide capability requires a structured, phased approach: – Define priorities: Start with a clear understanding of system needs, whether the focus is reducing non- revenue water, improving pressure management, strengthening emergency response or enhancing customer service. – Pilot in targeted areas: Use focused deployments to demonstrate value and build organisational confidence. Early pilots can validate use cases such as leak detection or demand monitoring while highlighting operational and integration challenges. – Integrate with data and analytics: As deployments expand, AMI can serve as a foundational data source, supporting more advanced analysis and, where relevant, integration with analytics platforms or digital twins. – Establish clear metrics: Define performance indicators such as leak reduction, response times and cost savings to evaluate success and guide decision-making. – Scale in phases: Expand incrementally based on demonstrated outcomes, using measured results to inform each stage rather than pursuing large-scale rollouts from the outset. – Embed continuous improvement: Ongoing measurement and feedback allow utilities to refine how AMI data is used and ensure sustained performance gains.
Looking ahead: from smart meters to grid-edge intelligence Advanced Metering Infrastructure will evolve into an integrated grid-edge intelligence network with smart meters equipped with localised processing power capable of running AI models directly at the edge. These on-device insights allow utilities to transition from manual, reactive operations to predictive maintenance, dramatically reducing maintenance costs and eliminating traditional ‘truck rolls’. Realising this shift will require utilities to move faster than they have to date, closing the digital gap that has long separated water from other urban infrastructure sectors. Closing this gap requires treating AMI as foundational infrastructure rather than an optional upgrade. Its value lies not in the meters themselves, but in the visibility they provide and the decisions they enable, supporting more proactive, data-driven management of water systems. Cities that invest early will be better positioned to manage climate pressures, infrastructure risk and rising demand, strengthening their ability to operate more resilient and responsive networks over time. References 1. World Economic Forum, August 2025 What will it take to grow investment in water infrastructure? | World Economic Forum 2. Financial Times, Sarah Murray, March 2024 Climate investors see growing opportunities in water tech 3. Itron, Industry Insights, 4 February 2026 2026 Water Utility Trends: Real-Time Data, AI & Resilience - Itron 4. State Tech Magazine, March 2023 Public Water Utilities Deploy Smart Meters for Cloud-Based Data Analytics | StateTech Magazine 5. IOP Science, Amanda M Rupiper et al 2024 Environ. Res. Lett. AMI water meters deliver end-use water and financial savings in leaky households: experimental evidence from California
One option for the low-carbon transition is pumped storage hydro, a form of long-duration energy storage that moves water between reservoirs at different elevations. Electricity generated by wind, solar or other sources is used to pump water uphill when supply is abundant; when demand rises, the water is released back downhill through turbines to generate power.
30 | GHD | Nexus Magazine
Nexus Magazine | GHD | 31
Made with FlippingBook - professional solution for displaying marketing and sales documents online