INDAQUA – Weekly Recap

INDAQUA, a major private operator in Portugal’s water distribution and sanitation sector, saw a week dominated by strategic positioning around regulation, technology, and long-term sector planning. This recap consolidates the key developments and places them in the context of the company’s evolving role in the Portuguese and broader European water markets.

INDAQUA outlined the main challenges and priorities for water management in 2026 and beyond within the framework of Portugal’s PENSAARP 2030 and the “Água que Une” strategic initiatives. The company emphasized five structural shifts for the sector, focusing on economic and environmental sustainability, stronger public–private collaboration, and a more robust balance between operating costs and revenues. Ensuring financial viability while securing capital for infrastructure renewal and technology deployment was highlighted as central to maintaining service quality and supporting innovation in the water grid. This agenda suggests a sector environment that increasingly favors efficient, financially disciplined operators able to align with long-term policy objectives.

At the European level, INDAQUA’s CEO Pedro Perdigão publicly endorsed new EU efforts to curb water losses. Member States have reported national water loss figures and potential improvement, with binding national limits expected within two years. INDAQUA welcomed stricter accountability, mandatory disclosure of water loss metrics, and a shift toward proactive efficiency measures by utilities. These developments are likely to increase investment needs in monitoring systems, network modernization, and loss‑reduction technologies, potentially benefiting operators that demonstrate early compliance and strong operational performance.

Technological innovation was another key theme. Perdigão highlighted how green technologies and artificial intelligence are being deployed to enhance the efficiency and sustainability of water network management. INDAQUA is using AI to detect leaks, optimize pressure, and plan infrastructure renewal, and has developed its proprietary i2Water platform to digitize processes across loss management, commercial operations, HR, and field work. Importantly, i2Water is being commercialized as a software solution for third parties, positioning INDAQUA not only as a utility operator but also as a technology provider with exportable, scalable capabilities.

Taken together, this week’s news portrays INDAQUA as a proactive, innovation‑driven player aligning closely with evolving national and EU policy frameworks, while leveraging digital solutions such as i2Water to improve efficiency and create new revenue opportunities. Overall, the week underscored a constructive, though demanding, operating backdrop in which INDAQUA appears well placed to compete on sustainability, technology, and regulatory alignment.