What is Our Modular Technology Concept for Water Infrastructure Projects?

Modular Technology Concept: How Grasshopper Opens Access to Major Infrastructure Projects

Good water projects don’t start with digging a hole in the ground – they start with a smart technology concept that can be repeated, scaled and trusted.

That’s exactly what our Modular Technology Concept is about.

What is the Modular Technology Concept?

Together with our project development company Intelligent Water Solutions (Inwasol) and partners from the German water sector and academia, Grasshopper has developed a standardised, modular system for drinking water projects.

The concept focuses on core technologies for drinking water production and supply and integrates them into large public water infrastructure projects – mainly:

• water treatment plants,

• waterworks, and

• the associated technical installations in public drinking water supply systems,

both for:

• new-build plants, and

• the modernisation and rehabilitation of existing facilities.

All civil construction works (buildings, tanks, pipelines, etc.) are explicitly excluded from our scope. That is a key design choice: it removes many of the biggest risks that usually deter private capital from water infrastructure – long construction periods, unpredictable construction costs and very long capital lock-up.

Standardised – but flexible from 1 to 1,000+ MLD

At the heart of the concept lies a simple idea:

One modular technology platform – configurable for plants from 1 to over 1,000 million liters per day (MLD).

The core always stays the same:

• proven quality technologies from European manufacturers,

• a repeatable approach to planning, integration, installation and maintenance,

• and, where needed, optional operational support.

What changes from project to project are:

• size,

• capacity

• and the way the modules are combined and integrated into the local infrastructure.

This modular design allows us to configure solutions for:

• single large metropolitan plants,

• regional waterworks, or

• series of medium and smaller plants as part of national or state programmes, urban infrastructure initiatives or public–private operator models.

From pilot scale to some of the world’s largest water plants

We did not start with mega-projects. We built up over years:

1. smaller and mid-sized plants,

2. then larger reference projects,

3. and finally plants in the 1,000+ MLD range.

Today, projects based on this modular technology have reached a total capacity of around 1,300 MLD of drinking water treatment – per day. Crossing the 1,000 MLD threshold was a strategic milestone: from this size onwards, our references qualify us for the very large international water infrastructure projects.

In public water supply, new technology concepts are only accepted where:

• they have been successfully operated over long periods, and

• there are solid references in comparable plant sizes.

The modular concept now delivers exactly that: a combination of technical proof, scale and repeatability.

Why modularity matters for investors

For investors, this modularity is not a technical detail – it is the bridge between complex infrastructure and understandable investment logic:

• Repeatable process

  – The project steps are similar from country to country and plant to plant.
  

• Series implementation

  – Once a concept works for one plant, it can be rolled out across a region or national programme.
  

• Scalability across markets

  – The concept can be adapted to different countries while keeping the core standard.

On the basis of this Modular Technology Concept, a growing project pipeline has emerged, currently around EUR 50 million in volume – with clear potential towards EUR 100 million.

To finance this pipeline, Grasshopper is structuring a water–climate bond format that channels private capital directly into this portfolio of modular, real-asset drinking water projects.

In short

• Focus: core technologies for drinking water projects, not civil works

• Design: modular, standardised, scalable from 1 to 1,000+ MLD

• Track record: references up to approx. 1,300 MLD/day in total capacity

• Benefit for investors: access to large public water infrastructure via a repeatable, proven technology platform

This is how we make central drinking water infrastructure – one of the most critical but underfunded sectors in the world – more accessible for private and professional investors.