Utility Magazine May 2017

KEEPING THE LIGHTS ON FROM

DISRUPTION TO OPPORTUNITY

WORKING TOWARDS WATER DIGITISATION TUNNELLING GOES MICRO

Andrew Gaston Project Manager

On site at the Cranbourne Racecourse Recycled Water Tank Project (LD&C Joint Venture)

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TFROM THE EDITOR

he discussion around energy supply and industry disruption has ramped up over the last few months with utilities really starting to think about what the future of the energy industry will look like. The goal is clear: cheap, clean, and reliable energy supply. However, the best way to achieve this is still being debated.

Following statewide blackouts, the South Australian Government announced plans to construct a 50MW gas-fired power plant, as well as what will be Australia’s largest battery. Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull also met with key players in the gas industry to discuss the best way forward to address gas supply concerns.

These, combined with new pumped hydro projects and the closures of coal-fired power stations, highlight how much the sector is changing. Utilities are starting to explore solutions to reduce outages, improve reliability, and keep up with the rapidly transforming industry.

The water sector is also undergoing rapid change, as water utilities are working towards the digitisation of their networks to enhance performance. While digital water meters have seen a major increase in popularity among utilities wanting to understand their networks better, other innovations such as 3D printing, aerial surveying, and renewable resources, such as biogas recovery, are changing the way the water industry operates.

Another key concern for utilities has been data security, especially at a time when everyone is going digital. Recognising this growing concern, Utility hosted the one-day conference Secure Utilities in Melbourne in March, which brought together utility employees, consultants, cyber security experts, culture change managers, and academics to discuss methods that utilities can employ to ensure their data is safe from cyber criminals. We had a fantastic response from all those who attended and we’re proud to have been able to bring the best things about our magazine to a live event format.

Not being one to slow down, we’ve already planned Utility’s next event, Asset Management for Critical Infrastructure, which will be held in Sydney on 16-17 August. This two-day conference will feature experts from the utility and infrastructure industries presenting on all aspects of asset management, including predictive maintenance, the impact of GIS and the Internet of Things, the role of ISO 55000, and industry best practices, as well as many more.

If you’re involved in asset management for a utility or other critical infrastructure provider and would like to attend you can register at www.assetmanagementforcriticalinfrastructure.com.au or find out more information on page 30.

With so much change in the energy sector, and the move to digital in water and wastewater, I’m excited to see how utilities will continue to adapt, and hope to discuss this with some of you further at Asset Management for Critical Infrastructure in August.

Cover image highlights our feature on energy disruption.

A WORD FROM THE ENA

JOHN BRADLEY CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER – ENERGY NETWORKS ASSOCIATION

Australia’s gas supply and gas infrastructure should be a national advantage.

We have immense resources, supporting vital industries employing over 949,000 Australians, and gas provides 44 per cent of household energy for only 13 per cent of household emissions. Our gas infrastructure alone has the potential to store the same amount of energy as six billion Powerwall batteries.

While 2017 has so far been dominated by fears of a short-term gas crunch, Australia needs a long-term vision for gas which enables energy security, decarbonisation, and affordability for customers in the long-term.

The Australian gas industry has released Gas Vision 2050, exploring the transformational technologies which enable gas to play a vital role in a deeply decarbonised energy system. The vision has been developed by Energy Networks Australia, the Australian Petroleum Production and Exploration Association, the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association, Gas Energy Australia, and the Gas Appliance Manufacturers Association of Australia.

The vision focuses on 2050, reflecting the aspiration of the Paris COP21 meeting to achieve “zero net emissions” by the second half of the century, in order to mitigate dangerous climate change.

It highlights the potential for three transformational technologies to further reduce the carbon footprint of gas –biogas production, carbon capture and storage, and hydrogen technologies. Our significant gas infrastructure networks create the potential to blend “renewable gas” or convert entirely to hydrogen, to provide zero-emission energy sources for Australian homes, cities, industry, and power generation. Fuel cell innovation could see the family car running on hydrogen sourced from surplus renewable energy production (“Power to Gas” technology) or formed from natural gas (methane) at the city gate.

These solutions for a decarbonised gas system could prove vital to complement intermittent renewable generation, and help to meet peak electricity demand. Gas used in efficient gas-fired power generation already has less than half the emissions of current coal-fired power

generation. Jacobs predicts at least a tripling of gas-fired generation as part of an efficient path to achieving Australia’s 2030 emissions target.

As well as having net zero emissions from its use, biogas would allow gas use to grow, as it’s sourced from renewable sources including wastewater and landfill. Biogas could be produced almost anywhere in Australia and could be injected into existing networks as needed. ARENA is funding a study of bioenergy sources across Australia to provide reliable information on biomass feedstock sources. The potential resource is enormous. In Canada, it’s estimated that up to 1, 300 billion cubic feet of biogas could be produced each year, representing about half of domestic gas use.

Hydrogen is a clean-burning fuel that can be used as a supplement, or alternative to, methane in gas networks or in fuel cells to generate heat or electricity. At the moment, hydrogen is commonly produced from natural gas. Cities around Australia have natural gas delivered by tanker or pipeline so production facilities could easily be added at the cities’ edges to produce hydrogen and inject it into the distribution system. Hydrogen can be stored in the gas pipeline network or in underground storage to provide short- term supply to meet demand, and support intermittent renewable energy sources.

To enable Australia’s bright gas future, we will need to deal with today’s dysfunctional gas regulation and the confusing mess of conflicting state and federal carbon policies.

In March 2017, the Victorian Government passed legislation to permanently ban all onshore unconventional gas exploration and development, including fraccing and coal seam gas. It also extended the moratorium on conventional onshore gas exploration and development to 2020.

In the same week, the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) released its Gas Statement of Opportunities, predicting gas supply shortfalls within two years in Australia’s southern states. The Australian Energy Market Operator recently warned gas shortages exacerbated by state government bans could exceed 156 petajoules (PJ) between 2019 and 2024, and result in either power

outages or gas supply cuts, unless action is taken. AEMO noted the National Electricity Market is highly dependent on gas-powered generation to balance intermittent renewable generation output, and for system stability, particularly in South Australia. It warned of increasing power outages when gas-powered generation cannot respond fast enough.

While LNG exports have undeniably led to tighter gas market conditions, the Chairman of the ACCC Rod Sims was right to observe in The Australian:

“The three LNG producers, however, could not have foreseen that after their investment decisions were made, east coast onshore gas and exploration would be largely prevented. I doubt anyone in the industry expected Victoria to ban all onshore gas exploration and production, which has stopped even conventional gas projects; nor could they have foreseen the delays and uncertainty over projects in NSW and the NT.”

