A PWHL official said Wednesday that there have been constructive conversations in potentially teaming with the NHL's Ottawa Senators to secure its women's hockey franchise a long-term future in the Canadian capital.
The discussions center on the Ottawa Charge playing home games at the Senators' arena, the Canadian Tire Centre, PWHL senior VP of business operations Amy Scheer told The Associated Press. The Charge’s future is in Ottawa is uncertain beyond this season due to the city going ahead with renovations that will reduce the team’s current home’s capacity by about 2,000 seats.
“We’ve got a long ways to go to figure out where we are for the future of Ottawa, but the relationship with the Senators has blossomed,” Scheer said during a video conference call.
She referred to Senators president and CEO Cyril Leeder as being “a gem to work with.” Scheer and league officials also met with Senators owner Michael Andlauer while attending the women’s tournament at the Milan Cortina Games last month.
The PWHL has already established a partnership with the Senators, with the Charge scheduled to play Montreal at the Canadian Tire Centre on April 3.
“The game is selling really well, so hopefully that’s the first of a really positive road for us to skate down,” Scheer said.
Leeder looked forward to the Senators hosting the game, and further discussions with the PWHL.
“We can confirm we’ve had positive dialogue with the PWHL and the Ottawa Charge, which is consistent with our desire to grow the game for women, men and youth in our Ottawa-Gatineau community,” Leeder said in a statement the Senators released to the AP.
The Charge were one of the PWHL’s original six franchises, and have spent the first three seasons playing at the city’s centrally located TD Place, which is also home to the Ontario Hockey League's Ottawa 67s. The aging facility has a capacity of about 8,500 for hockey but the renovation will reduce seating to about 5,700, with an additional 900 standing-only spots.
The PWHL said the cuts make it financially unfeasible to stay at the arena. The Charge averaged about 7,000 fans per outing over the first two seasons, with that number jumping to 7,225 over the team’s first nine home games this year.
Scheer previously said the league was exploring all options, including the possibility of relocation. “We will not go backwards,” Scheer said in November.
The PWHL expanded to eight teams this season, with plans underway to add 2-4 teams for next season.
The Senators' home arena is located about a 40-minute drive outside of downtown. The team, however, is in the early planning stages of building a new home closer to downtown.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
Ottawa Charge's Kathryn Reilly, left, celebrates her teammate Alexa Vasko's goal during the first period of an PWHL hockey game in Ottawa, Ontario, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
Ottawa Charge's Fanuza Kadirova (centre) spins around as she celebrates her goal on Seattle Torrent goaltender Hannah Murphy (83) during the first period of an PWHL hockey game in Ottawa, Wednesday, March 4, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
CHARTRES, France--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 30, 2026--
Tenchijin Inc., a Japanese space-tech innovator transforming sustainable water infrastructure management, today announced a partnership with Aqualter. In April 2026, both parties signed a Strategic Software License Agreement. Under this agreement, KnoWaterleak—Tenchijin’s platform, powered by satellite data and AI, will be deployed in Aqualter's long-term water service operation project for metropolitan Chartres to optimize the detection and management of water leakages. Additionally, both companies concluded a reseller agreement, making Aqualter the first official distributor of KnoWaterleak in the French market.
This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20260430743255/en/
Visual:https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1jAA46qppdo-ZFzAn7FVVVhcIJPUp4waS
Trust Rooted in PoC Success
Headquartered in Chartres, Aqualter has over 50 years of experience in the production and distribution of drinking water, wastewater collection and treatment, and the construction of water infrastructure and treatment plants throughout France.
From January to April 2025, Tenchijin and Aqualter jointly conducted a Proof of Concept (PoC) to evaluate the effectiveness of KnoWaterleak in predicting pipe leaks in the metropolitan area of Chartres (141,407 inhabitants served, 1,251.52 km of network lines excluding connections; 2025 data). By analyzing historical data from 2017 to 2023, KnoWaterleak successfully predicted 45.5% of the 2024 leaks within the top 12.6% of highest-risk areas, thereby meeting the project’s success criteria and confirming the model’s reliability. Building on this foundation of trust, Tenchijin and Aqualter have concluded a license agreement for the metropolitan Chartres project. Aqualter thus becomes the first official user of KnoWaterleak in France, marking the start of a collaboration to modernize water management across the territory.
Future Collaboration
Within the metropolitan Chartres project, KnoWaterleak will be functionally integrated with Walter, Aqualter’s network supervision platform. While Walter monitors on-site hydraulic performance, Tenchijin’s space-tech expertise adds a complementary prediction. By combining large-scale satellite analysis with field data, this synergy covers the entire value chain: from leak risk identification to the optimization of interventions. This innovative approach contributes to resource preservation and infrastructure sustainability. The partnership also foresees the adoption of this solution in other projects managed by Aqualter. Furthermore, both companies will collaborate on joint promotional initiatives targeting new client segments in France, aiming to stimulate innovation in water infrastructure management.
Jean-Patrick LE VAN, CIO & COO, Groupe Aqualter |France
The functional integration of KnoWaterleak into our Walter platform is a significant milestone for digitizing water network management. Powered by AI and satellite data, we now anticipate leaks and optimize field operations with greater precision. This innovation not only supports network performance but also plays a vital role in water conservation.
Keitaro ASABA, Partnership Manager, Tenchijin Inc. | Japan
We are delighted that KnoWaterleak is being implemented for the first time in France within a local authority. Chartres is a historic city with complex infrastructure, where old and new networks overlap in an environment highly sensitive to ground movement. This deployment in such a challenging setting will provide us with invaluable insights for the future. Furthermore, the conclusion of this first official distribution agreement marks a major turning point for Tenchijin. Leveraging Aqualter’s deep expertise and robust network, we are confident in our ability to pave the way for innovative, data-driven water infrastructure management across all of France.
About Aqualter and the Walter solution
As the leading challenger to the major players in the water sector, Aqualter has developed, for over 50 years, expertise in drinking water production, transmission and distribution, wastewater collection and treatment, as well as the construction of drinking water plants and wastewater treatment facilities. Walter is a 100% web-based platform that provides real-time visibility into hydraulic performance, from the reservoir to the customer meter. Powered by three advanced information systems, the software calculates and displays key hydraulic performance indicators and generates real-time leak alerts.
Website:https://www.aqualter.com/
About Tenchijin KnoWaterleak
KnoWaterleak is an innovative platform that harnesses satellite data and AI to predict and prevent water infrastructure risks. The system analyzes space-derived data to identify potential leaks within 100-meter square zones, providing unprecedented insights through a 5-level risk evaluation system.
About Tenchijin Inc.
Tenchijin Inc. is a space-tech innovator leveraging satellite data and AI to detect hidden water infrastructure risks, predict potential leaks, and drive more sustainable and efficient water management through space-derived insights.
Website: https://knowaterleak.space/
Tenchijin Announces Partnership with Aqualter
