07 Feb 2023

New Danish company wants to make global wastewater sector climate neutral

Press release

DHI A/S and Aarhus Vand A/S have established Utilizero, a new company that will support wastewater utilities in reducing greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption based on solid experiences and solutions for automated process control.

Founded jointly by DHI and Aarhus Vand, Utilizero aims to help global wastewater companies in their transition to more climate-neutral solutions, such as automated cleansing processes. With digital process control and operational optimisation, wastewater utilities can reduce energy consumption by up to 30% and reduce emission of greenhouse gasses and chemicals.

The solutions are based on DHI’s unique software technologies and Aarhus Vand’s years of experience with their own digital transformation within, for example, cleansing processes and process optimisation. Their work has generated positive attention in the industry – including outside of Danish borders – and this also supports the joint objective of DHI and Aarhus Vand to accelerate the green transformation in the global wastewater industry.

’Through many years of close cooperation, Aarhus Vand has gained experience and developed solutions that contribute significantly to making the water industry more climate-neutral. It is our vision to collaborate across the entire industry so that we are able to leverage our individual strengths with respect to the green, digital development, and Utilizero is a perfect example of how this can be done’,

explains Lars Schrøder, CEO of Aarhus Vand.


Mette Vestergaard, CEO of DHI, states,

’We know that increased automation and digitalisation make a critical difference to the collective climate footprint of the wastewater industry, and we have an important job in accelerating the digital development outside of Danish borders. DHI works intensively on developing innovative solutions, and Aarhus Vand is an excellent example of how a progressive and digital approach to operations can lessen the climate footprint of the utility.’

An earlier report prepared by DHI for the Danish Water Industries Federation shows that export of Danish water technology and solutions could result in massive energy savings and CO2 reductions for the global wastewater sector. If Danish water technology and solutions were rolled out globally, the avoided CO2e emissions from existing and new treatment facilities in the global wastewater sector would correspond to seven times the CO2 footprint of Denmark in 2020.

Jakob Andersen, Consul General at the Danish Trade Council in Hamburg, Germany, who is involved in setting up the export outreach programme Water Technology Alliance in the US and Europe, says he is excited over the new company,

‘On our visits to water utilities around the world, we see a great need to include utilities in the climate-neutral agenda as we are doing in Denmark. The global water market needs Danish competences in the cross field of technology and operational experience. Utilizero accommodates this very need, and we have now gained another tool in solving the global climate crisis.’

You can read more about Utilizero here: www.utilizero.com




About Utilizero

Utilizero is a new company, which will help wastewater utilities to become energy and climate-neutral. The company offers software technologies such as the digital twin TwinPlant from DHI comnied with advisory services based on DHI’s technical expertise and concrete experience with digitalization from Aarhus Vand. Utilizero is based in Denmark but focuses on helping wastewater utilities in other countries which can benefit from Danish competences and experiences.

About DHI A/S

DHI A/S is a global digital advisory company headquartered in Denmark. DHI A/S was founded in 1964 and has more than 1,000 employees worldwide. Our ambition is to enable the sustainable development of the world’s water resources through digital advisory services for decision-makers in the water industry.

About Aarhus Vand A/S

Aarhus Vand A/S is an internationally leading water utility providing innovative and digital solutions where water creates sustainable growth and change for billions of people. The company’s purpose is therefore to create health through clean water – for people and for the planet.

The company produces 15 million cubic metres of drinking water annually for local consumers and cleanses 30 million cubic metres of wastewater. One of the main tasks of Aarhus Vand A/S is furthermore to prepare the Danish city of Aarhus and the rest of the municipality for rising water levels caused by climate change and to protect the groundwater from environmentally harmful substances.

For further information about Utilizero, please contact Annette Mystek, DHI Global People & Communication at +45 2088 7770.