This highlights the need for a national, technology-neutral carbon policy without continued state bans on gas exploration and development. Governments need to adopt an evidence-based national approach to gas exploration and production, as recommended by the Academy of Technological Science and Engineering.

The Gas Vision 2050 recognises that government needs to adopt a scientific approach for approving gas exploration instead of regional bans on gas exploration and development. It also identifies the need for governments to avoid unnecessary regulation or placing unwarranted restrictions on the development of industry. The vision also calls for regulatory frameworks that encourage innovation in industry.

Gas is likely to play an increasingly important role in a decarbonising, secure energy system. However, the sector will face its own transformation journey to respond to the “energy trilemma”. Australia needs access to every energy advantage if it is to achieve its energy affordability, security and emission reduction goals.

Governments can ensure that policy settings allow gas to deliver these benefits for all Australians.

SOUTH EAST WATER’S NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

South East Water has appointed a new Managing Director, following an extensive local and international recruitment process.

Terri Benson will take up the position on 29 May 2017. A highly experienced Chief Executive Officer, Ms Benson has held a range of both executive and non-executive director roles in the government utility and private infrastructure sectors.

She is a former CEO of SEQWater, and a former Managing Director of Essential Energy, responsible for the delivery of electricity services across 95 per cent of New South Wales. She held leadership roles in Essential Energy’s predecessor organisations, working at an executive level in most operational areas over a 14-year career.

Ms Benson’s non-executive director roles include directorships at CBHS Health Fund, DUET, the Energy

Networks Association, and Gas Market Company. She is also a former Chair of the Energy and Water Ombudsman NSW.

Prior to joining South East Water, Ms Benson was the Managing Director of Birdon, a diversified engineering and services business providing innovative solutions to the military and marine industries with operations across Australia, the US and Europe. She has led the Australian business through a period of significant growth and change.

Minister for Water Lisa Neville said Ms Benson brings a wealth of knowledge and understanding to South East Water through her past utility executive leadership roles.

“It’s wonderful to welcome Ms Benson to South East Water, she will bring valuable skills and experience. Water corporations continue to appoint highly experienced and skilled women to senior executive roles,” said Ms Neville.

SOUTH AUSTRALIA’S NEW $550 MILLION ENERGY PLAN

The South Australian Government has released a $550 million comprehensive plan to take charge of their energy future and deliver reliable, affordable and clean power to South Australians.

The plan includes the construction of Australia’s largest battery to store energy from the wind and sun, as part of a Renewable Technology Fund that supports clean, dispatchable and affordable power.

The plan also includes the construction of a new government-owned 250MW gas-fired power plant to provide emergency backup power and system stability services.

The plan, titled South Australian Power for South

Australians, will ensure more of the state’s power is sourced, generated and controlled in South Australia.

The plan aims to increase security, boost competition and put downward pressure on prices.

The South Australian Government is also:

• Introducing new Ministerial powers to direct the market to operate in the interests of South Australians

• Incentivising increased gas production to ensure more of the state’s gas is sourced and used in South Australia

• Introducing an Energy Security Target to ensure the state's power system uses more clean, secure energy generated in South Australia

• Using the Government’s purchasing power through its own electricity contract to attract a new power generator, increasing competition in the market

The new gas-fired power plant is budgeted to cost $360 million, $150 million will be committed to the SA Renewable Technology Fund and new PACE grants are worth $24 million.

The plan is expected to create at least 630 new jobs.

“South Australia will now lead our nation’s transformation to the next generation of renewable storage technologies and create an international reputation for high-tech industries,” said South Australian Premier, Jay Weatherill.

VALE JIM MCDONALD

Former APGA president and key figure in the Australian gas pipeline industry, Jim McDonald, sadly passed away on 27 December 2016.

Jim began his career in the pipeline industry in 1971 at Esso Australia and was there for 15 years before taking on the position of CEO at NT Gas.

This led to a role at AGL as the General Manager of AGL’s Pipeline Division, followed by an appointment as the Australian Pipeline Trust’s (now APA Group) first CEO, and later Managing Director.

Jim retired from APA in 2005 but continued to make his mark in the industry, with numerous non-executive director roles at some of Australia’s largest ASX-listed companies. After retirement, Jim also took on the role of foundation Chairman of the Energy Pipelines Cooperative Research Centre (EPCRC).

Jim then turned his attention to the concept of a “virtual pipeline” and technologies that revolutionise the way compressed natural gas is transported to remote industrial locations, through his role as Chairman of the IntelliGas Group of companies.

Throughout his career, Jim was also strongly involved with the Australian Pipeline Industry Association (APIA), now the Australian Pipelines and Gas Association (APGA), through his role as president.

Jim is credited with helping shape APGA into the association it is today, evolving it from a group for pipeline contractors, to an association serving the entire pipeline supply chain.

APGA Chief Executive, Cheryl Cartwright, said, “Jim was a true gentleman, highly intelligent and had a great sense of humour. Amid his busy work and family life he also found time for horses and racing, as well as the Collingwood Football Club.

“He nurtured the development of the industry’s association and we are grateful for his lateral thinking, insightful guidance and enthusiastic encouragement. He will be greatly missed.”

A service to celebrate Jim’s life was held at the Gold Coast on 5 January 2017. Jim is survived by his wife Di and his children Steven, Gemma, Joanne and Kate.

TASMANIAN GOVERNMENT TO TAKE OVER TASWATER

The Tasmanian Government has put forward a plan to take ownership of TasWater in 2018.

The Government plans on taking control from 1 July 2018 and complete the remainder of the $1.5 billion capital program over a five year period.

Tasmanian Premier Will Hodgman, and Treasurer Peter Gutwein said the takeover is an effort to fix Tasmania’s failing water and sewage infrastructure.

Mr Hodgman and Mr Gutwein said that the current situation is not acceptable, with 25 towns on boil water or do not consume alerts, sewage spills seven times over the national average, and only one of 78 sewage treatment plants

fully compliant with Environmental Protection Authority standards.

“Tasmania is a world class destination with third world water and sewerage services,” Mr Hodgman said.

“Clean water and a reliable sewerage service are important for public health, quality of lifestyle, our tourism industry, our brand and our economy.

“The model, where TasWater is owned by 29 separate councils is not a success story.

“That’s why the Government is proposing a new model, where the State Government takes on responsibility for, and control of, TasWater.

Mr Gutwein said that under the

Government’s plan, TasWater’s infrastructure will be fixed faster and it will be cheaper for customers.

