Modernising the UK’s water infrastructure with advanced drives and intelligent technologies

The UK Government's new Water (Special Measures) Act is imposing stricter measures on water companies to tackle pollution, against the urgent need for companies to modernise outdated systems, meet tough environmental standards and boost service reliability. David Strain, technical director at the systems integrator Technidrive, explains that the new water infrastructure will need advanced drive solutions, with high-efficiency motors and specialised gear units enhancing pump performance, reducing energy costs and ensuring system reliability to meet the Act’s goals. The Water (Special Measures) Act 2025, which received Royal Assent in February 2025, the final step for a bill to become law, strengthens regulators’ powers to tackle pollution and hold water companies accountable. The Act is aimed at improving water quality and infrastructure, and gives the water regulator new powers to ban bonuses for executives if environmental standards are not met and increases accountability for water company leaders. These powers are already being enforced across the sector, and in 2026 regulators are...