Thames Water has signed a landmark leak detection contract with Origin Tech, announcing a 13-month partnership with the company to integrate their leak detection solution into its operations.

The partnership will build on successful trials, using Origin’s AI-driven satellite technology, aiming to save over 100 million litres per day in water leakage.

Based in the North East, Origin Tech works with 12 water companies, helping to prevent more than three billion litres of water being lost through leakages across the country.

Thames Water has signed a new contract with North East-based start-up Origin Tech to source water leaks using AI-powered leak detection technology, following several months of successful trials.

Launched in March, the innovative partnership will run for an initial period of 13 months. Over the course of the contract it is anticipated Origin Orbit® technology will help reduce water leakage by 100 million litres per day.

The agreement makes Thames Water the first water company to fully integrate Origin Orbit® into their business-as-usual leakage operations. With a team of 20 specialists deployed, it is expected the technology will discover 25 leaks per week per crew.

The contract builds on the success of past collaborations between the two organisations. During a previous 18-week trial, Origin Orbit® was able to find over 800 leaks across Thames Water’s network, helping to save an estimated 8.7 million litres of water per day. Many of these were of a considerable scale, including a number that were found to be running at over 10 litres per second, saving enough water to run a bath every eight seconds.

Shane Gloster, Head of Leakage at Thames Water, said:

“A huge proportion of our leaks are never seen by customers, as they are underground and hard to find. To repair these as quickly as we can, it is vital that we use the latest innovative technology available. Partnering with Origin Tech, deploying their satellite data to detect leaks gives us a faster and more accurate indication of where the network has issues, enabling us to work more efficiently in our pursuit of bringing down water loss.”

Founded in 2019, Origin Tech designs and delivers a suite of advanced technologies that help 12 water companies in the UK prevent more than three billion litres of water being lost through leakage. Of the leaks identified through Origin Orbit®, 92 per cent are non-visible; the solution helps companies significantly increase their ability to reduce water loss and improve the overall efficiency of their distribution networks.

John Marsden, co-founder of Origin Tech, commented:

“With one-fifth of all water in the UK being lost through leakage every year, the need for innovative solutions is evident. It is great to see that water companies like Thames Water are embracing innovations that will make a difference. We are very proud to be working with them towards a collective goal of reducing water waste and supporting more sustainable operations.”