“Importantly, instead of forecast price rises of five per cent per year, price rises when we assume control will be no more than 3.5 per cent, which means that Tasmanians will save money under our plan,” Mr Gutwein said.

“Under State Government ownership, TasWater’s strong balance sheet will be used to borrow more and at a lower cost.

“Legislation will prohibit the future privatisation of TasWater and no one will lose their job as a result of this change of ownership.”

NEW NATIONAL WATER REFORM INQUIRY

The Productivity Commission has launched a major review of Australian water reform, aiming to take a much broader view than just the Murray-Darling.

The Productivity Commission said Australia is recognised as a world leader in water management, but that does not mean there is no room for improvement.

It is calling for public contributions as it reflects on how water policy decisions have been made over the past two decades, as well as how effective those have been.

The inquiry will also look at changes needed in the future to make sure water policy keeps pace with climate change, population growth and aging infrastructure.

Productivity Commissioner Jane Doolan, who has responsibility for environment issues, said the year-long review would try to set out “the national suite of priorities for the next wave of water reform in the country.”

The Murray-Darling is to be reviewed separately. While the Murray-Darling Basin Plan is the largest single example of water reform in Australian history, the Productivity Commission’s review will not take an in-depth look at the controversial plan to return water to the Basin environment.

The commission is due to specifically examine the Basin Plan in a separate review in 2017.

“The Murray-Darling is a really significant part of Australia and some of the issues that happen there are also common to other areas,” Dr Doolan said.

“Things like trading, pricing, criteria for investment decisions, areas of environmental water management and governance — those policy areas are nationally significant and nationally applicable.

“We’ll be looking at those sorts of areas that will translate into national policy.”

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SNOWY MOUNTAINS SCHEME 2.0 SET TO BEGIN

Work will soon begin on the plan for the Snowy Mountain Scheme 2.0, a project that aims to increase the generation of the Snowy Hydro scheme by 50 per cent, adding 2000MW of renewable energy to the National Electricity Market.

Once completed, the project could produce 20 times the 100Mwh expected from the battery proposed by the South Australian Government in one hour, but would deliver it constantly for almost a week (or 350,000Mwh over seven days).

The unprecedented expansion will help make renewables reliable, filling in holes caused by intermittent supply and generator outages.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said, “The energy storage infrastructure should be a critical priority to ensure better integration of wind and solar into the energy market and more efficient use of conventional power.

“By supercharging the Snowy Hydro precinct, affordable and reliable

electricity for Australian households and businesses can be ensured.”

The Government, through the Australian Renewable Energy Agency (ARENA), will examine several sites, which could support large-scale pumped hydroelectric energy storage in the precinct.

These sites would involve new tunnels and power stations, connecting existing storages.

It will have no impact on the scheme’s ability to supply water to irrigators in New South Wales, South Australia and Queensland. A feasibility study is expected to be completed before the end of 2017, and construction can commence soon after.

NEW GROWTH PLAN TO TRANSFORM AUSTRALIA’S SPATIAL SECTOR

The recently released 2026 Spatial Industry Transformation and Growth Agenda (2026 Agenda) aims to be a catalyst to maximise the innovation, productivity and competitiveness of the spatial industry in Australia.

The plan has been created through a collaboration of business, government, academia and spatial-user organisations, and outlines 34 transformational initiatives that will be delivered through a rolling 10-year roadmap.

Co-chairs of the working party behind this initiative, Glenn Cockerton (SIBA) and Peter Woodgate (CRCSI), formally launched the 2026 Agenda at the Locate 17 conference in Sydney. The chairs believe this ambitious agenda represents a once in a generation opportunity for the sector, noting that, “We have an exciting challenge ahead of us, and we want to take this opportunity to ask spatial businesses, academia and government agencies to take a leadership role in implementing this plan.”

The plan has six key pillars of transformation:

1. Public Infrastructure and Analytics: accelerate the nation-wide access to location-related data and analytical tools that are easy to use, and facilitate the implementation of new ideas and growth in the private sector

2. Innovation and Entrepreneurship: foster spatial innovation and entrepreneurial skills, capitalising on

technological advances to evolve business models and open new markets and opportunities

3. Outreach: clearly communicating the value and contribution that location intelligent and related services to the industry to Australian society

4. Research and Development: coordinate locationrelated R&D in Australia to collaboratively solve problems of national interest

5. Education, Training and Capacity Building: introduce location-related training and education at all levels of education, nation-wide and including regional communities, to develop a well-prepared and diverse workforce

6. Representation: consolidate the voice of the spatial industry, and provide effective leadership and advocacy for the industry

The full version of the 2026 Agenda can be downloaded at www.2026agenda.com.

‘AS 5488, Classification of Subsurface Utility Information, has also recently been revised.” The revision had not yet taken place, but had been approved to go ahead.

SECURITY STRATEGIES PUT UNDER THE SPOTLIGHT

Data security is an increasing concern for utilities – with digitised networks and connected devices now a common feature of the modern utility, there are more chances than ever for cyber criminals to penetrate into networks and facilities, and cause serious damage. Recognising this threat, Utility hosted a one-day forum looking at some of the challenges utilities face when it comes to keeping their networks and data secure, along with strategies to mitigate these threats.

Secure Utilities: Managing data in the digital age was held on March 23 at the Rendezvous in Melbourne. It’s the first of a series of events Utility has planned for 2017, aimed at bringing the best things about this magazine – high quality content and expert analysis – to life in a live format.

On the day, we were joined by an impressive line-up of speakers, carefully chosen for the expertise they could offer in their given area. A mix of utility employees, consultants, cyber security experts, culture change managers, and academics, provided a depth of perspective and opinion on how utilities can best manage the challenges cyber security presents.

PwC’s Utilities, Energy and Mining Lead Mark Coughlin kicked off proceedings by providing delegates with an overview of the current utility landscape, as well as some predictions for the future trends that will determine how utilities run their businesses. This in turn raised questions for security teams, who need to think about managing security threats in the current landscape, but also in the future when new technologies and ways of doing business are in place.

Professor Chris Leckie from the University Of Melbourne then fascinated delegates with his presentation on newgeneration Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks, and explored the attack on the Ukraine Power Grid, which was introduced via a phishing email to staff.

Delegates then heard from Jarrod Loidl from ANZ Bank, who was able to share his expertise from the world of banking. He explored the similarities between banks and utilities, and outlined what utilities can learn from the finance industry to make their organisations more secure. Jarrod also put forward tips on how utilities can better address risks, including determining what are the most critical assets, having clearly defined budget and investment decisions, and identifying what the known gaps are in the current control landscape.

