In Australia’s water sector, the pressure to balance ageing assets, rising energy costs, and increasing customer expectations continues to intensify. Utilities and regulators alike are searching for ways to build resilience without overburdening their workforces or budgets. Among the most promising approaches is the deployment of digital twins and artificial intelligence (AI), which are transitioning from pilot projects to operational reality.
Rather than being abstract concepts, these tools are already improving performance in real-world settings.
In Western Australia, Water Corporation and SUEZ partnered to demonstrate how digital solutions can change the way entire networks are managed. The results suggest that smarter, data-driven operations may soon become the norm rather than the exception.
As utilities test these technologies, the most striking change is the move from hindsight to foresight. Instead of reacting after alarms are triggered or systems reach critical thresholds, operators are beginning to anticipate problems before they surface. This shift not only reduces operational risk but also reshapes expectations of what good network management looks like. It is this transition from reactive control rooms to predictive operations centres that highlights the practical value of digital twins.
From reactive to predictive operations
Water utilities have long relied on manual interventions to respond to issues in their networks. Whether it was adjusting pump schedules or reacting to sudden changes in demand, the focus was often on firefighting rather than foresight. Digital twins shift this paradigm.
Ben Lister, Senior Technical Advisor for Water Corporation, said the concept is both simple and powerful.
“A digital twin, for us, is a data-driven representation of our water infrastructure and operations,” Lister said.
“It allows us to simulate, monitor, and optimise our systems in real time. Practically, it means predictive visibility for water balancing, contingency readiness, and more informed decision-making across our scheme.”
By moving from reactive control to predictive insights, Water Corporation has been able to manage the challenges of Western Australia’s reactive energy market. The shift has freed up control room staff to focus on complex problem-solving rather than repetitive adjustments.
Co-designing solutions with utilities
Evan Atkinson, Head of Digital for SUEZ Australia and New Zealand, emphasised that the success of these projects depends on close collaboration.
“For SUEZ, digital transformation means moving from manual, reactive processes to data-driven, forward-looking insights,” Atkinson said.
“Every utility’s ambitions in this area are different, and it’s about finding the right next step for that organisation and working together to make it happen.”
Atkinson explained that a one-team approach is essential. By co-designing with utilities, the solutions reflect operational realities rather than generic templates.
This method was applied on the Goldfields pipeline, a 560-kilometre lifeline stretching from Perth to Kalgoorlie. With 90 pumps across the system, traditional operations demanded around 1,000 manual interventions per day. Automation and analytics have since cut that burden in half, enabling staff to redirect their efforts toward improving performance elsewhere in the network.
The approach is not limited to large-scale assets. SUEZ also delivered projects with SA Water that consolidate fragmented plant data into actionable dashboards. These tools demonstrate that digital twins can be scaled from pipelines stretching across states to the water treatment plants serving metropolitan areas.
Real savings, real impact
The financial implications of digital twins are already clear. Lister said a trial across two pump stations delivered about $300,000 in savings over one year and have made a further $500,000 within five months since expanding to the whole system, with projected annual savings of $1.2 million. Those savings came from aligning pump schedules with live energy market data, avoiding costly peak tariffs, and negotiating new tariff structures with the local utility.
“This initiative has fundamentally changed how we use energy, making our operations more sustainable and cost-effective,” Lister said.
“It’s enabled us to optimise assets in ways that simply weren’t possible before.”
Beyond cost, the technology also supports workforce capability. Rather than replacing expertise, AI tools provide operators and engineers with richer information, helping them apply their knowledge more effectively. Staff are increasingly able to dedicate time to proactive analysis, planning, and control room initiatives, creating a more engaging and rewarding workplace.
Data, trust, and adoption
Every digital twin relies on high-quality, integrated data.
Water Corporation invested heavily in telemetry upgrades and data governance before rolling out the project. That foundation ensured reliable inputs and built staff confidence in the system’s recommendations.
Even with robust data, change management was critical.
“Some staff were initially cautious about relying on AI-driven recommendations,” Lister said. “We addressed this through training and involving teams early in the process. A year-long trial gave controllers the chance to see the system in action before we scaled it up.”
Atkinson echoed that sentiment.
“The challenge in these projects is often not the technology,” he said.
“It’s about implementing it well, ensuring acceptance, and managing the cultural shift in how networks are run.”
Importantly, water projects that implement digital twins require ongoing investment in data stewardship.
Utilities must ensure that systems remain reliable, with clear processes for validating telemetry and integrating new data streams. Without this backbone, predictive insights can quickly lose accuracy, undermining trust in the tools and slowing adoption.
Looking ahead
For both organisations, the benefits extend beyond cost savings. The use of digital twins in the water industry promises faster responses to incidents, improved asset efficiency, and greater resilience in the face of uncertainty. The Goldfields and Agricultural Region are the first proving ground, but lessons from the project are informing future opportunities across Australia.
As utilities embrace digital tools, the question is no longer whether such approaches work, but how they can be scaled. Atkinson is optimistic about what lies ahead.
“I’m really interested in how AI will change our approach,” Atkinson said. “The expectation is rising, and that’s a good thing. People are asking what we can do with these tools, and that opens a lot of doors for the future.”
For more information, visit suez.com and watercorporation.com.au