Measuring water withdrawals and detecting leaks
To optimise its water consumption, the VINCI Group focuses on enhancing how it measures water withdrawals at its sites and detecting leaks within its own activities. VINCI’s business lines use several smart tools to gather data on water and employ sensors to detect leaks.
10% reduction in VINCI Autoroutes water withdrawals from 2018 levels (in millions of cu. metres)
VINCI Autoroutes has pledged to reduce its water withdrawals by 10% from 2018 levels by 2030 by enhancing its monitoring and optimising equipment. It is installing remote reading water meters on all its networks to optimise water withdrawals. This precise monitoring system enables the early detection of leaks. Notifications are sent by email and displayed on a software platform. As soon as a leak has been identified, a motorway worker is dispatched to the site to assess whether the leak can be repaired immediately or requires more work to pinpoint the source. VINCI Autoroutes has allocated a budget of over €4 million, excluding tax, to this leak detection programme. Performance will be tracked using indicators of response times, repair times, and causes. In 2024, water withdrawals at VINCI Autoroutes decreased by 15.5% from 2018 levels.
VINCI Concessions has rolled out a similar programme, using Smart Metering, a tool that communicates with water meters. It enables real-time monitoring of water withdrawals and automatic detection of leaks. Systems such as this one have already proved effective in reducing water withdrawals at several airports (Rennes Bretagne, London Gatwick, etc.) In 2024, work was under way to define needs and begin rolling out such systems more widely from 2025, across all airports in the business line. VINCI Concessions plans to equip all its airports with remote reading water meters by 2026.
Reducing the water needs of infrastructure and worksites
50% reduction in water withdrawals per unit of VINCI Concessions traffic (in litres)
By implementing more precise monitoring of water withdrawals, Group entities are empowered to find solutions to reduce their infrastructure’s water usage. In addition, as part of VINCI’s commitments to the act4nature international initiative, which it renewed in 2024 (detailed in paragraph 2.6, “Preserving natural environments Biodiversity (ESRS E4)”, page 229), the Group will complete the mapping of its fixed sites in areas of high or very high water stress by 2025 and step up its efforts to reduce withdrawals.
VINCI Concessions has set a target to halve water withdrawals per unit of traffic by 2030. In this context, VINCI Airports is continuing to implement its POS water reduction plan (focusing on conservation, optimisation and awareness) on all its infrastructure. In addition to airports with the highest water consumption, airports located in areas of high water stress will be prioritised. Several Portuguese airports have implemented a predictive watering system that adjusts the amount of watering based on soil humidity, weather conditions and the type of plants being watered. The system has led to a 20% to 30% reduction of withdrawn water. VINCI Concessions is also drafting drought management plans in anticipation of the water restrictions that may be imposed in the event of a drought. These plans, developed as a priority for areas with a high risk of water stress, define degraded modes of operation for infrastructure to reduce its water needs. Faro airport has a management plan in place in the event that watering and car washing are prohibited.
Creating closed-loop water systems
To optimise the use of water resources, the Group is creating closed-loop water systems at various VINCI Construction and VINCI Concessions sites. These promote the reuse of water in their own operations and in services provided to customers, which contribute to reduced water withdrawals.
VINCI Concessions prioritises water reuse in airports. Several initiatives are under way in various airports in Brazil and Cabo Verde, where treated wastewater is reused in sanitary facilities, air conditioning systems (cooling towers), or to water green spaces.
2.5.3 Performance monitoring
VINCI responded to the CDP Water Security questionnaire for the 13th time in 2024 and is thus today among the 15,000 companies worldwide that take part in this disclosure initiative supported by 746 global investors. In 2024, the Group achieved a B score, thus maintaining its level of performance. The Group’s water withdrawals, defined in paragraph 5.3.6, “Water withdrawal indicators” of the methodology note, page 277, broke down as follows in 2024:
Water withdrawals
| (in thousands of cu. metres) | Water purchased from networks | Drilled water | Dewatering water | Total withdrawals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Concessions | Concessions Water purchased from networks 4,234 |
Concessions Drilled water 1,154 |
Concessions Dewatering water n/a |
Concessions Total withdrawals 5,388 |
| VINCI Autoroutes | VINCI Autoroutes Water purchased from networks 752 |
VINCI Autoroutes Drilled water 278 |
VINCI Autoroutes Dewatering water n/a |
VINCI Autoroutes Total withdrawals 1,030 |
| VINCI Airports | VINCI Airports Water purchased from networks 3,428 |
VINCI Airports Drilled water 874 |
VINCI Airports Dewatering water n/a |
VINCI Airports Total withdrawals 4,302 |
| Other concessions | Other concessions Water purchased from networks 53 |
Other concessions Drilled water 2 |
Other concessions Dewatering water n/a |
Other concessions Total withdrawals 55 |
| VINCI Construction (quarries) | VINCI Construction (quarries) Water purchased from networks n/a |
VINCI Construction (quarries) Drilled water n/a |
VINCI Construction (quarries) Dewatering water 36,018 |
VINCI Construction (quarries) Total withdrawals 36,018 |
| Total | Total Water purchased from networks 4,234 |
Total Drilled water 1,154 |
Total Dewatering water 36,018 |
Total Total withdrawals 41,406 |
The Group’s most significant water withdrawals are dewatering water from quarries, which is immediately returned into the water table or released into natural environments. The volume of dewatering water can vary significantly from year to year, depending on the amount of rainfall. The volumes of water purchased come from drinking water or industrial water networks. Drilled water is used for a range of operations, such as hosing down runways, cleaning materials and cleaning sites.