Utilities were represented in the speaker lineup by Andrew Steer, NCC Manager at United Energy, and Zoran Savanovic,

Business Technology Services Operations Manager, South East Water. Mr Steer took delegates through United Energy & Multinet Gas smart grid initiatives and the processes that United Energy take to deal with security challenges to smart grids; while Mr Savanovic discussed South East Water’s implementation of the Victorian Protective Data Security Standards Framework

Other speakers from the day’s line-up included Scott Ceely, Managing Director of Seer Security, who argued that utilities need to share their experiences with each other, so they can learn from each other; Enex Carbon principal consultants Rachel Zainey and Richard Sengmany, who discussed developing a security culture within organisations; Greg Ryan, WSAA’s Manager Utility Excellence, who provided an outline of how the water industry was progressing in its digitisation journey; and Ricki Burke, Information Security Recruiter and Founder of CyberSec People, who provided useful tips to utilities in attracting and retaining top security talent.

The conference closed with a panel, mediated by Management Consultant Ken Brandt, that gave delegates a chance to further join in on the discussion, ask questions, and think about where their utilities can go from here to help strengthen their data security strategies.

Utility will continue the data and cyber security conversation across its channels to ensure the industry is up-to-date with the latest techniques and information.

Utility’s next event, Asset Management for Critical Infrastructure, will take place on August 16 and 17 in Sydney. For more information on this event, turn to page 30.

PWC’S MARK COUGHLIN OPENED THE EVENT.

JARROD LOIDL GAVE UTILITIES VALUABLE SECURITY INSIGHTS FROM THE WORLD OF BANKING.

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SMART METERS – MATURING SECURITY BUT STILL AT

MATURING IN CYBER AT RISK?

by Garry Bentlin, National Director of Cyber Security, Deloitte, and Roger Jeffrey, Consulting Partner, Deloitte Energy & Resources

Data security is a critical focus area for modern, digital utilities, with smart meters at the frontline for potential attack. Garry Bentlin and Roger Jeffrey outline the key risks utilities need to consider when it comes to the security of their metering technology, and provide strategies to mitigate these risks.

Smart meters are no longer an emerging technology. They are central to the functioning of smarter electricity networks, allowing utilities to provide dynamic pricing services, demand response, and better management.

Smart meters enable better environmental performance and greater efficiencies by reducing overall energy consumption, enabling the integration of renewable or alternative technologies, and providing support for smart appliances and electric vehicles.

For consumers, benefits include supporting smart appliances which can take advantage of off-peak savings, automated control of power levels in appliances such as air conditioners, online viewing of power consumption via web portals, and options for the integration of renewable energy sources.

Smart meters are a maturing technology underpinned by computing capability. Lessons have been learned by smart meter vendors and users from the principles used to protect information technology environments, but breaches will still occur and organisations need to be prepared. One of the key risks in IT, which is now emerging in smart metering, is the end user, who may be ignorant of the cyber security issues in their home environment introduced by smart appliances connected to the meter.

Those utilities considering the use of Internet of Things (IoT) devices, such as cameras, need to be aware that these technologies are still maturing and are only now commencing the security development lifecycle in response to significant security breaches.

RISKS TO CONSIDER, AND MITIGATIONS

Stricter standards and controls over technologies, which have been identified, tested, implemented and used for a number years, demonstrate the maturing capabilities and protection mechanisms of smart meters.

Smart meters use wireless communications and are thus vulnerable to attacks at the network layer, where there are none of the physical protections inherent in wired networks. Mesh or wireless networks are able to be attacked by a malicious actor via methods such as impersonating mobile towers, authentication attacks, and encryption attacks on the traffic between the meter and the upstream relays or access points. As such, security design considerations need to include strong authentication and encrypted management of credentials.

Smart meters have followed the lifecycle of IT assets and software. Immature emerging technologies are easily compromised due to time-to-market pressure

CONNECTED DEVICES IN THE MODERN HOME, SUCH AS REFRIGERATORS, CAN BE COMPROMISED IN CYBER ATTACKS AND ULTIMATELY IMPACT ON THE SECURITY OF SMART METERS.

and a lack of understanding of the vulnerabilities inherent to the technology. As the technology becomes more prevalent, it becomes a target for malicious actors and the maturity curve increases as regulators, the public, and vendors respond to concerns and breaches. Standards are developed and organisations purchase technologies that meet the

to include the basic security checks more mature systems perform.

Malicious attackers can therefore try to use these networks to impersonate a device and take control of other devices in the home. The potential exists for an attacker to hijack connected home systems via the smart meter,

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possesses the refrigerators, smart televisions, and other connected devices, but may be ignorant of the need to update these devices to avoid security incidents directly affecting them. Retailers providing smart metering capability should consider educating customers to reduce the risk of consumer compromise and breaches of privacy.

IoT devices are repeating the same journey from emerging technology to mature deployments, but the legacy of massproduced cheap devices adopted in their millions has already resulted in the largest ever number of denial-of-service attacks experienced on the internet. For example, the Mirai virus infected hundreds of thousands of IoT devices. These were used to launch multiple internet attacks, which blocked a large number of popular internet services. IoT devices are now being subjected to the maturity roadmap of examination and rigour that smart meters have undergone previously.

WHAT CAN ORGANISATIONS RESPONSIBLE FOR SMART METERS DO?

• Identify which advanced metering infrastructure assets are vulnerable to malicious attacks.

• Understand what your baseline environment is, what assets are deployed, and what vulnerabilities they possess. Use encryption to protect wireless communications.

• Vigilance via proactive monitoring is critical. Organisations must gather event data, and constantly

monitor activities to find and correlate patterns that can indicate an attack, and expand the scope of monitoring and security tests to include the advanced metering infrastructure.

• Integrate commercial, public, and open-source threat intelligence into the monitoring platforms and risk reporting, to enable detection of threats pertinent to the electricity sector. These could include disgruntled employees, activists, or third parties who have been compromised by hackers looking to penetrate the network.

• Ensure the organisation’s stakeholders understand all the inherent risks. Utilities must understand a breach could expose regulatory data or customers’ personal information. Breach management for smart networks is a complex area, as there are many parties involved, for example, the retail and distribution, and customer. Breaches of customer information could occur in this supply chain and be attributed to an incorrect party.

Smart meter technology has matured, but as with all technologies, risks still exist. Cyber-attack risk is managed using the same process as other business risks, by implementing appropriate controls to manage and minimise the risk. However, organisations must still be prepared for a breach to occur, from an internal or external source, and have tested response plans in place.

Smart meters – maturing in cyber security but still at risk?

