Melbourne Water has partnered with waste and water resource management company SUEZ in an innovative project to optimise and automate distribution throughout its drinking water supply network and reduce its overall energy consumption.

SUEZ was awarded the contract to implement its proven Aquadvanced® Energy solution across the drinking water network, which supplies residents with over 400 billion litres of water each year. The real-time optimisation software automates scheduling of production and management of distribution throughout every stage, ensuring high-quality water is delivered when and where it is needed at the lowest possible cost.

Aquadvanced® Energy has been successfully deployed across numerous networks in the US and Europe, and is being adopted across Hunter Water’s networks on the New South Wales Central Coast following highly effective trials in 2018. The system is proven to reduce energy costs while maximising operational performance, water quality and energy efficiency for an enhanced environmental footprint.

Network efficiencies in the next two years

Evan Atkinson, General Manager at SUEZ Smart Solutions, said the implementation will be rolled out in three phases over two years, due for completion by mid-2021.

“Our Aquadvanced® Energy solution is a proven solution that remains at the leading edge of innovation in water sustainability and smart networks. We’re seeing incredible results applying this solution in diverse networks both overseas and here in Australia, generating network efficiencies and cost savings,” Mr Atkinson said.

“Our objective is to drive increased network resilience, reduce likelihood of water quality events and greater operational consistency for Melbourne Water and the city’s residents. Embedding this technology will also enable the network to further leverage its hydro generation assets and exploit opportunities in the evolving energy market.”

Future-proofing Melbourne Water

The project is expected to realise significant energy and cost savings for Melbourne Water, and will help future-proof its workforce through the capture and retention of network knowledge.

Melbourne Water Automation Team Leader, Russell Riding, said that the move to automation of its water network is a fundamental step towards achieving the company’s ambitious targets.

“Melbourne Water is committed to reducing our carbon emissions and our energy consumption, which ultimately will provide value for our customers. The implementation of Aquadvanced® Energy supports the digital transformation of our network,” Mr Riding said.

“Melbourne Water is always exploring new and innovative solutions to deliver sustainable water services.”

The first phase of the project will see Aquadvanced® Energy implemented on the Winneke Water Treatment Plant supply system leading to the Melbourne CBD before subsequent extension across the remainder of Melbourne Water’s network.

Taxonomy

• Water-Energy Nexus
• Energy-Water Nexus