Exchanged glances
Rethinking the role of water: a crossroads for Equans France experts
Sandrine Cheminaud Development Director
Caroline Mazzoleni Head of hydrogen activities
Equans France's experts met at the Pollutec trade show to discuss what has become a strategic issue: sustainable water management. Under the impact of climate change, growing industrial needs and pollution, access to a secure water resource is no longer guaranteed.
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How can manufacturers adapt?
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What solutions has Equans France put in place to support this transition?
Here's a look back at a discussion structured around three themes: challenges, solutions and prospects.
Why is water becoming a strategic issue?
The pressure of climate change not only leads to high expectations on the part of manufacturers, but also to major regulatory changes that Equans France helps them to comply with.
What are the water-related challenges facing manufacturers?
A water treatment expert points out that the droughts of 2022 and 2023 have brought to light a hitherto underestimated reality: tap water is no longer necessarily a matter of course.
This situation led to the publication of a series of structuring measures:
Two decrees in 2024, particularly important for the food industry. The March 2025 technical note specifies the conditions for reusing water in the food industry
How does Equans France support manufacturers in this water transition (sobriety, innovation and local synergies)?
The first step is a detailed analysis of consumption before even considering reuse.
As a second step, and when internal savings are no longer sufficient, we will deploy solutions from REUSE (the reuse of untreated wastewater) or REUT (the reuse of treated wastewater), taking technological constraints into account.
Last but not least, a little-used but highly relevant approach: pooling between manufacturers in the same area .
Usage mapping
Identification of volumes and qualities of water used
Comparison of qualities needed and used*
Reuse of internal water (rinses, process loops, etc.)
*(e.g. softened water vs. reverse osmosis water)
Why does water play a central role in the production of low-carbon hydrogen?
Hydrogen: anticipating and managing water-related issues
Water is a strategic resource in the production ofhydrogen by electrolysis .
At Equans Process Solutions, a brand of Equans France, we are working on decarbonization and low-carbon hydrogen production projects, which aim to :
- Replace fossil hydrogen in industries such as refineries and the steel industry.
- Produce hydrogen derivatives such as synthetic fuels by combining hydrogen and biogenic CO₂ or synthetic fertilizers.
The feasibility of building a hydrogen or derivatives production unit requires not only access to the electricity transmission grid, but also secure access to water resources, whether raw or from recycled sources, and sometimes to biogenic CO₂ molecules in large quantities.
How is Equans France responding to these water-related challenges?
Increasingly ambitious projects
Thehydrogen electrolysis plants recently commissioned have a capacity of between 1 and 5 MW, and are mainly dedicated to mobility. We were talking about small units where water represented a limited volume: around 15 liters to produce 1 kg of hydrogen. Today, the market is evolving towards industrial units of over 100 MW. The water issue immediately becomes much more structuring.
Our job at Equans Process Solutions, a brand of Equans France, is really to adapt the design and choice of technology. In hydrogen, there are different electrolysis technologies with varying resource requirements.
We take these parameters into account right from the feasibility study phase, proposing solutions tailored to the context of each project:
Sobriety
Reduce water consumption as much as possible.
Industrial synergies
Pool water needs with other uses on site.
Closed loops
Limit losses and optimize cooling.
Helping manufacturers to use water responsibly
By thetime we reach the construction stage, it's too late: the technical choices have already been made. Water management is therefore becoming an essential pillar of climate change adaptation and industrial performance.