MANAGING WATER SUPPLY WITH SMART TECHNOLOGY

In December 2016, SA Water announced it was investing more than $4 million on emerging smart technology to help manage the water supply network in Adelaide’s CBD, making it one of the first Australian water utilities to broadly adopt this type of technology.

SA Water CEO Roch Cheroux discusses how the trial is progressing and how other water utilities could benefit from this technology.

SA Water’s new smart network technology trial aims to help the utility manage and fix faults, such as leaks, before they escalate and cause greater disruption to the community. The smart water network includes smart meters, leakage sensors, pressure sensors, flow meters, and water quality sensors across Adelaide’s CBD.

The smart sensors track water flow and pressure, providing real-time information to the Operations Control Centre, and leading to improved water quality and network flow, and increased reliability. The technology also plays a role in supporting SA Water’s future operational, planning, and investment decisions.

SMART TECHNOLOGY IMPROVING SERVICES

Mr Cheroux said the rollout of the sensors and meters is expected to be completed by the end of June 2017, with the full benefits to be realised in early 2018.

“Through a network of flow meters, smart meters, water quality sensors, and leakage sensors, we will be able to respond more swiftly to water main incidents such as bursts and leaks, and deliver a better experience to our customers,” Mr Cheroux said.

“One of the most exciting parts of this project is acoustic leak detection, where acoustic sensors will ‘listen’ for vibrations that indicate where in the network a leak might be occurring. This will help us to get the fault before it potentially escalates into a bigger issue. We are installing around 150 of these sensors in the Adelaide CBD.”

Other components currently being fitted include:

• Eleven flow meters – these help to measure water flows in and out of the network, to give a better understanding of how it’s performing.

• 100 smart meters for large business customers in the CBD – these will help customers to better understand and monitor their water use, but also assist SA Water with measuring demand for any future network planning.

• 30 pressure sensors and transient loggers – the pressure sensors will measure water pressure at key locations in and out of the Adelaide CBD network. The transient loggers will record any pressure spikes, and will help identify the source, allowing SA Water to better identify any potential problems in the network. Pressure transients can shorten the useful life of pipes and contribute to bursts and leaks.

• Four water quality sensors – these will measure a number of water quality parameters such as pH and turbidity. They will help with chemical dosage management at water treatment plants, and inform any

SA WATER’S BUSINESS TECHNICAL LEAD CONSULTANT CAMERON BALDOCK.

other changes needed to improve the quality, including aesthetics, of the water being supplied through this part of the network.

Mr Cheroux said the main benefit of the smart network project will be the utility’s increased ability to be more responsive to customer needs.

“We want to use this technology to improve how we operate, manage, and plan our water network, with the main aim of providing immediate and long-term benefits for our customers.

“This includes having a faster response time to critical issues; a better way to predict future needs of the water network; matching our resourcing to the seasonality of water main incidents; and making the network more efficient and reliable.

“This technology is essentially a sophisticated way of making things easier for our employees and our customers,” Mr Cheroux said.

USING DATA TO INFORM DECISIONS

The smart technology is being trialled in the Adelaide CBD to start with because of the higher potential for customer impact from bursts and leaks. The CBD has a higher number of customers, including many water-dependent businesses, and consistently busy traffic.

Mr Cheroux said the locations of the sensors were chosen to maximise SA Water’s ability to collect a large quantity of relevant data about the network’s performance.

“The sensors and meters being installed will capture far more data than we have to able to collect before on how our water network is performing. We will use this data to track trends over time, and help identify and prioritise areas that need replacing or reconfiguring.

“This is an essential step forward for us, in terms of being able to operate the network to better meet the changing needs of our customers, and inform and plan our capital investment more efficiently,” Mr Cheroux said.

Once the testing and proving period of the trial is completed, SA Water will look to expand the technology into other parts of the state.

A PROACTIVE APPROACH TO WATER MANAGEMENT

Water main bursts and leaks often can’t be stopped from happening, but Mr Cheroux said the smart network is about being proactive, as this technology will be able to limit the impact these incidents have on customers and the wider community if they do occur.

“Our customers are at the heart of everything we do, and we are continually looking to improve the service we provide them.

STADIUM MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY’S GENERAL MANAGER FOR COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS DARREN CHANDLER, AND SA WATER’S BUSINESS TECHNICAL LEAD CONSULTANT CAMERON BALDOCK.

“The sensors, loggers, and meters will allow us to do things such as detect water leaks before they become visible on the surface, and help large businesses in the city track and manage their water use,” Mr Cheroux said.

The data collected by the sensors and meters is regularly monitored and reviewed, so if immediate action is required it will be noticed early and field crews can be dispatched to do repairs. Non-immediate work is also prioritised accordingly.

“As this is the first time we will be using this type of technology, we expect to learn and understand the results more as the trial in the Adelaide CBD progresses.”

SMART METERS FOR BUSINESSES

In addition to the smart network trial, SA Water also has smart meters available to businesses across the state. Following a successful 12-month trial with 13 South Australian businesses, such as Westfield, Adelaide Oval, Zoos SA, and Nyrstar, the service, known as the Customer Water Use Portal, has now progressed to full-scale.

Mr Cheroux said the trial generated a significant demand for the service, and there are around 80 customers signed up, including several irrigators in the Clare Valley who are trialling the service as part of the Clare Valley Peak Water Transportation Scheme.

“All customers signed up to the service pay an affordable price for the installation of a data logger on their existing water meter/s, which sends water consumption information to an online portal. They can access the portal at any time, with data produced every 15 minutes in a secure, easy to read, and flexible format.

“Our Business Relations team is also continuing to be on-hand to provide support to customers with smart meters on their sites, such as leak analysis, water-use profiling, and irrigation advice,” Mr Cheroux said.

Since the project began, the main benefit that customers have reported is an increased understanding of how they use their water.

Mr Cheroux said many have been able to use information from the portal to help identify leaks or faulty equipment, allowing problems to be fixed and saving significant volumes of water and money.

“For example, Adelaide Oval used the portal to quickly identify a leak of approximately 870 litres per minute (or 1.2 million litres a day), which, if left unchecked, would have potentially cost them thousands of dollars a day in lost water. This detection and subsequent cost saving enabled the customer to pay back the investment on their smart metering equipment in just over a month.”

TECHNOLOGY IS THE WAY FORWARD FOR WATER UTILITIES

Mr Cheroux said moving to a smart network is the way of the future for Australian water utilities, and SA Water is ensuring it is one of the early adopters of the technology.

“This type of smart technology has been tested and proven by water utilities around the world, and some in

Australia are beginning to use it, but so far not to the same scale as our current trial in the Adelaide CBD. I believe more water utilities are recognising the value however, of collecting network performance data in real time. This data is of benefit to utilities in terms of optimising asset life, and to the customers when it comes to providing a reliable service,” Mr Cheroux said.

