National sewerage company Indah Water Konsortium (IWK) Sdn Bhd was named the SDG6 Champion of the Year at the Global Water Awards 2026 in Madrid, Spain.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 6 is on Clean Water and Sanitation.
The Global Water Intelligence (GWI) award recognised the company’s submission titled “Solar-powered Sanitation: No Upfront Cost, Cuts Emissions”.
It demonstrated how renewable energy can strengthen wastewater treatment performance while advancing sustainable infrastructure and financial resilience.
Serving a connected population of more than 32 million people, IWK continues to drive innovation in the sanitation sector through forward-looking operational and sustainability initiatives, the company said in a statement.
IWK’s award-winning programme involved the deployment of solar energy systems across 16 sewage treatment plants nationwide through a private financing initiative (PFI) model.
The initiative delivers 6.3megawatt-peak (MWp) of solar generation capacity and produces about 7,700megawatt-hour (MWh) of renewable energy annually to support the treatment of nearly 148 million cubic metres of wastewater each year.
This initiative is expected to save about RM41.8mil in electricity grid costs while reducing more than 5Gg of carbon dioxide emissions annually.
What set the initiative apart was its innovative financing structure which enabled IWK to implement renewable energy solutions with no upfront public capital investments, the company said.
By integrating financial, contractual and technical innovation, the programme strengthened operational reliability while embedding sustainability at the core of wastewater treatment services.
IWK chief executive officer Narendran Maniam said the company was honoured to receive the award.
“Sustainability is at the heart of everything we do, and this initiative reflects our commitment to continuously push boundaries to ensure that we remain sustainable, both from an environmental and financial standpoint.
“Through this initiative, we are demonstrating how innovation in wastewater treatment can create long-term value while contributing meaningfully towards SDG6.”
IWK was shortlisted alongside global water and sanitation organisations, including Chile’s Aguas Nuevas, India’s Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) and Brazil’s Sanasa and Sanepar.
GWI founder, chief executive officer and publisher Christopher Gasson said IWK’s initiative stood out for demonstrating how innovative financing and renewable energy can be successfully integrated into core sanitation infrastructure.
“By delivering measurable operational, environmental and financial outcomes without upfront public expenditure, IWK has created a model that utilities around the world can learn from as they work towards achieving SDG6 and building more resilient water systems.”
The Global Water Awards, held in conjunction with the Global Water Summit, recognises outstanding achievements, sustainability leadership and technological innovation across the global water industry.
The awards were organised by GWI, the leading publisher and market intelligence provider for the international water sector.
In 2023, IWK received the Distinction Award at the Global Water Awards under the category of Public Water Agency of the Year.