“During the planning and scoping phase of our trial, we have been in contact with other utilities to learn from them, and also to share our knowledge in the smart technology space. I expect this to continue as our trial develops and new technology emerges.”

Mr Cheroux said water utilities need to be bold and embrace innovation, and able to respond to the changing needs of customers by keeping up-to-date with developing technology.

“Your desired outcome should be to achieve efficiency and effectiveness, and ultimately provide a great experience for the people you serve.

“Smart also shouldn’t mean complicated – sometimes the smartest solution is the most simple. Our basic approach to being a smart utility is to combine smart technology with smart solutions and smart people. The expertise and knowledge of your people is key.”

GUIDING THE FUTURE OF ENERGY IN QUEENSLAND

David Smales took on the position at the Queensland electricity utility in October 2016, following its creation in July 2016 with the merger of Ergon Energy and Energex. He brings with him to the role a wealth of experience, including holding senior roles in UK and Australian energy companies.

Mr Smales said he started working in the energy industry 34 years ago, when he was 16, as an apprentice. Since then he has completed technical certificates, an engineering degree, and an MBA, and worked through a number of technical and managerial roles which has led him to his current position as CEO.

“I started my career with a government-owned organisation. I would say my experiences are pretty wide and varied, but probably the biggest learning opportunity has been working with very capable individuals with different backgrounds, and having diverse views and opinions. I’ve always tried to learn from others. I’ve been very fortunate in having been exposed to lots of different challenges over time, including operating businesses, building new facilities, or acquiring businesses, integrating and transforming them. However, the biggest part for me has really been the people I’ve come across during these experiences.”

Mr Smales said taking on the role of CEO was the next step in his career, and the opportunity came at an interesting time for the energy sector in Queensland.

“I think networks are the place of the future, as opposed to any other part of the value chain,

and, from a global perspective, the Queensland energy environment in particular is an extremely exciting place to be. We have highly populated metropolitan areas, all the way through to the other end of the spectrum with isolated communities. We have to serve all of our communities and customers across that broad spectrum. Queensland is also interesting in terms of the level of change driven by solar uptake, which is at the cutting edge globally.

“From a business perspective, merging two large companies and transforming them, and looking to deliver a new future for them–that’s pretty stimulating for me. As is the scale and complexity. In that context and environment, the opportunity to be able to set and guide strategy for the business, and support people on the journey, for me, is just extremely rewarding. I couldn’t ask for a better opportunity.”

MERGING TOGETHER

As the new CEO, Mr Smales has been playing a leading role in the merger of Ergon Energy and Energex into Energy Queensland. He said his role has been to harness the capabilities of the people in the organisation, and make sure the right conversations happen.

“Fundamentally, for me, it’s around enabling and supporting the organisation to make good decisions, guiding the overall strategy, moving the business forward at the right speed, and supporting people to thrive and perform in this environment.”

He said this process has been going well so

With more than 30 years' experience in technical, operational, asset management, corporate, and senior executive roles, David Smales has set his sights on guiding Queensland’s energy future as the new CEO of Energy Queensland.

far, with the implementation of new corporate structural changes.

“We’ve recently formed a new executive leadership team, and we’re starting to provide some strong and consistent leadership across the whole business. There are change impacts that are flowing through the organisation as the two businesses come together, and that will probably continue for the next six to 12 months, as we bed down the new organisation.

“We really want to move through that aspect of the merger process, and quickly become one team with a shared purpose centred on serving our communities and customers. It is still early days, in the scheme of things. However, the initial signs are all positive as we are delivering against both our financial commitments, and the key milestones that we have in terms of bringing the Ergon Energy and Energex businesses together.”

Despite still being early in the merger, Mr Smales said the organisation has already made significant progress in reducing its cost base, increasing operational capability, and creating critical mass.

“We’re driving down our cost base as we are delivering synergy benefits and improving the efficiency of our business, which ultimately will flow through to benefit our customers. We’re also increasing the operational capability and resilience of the business. By that, I mean we have a large operational footprint across all of Queensland, and working together as one team allows us more flexibility to support local communities. That truly comes to the

fore during storm or cyclone events, where our response capability is really tested to the full extent.

“As we are bringing the businesses together, we are creating a critical mass in new capabilities. Within both businesses there are some wonderful things happening in terms of technology developments, and being able to combine and build upon this emerging intellectual property, and share it across the organisation, will ultimately deliver better outcomes for all Queenslanders.

“I think that over time, having a clear vision on how we interact with communities across all of Queensland will allow us to identify opportunities to better serve them. Then by delivering great community solutions and customer outcomes, we will be able to replicate those in other communities across the state.”

FACING THE CHALLENGES

While Energy Queensland has been making strong progress, there are still a number of external challenges that it will have to continue to meet in the future. Mr Smales said that the energy market is always subject to ongoing change, and it is very rare that a day goes by without energy being a key topic in the media, for a wide range of reasons.

“One of the main challenges for us in a rapidly changing external context, is that we need to make sure that we’re not too internally focused and consumed with our changes, internal issues, and getting ourselves organised. We’ve got to connect externally, and

this goes to the heart of creating value-adding opportunities, we’ve got to connect more strongly with our customers, and with our communities.

“We have a large team spread across the state, our employees actually live and work in our communities, and they want to continue to make a great contribution, and they want to feel proud of their role and their company. So it is clear to me that we’ve got to make sure that we are appropriately focusing on the external environment, rather than our own internal needs.

“I think the opportunity is for us to do that with some speed, and we’ll be able to do so if we remain clearly focused on delivering great outcomes for our communities and customers.”

QUEENSLAND’S ENERGY FUTURE

Mr Smales said there are a number of activities already underway to help meet these challenges, as well as the energy needs of Queenslanders.

“We’re doing quite a lot in terms of trialling new technologies with various partners. Things like photovoltaics, batteries, and the like. There are companies we work with that support demand management, so we can look at people’s consumption patterns, and help them understand how best to optimise their bills and ongoing energy consumption.

“We’re looking at improving energy provision for local communities that may rely heavily on diesel fuel generation, by replacing it in full or in part with solar generation. There are lots and lots of things that we’re

THE CORNERSTONE OF MODERN LIFE Asset management for critical infrastructure:

Managers of critical infrastructure, such as water, electricity, and transport networks, have more tools available to them than ever before to ensure safe and efficient operation. At the same time, public and government expectations regarding the management of these assets, and delivery of their critical services have never been higher.

Technology moves at a rapid pace, no matter what field you’re in, and when it comes to managing critical infrastructure, there are new tools, technologies, and innovations hitting the market every day.

To ensure asset managers in critical industries, such as water, energy, and transport, can stay ahead of the trends, and best manage the assets they have been charged with, Utility and Infrastructure magazines have joined forces to organise the Asset Management for Critical Infrastructure conference, taking place in Sydney from 16-17 August 2017.

With the advent of the Internet of Things, network digitisation, and an evolving regulatory and technical standards environment, asset managers need to keep pace with the rate of change and learn from colleagues in related or complementary sectors.

Asset Management for Critical Infrastructure will bring together the utility and infrastructure industries to discuss the latest news and techniques in the sector, and explore practical applications that can improve the way assets are managed, from water pipelines to electricity networks and railway lines.

The two-day conference will explore:

• Planning best practices

• Balancing the construction of new assets with maintaining existing assets

• The role of the asset management standard and how it has been successfully implemented

• Predictive maintenance – the white knight of asset management

• How drones/UAVs and GIS are changing the way we manage assets

• Implementing IoT and SCADA to enhance processes

• How large organisations manage a diverse range of assets across states and sectors

• Managing risks: how to stay ahead of the game and detect problems before they occur

• Budget considerations: what gets top priority?

The conference program will feature an expert line-up of professionals from the worlds of water, energy, rail, asset management, standards, consulting, and more.

Confirmed speakers at the event include: Peter Harcus, General Manager Gas Strategy, Jemena; Paul Higham, Manager of Development Infrastructure and Portfolio Services, Sydney Water; Jonathan Avery, National Sector Manager, Standards Australia; Ryan Wolton, Global Head of Sustainable Value Improvement, KPMG Australia; and Dr Allen Tam, Senior Consultant at Relken Engineering.

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

If you’re involved in asset management for a utility or other critical infrastructure provider, this event is a must attend. You’ll hear first hand case studies from industry experts and C-level executives about how they manage their assets; develop strategies to improve the way you manage your assets; stay up-to-date with the latest technology available to your business; and enjoy a number of opportunities to network with clients, colleagues and customers.

THE FUTURE IS IN YOUR HANDS

The assets of critical industries such as water, energy, and transport are the cornerstones of modern life. Without these assets, our societies simply would not be able to function as they do.

Best practice asset management is a critical element for any business or organisation operating in these vital industries. By attending this conference, and learning from some of the industry’s best and brightest minds, you’ll help to ensure your critical assets are managed effectively now, and for many years to come.

DR ALLEN TAM SENIOR CONSULTANT, RELKEN ENGINEERING.

PAUL HIGHAM MANAGER OF DEVELOPMENT INFRASTRUCTURE AND PORTFOLIO SERVICES, SYDNEY WATER.

JONATHAN AVERY NATIONAL SECTOR MANAGER, STANDARDS AUSTRALIA.

PETER HARCUS GENERAL MANAGER GAS STRATEGY, JEMENA.

RYAN WOLTON GLOBAL HEAD OF SUSTAINABLE VALUE IMPROVEMENT, KPMG AUSTRALIA.

SYDNEY LIGHT RAIL: EXPECTING THE UNEXPECTED

If there’s one thing Zinfra can expect working on the CBD and South East Light Rail Project, it’s the unexpected. In the process of delivering service relocations under the Utility Treatment Works Panel for client Acciona, Zinfra has unearthed old services and a few surprises that pre date accurate service location records.

Project Engineer Mo Rashid is enjoying the challenge this project brings. “Every day is dynamic. Due to the age of the services in the ground we just never know what we’re dealing with.”

The difficulty of investigating historic services means Zinfra must be dynamic in their approach, as every day reveals an unexpected challenge. Fortunately, Zinfra’s broad experience working with water, gas, power, and telco assets means they have the skill and capability to confidently deliver the works for the CBD and South East Light Rail Project.

The CBD and South East Light Rail is a new light rail network currently under construction in Sydney. The 12km route will feature 19 stops, extending from Circular Quay along George Street to Central Station, through Surry Hills to Moore Park, then to Kensington and Kingsford. Services will commence in 2019.

The client, Acciona, is part of the ALTRAC Light Rail consortium responsible for the design, construction, operation and maintenance of the light rail as part of a public private partnership.

Working in the heart of Sydney, on George

Street and Devonshire Street, Zinfra’s scope of works includes excavation, trenching, installation of conduit, pipe and accessories, pit access, shaft/lid modifications, rehabilitation, potholing, protection of existing utility infrastructure, and backfilling.

More recently, Zinfra commenced the installation of 700 metres of high voltage cabling, including jointing and terminations, in open trenches in the Randwick precinct. This infrastructure will supply power to the Randwick Stabling Yard.

“Working on the CBD and South East Light Rail means we have one million stakeholders,” said Mr Rashid. “Not only are we working with the client and the asset owners – who include Ausgrid, Jemena, Telstra, Optus and Sydney Water – we are dealing with and accommodating the general public.

“As a result, safety is our number one consideration, no matter what the work, or what needs to be done. Our Zinfra crews work hard to build our culture of safety. Work groups, change programs, and our general approach mean we are building a strong leadership around and understanding of safety.”

SERVICES MARKINGS GIVE SOME INDICATION OF THE CHALLENGES LYING IN WAIT BENEATH THE SURFACE.

ZINFRA PROJECT ENGINEER, MO RASHID.

ZINFRA. BUILDING REPUTATIONS

Sylvester de Almeida Project Manager - Jemena

“Introducing new technology is always challenging and increases risk, so when we were appointing a service provider to design, build and commission the first two zone substations in the Jemena distribution network to use the new IEC61850 substation automation system, we had to get it right.

Affirming our decision, Zinfra successfully delivered the project, leveraging its extensive experience and expertise in zone substation projects, along with its highly capable skills in design, construction and commissioning.

Testament to the quality of the work, the project won the AIPM state Project Management Achievement Award (PMAA) for the Construction/Engineering category.”

www.zinfra.com.au

INNOVATIVE PARTNERSHIP SIMPLIFIES ASSET MANAGEMENT

Monadelphous, a leading Australian engineering group, has teamed up with IFS, the global enterprise applications company, to utilise IFS Applications™ for enterprise asset management (EAM) and human resources.

Monadelphous is a leading Australian engineering group providing construction, maintenance, and industrial services to the resources, energy, and infrastructure sectors. The company provides services for some of Australia’s biggest and most complex projects and facilities.

Monadelphous Executive General Manager, Maintenance and Industrial Services Zoran Bebic said the maintenance business was very pleased with the improvements IFS had delivered to date.

“IFS has improved enterprise asset management productivity through the provision of an innovative visual work packaging solution that supports pre-planning and execution activities on a major brownfield services contract,” he said.

“In addition, it has enhanced operational efficiency around human resources deployment by streamlining labour-intensive processes with an automated solution. The solution allows allocation and resource levelling of large pools of employees across multiple engagements, resulting in improved customer delivery, along with greater employee utilisation and retention rates.”

“IFS and Monadelphous have a shared focus on resources, energy, and infrastructure,” said Rob Stummer, Managing Director for IFS in Australia and New Zealand. “Our track record in the global oil and gas industry, and delivering solutions to Australian engineering, construction, mining, and energy companies, is a great foundation for a lasting and innovative partnership with Monadelphous.”

THE IFS SOLUTION WILL HELP MONADELPHOUS IMPROVE OPERATIONAL EFFICIENCY ON ITS PROJECTS.

At the Ditch Witch organization, all our products are manufactured to deliver maximum power and performance. From directional drills and vacs, to mini skid steers and parts, one thing is consistent—the high level of quality you need to stay efficient and profitable. Plus, with locations throughout Australia and New Zealand, you’re never far from the gear you need, when you need it. WE’RE IN THIS TOGETHER.

MAJOR CONTRACTOR REDUCES UTILITY STRIKES

A major concern in the highways maintenance industry relates to continued strikes to buried utilities (electricity, gas, telecommunications, and water), their potential to seriously injure excavation teams, and associated costs arising from utility repairs.

Anyone planning to excavate should contact utility owners and operators for information about their utility location and status. But statutory records can often be outdated and do not always reflect as-built information.

During excavation, more than a third of services uncovered are not marked on drawings. Many services that are encountered are at non-standard depths. Therefore, relying solely on utility drawings to locate buried utility services will dramatically increase the likelihood of a utility strike during excavation.

Before excavating, any team should undertake a utility survey to verify the positions of buried utilities. A cable locator and signal transmitter are the preferred equipment to help the operatives locate buried cables. But utility strikes still occur.

So how do large civil engineering companies protect their workforce and protect the buried assets by reducing utility strikes?

Leading civil engineering companies Balfour Beatty and Mott MacDonald made the decision to significantly reduce utility strikes, not only to reduce lost production, workforce downtime, and delays to works, but to protect their workforces.

When looking at how operatives work, they noticed no evidence existed on how pre-excavation surveys were undertaken. If a strike occurred, the investigation process required extended time on site, interviewing and collating the paperwork to undertake a thorough report.

UNDERSTAND WHAT CAUSES UTILITY STRIKES

The first step was to understand the causes of strikes, and identify if the problem related to training or technical issues. Collecting the data in the field has helped Balfour Beatty and Mott MacDonald’s health and safety teams, and the Continuous Improvement Manager, to develop strategies for improvements.

Both companies upgraded their fleets of cable locators to the latest Digicat750i buried utility locators from Leica Geosystems Detection, which record how the instruments are used in the field, where they have been operated and provide the capability to send the data back to a central location for reporting in real time.

Every second, the Digicat750i records all elements of operation to help build a comprehensive report on how the survey was undertaken before any excavation has occurred.

Geographical data can be overlaid onto Google Maps to confirm the right location has been surveyed. Even Google Maps StreetView adds an extra element to the report.

Both companies upgraded their fleets of cable locators to the latest Digicat750i buried utility locators from Leica Geosystems Detection, which record how the instruments are used in the field, where they have been operated, and provide the capability to send the data back to a central location for reporting in real time. Utility

SUPPORT THE EXCAVATION TEAMS

A team of 120 operatives working on their Highways Asset Support Contract, Area 10, undertook in-depth training to accurately locate buried utilities, the functions of the Digicat750i, and used different location methods appropriate to their site conditions.

With the introduction of the Digicat750i, Balfour Beatty and Mott MacDonald can access the located data through the LOGiCAT VU cloud-based system. All operators upload the locator data in the field via the LOGiCAT VU mobile app. The data can be analysed immediately in the office, to provide evidence of best practice. Data will indicate shortfalls and provide guidance for additional training.

Using the Digicat750i in conjunction with the Logicat VU software, Balfour Beatty and Mott MacDonald are able to record buried services, develop detailed plans and update every time a survey is undertaken. As projects progress, more comprehensive detailed plans of the utility network can be developed and made available to all maintenance teams.

ALL THIS LEADS TO ZERO STRIKES

Since December 2015, with the combined introduction of the Digicat750i, LOGiCAT VU and comprehensive training programs within Area 10, the initiative has seen a significant reduction in service strikes with no recorded incidents.

Not only has Digicat reduced utility strikes and protected excavation teams, it has also reduced costs associated to lost production, workforce downtime, and repairs.

Contact C.R. Kennedy to explore how the Digicat750i and LOGiCAT VU can help your business avoid utility asset strikes. Visit http://survey.crkennedy.com.au or call 1300 886 982 for more information.

Driving opportunities

THROUGH THE RIGHT SOLUTIONS

Spotless is one of Australia and New Zealand’s largest and most diverse services groups. The company has grown over the last 70 years to a team of 36,000 people delivering more than 100 integrated facilities management services including utility support services that span meter reading and installation, asset inspection, and energy and water efficiency.

ENON-INVASIVE PATENTED BRFDTM POLE REINSTATEMENT SYSTEM.

nd-to-end technical and lifecycle support is becoming essential to navigating the changing business landscape.

“Our wide range of capabilities, and deep and broad engineering expertise puts us in a position where we can consider our clients’ challenges holistically, and engineer solutions that improve operation efficiencies,” says Stephen Ellich, Spotless Executive General Manager for Utilities, Technical Services and Asset Management.

Spotless has invested in doing things in a smarter way, with innovations such as intelligent standpipes, pole reinstatement systems, and advanced metering solutions.

Based on their four decades of metering experience, Spotless’ Skilltech team developed and trialled the Skilltech SmartPipeTM, a cloud-connected, hydrant access service that remotely captures the exact volume, location, and time any water is extracted from a hydrant in real time.

A standard web portal – with a comprehensive list of configurable reports and system alerts – provides client access to historical data and GPS location of hydrants.

“It has significantly improved the accuracy of billing, verification, and compliance, together with the tracking of unaccounted water usage, addressing long-term concerns of water businesses managing traditional standpipes,” says Mr Ellich.

Most utility poles have a lifespan of 35 years, and with a raft of fiscal constraints network operators usually need them to last much longer. Spotless’ non-invasive pole

SKILLTECH SMARTPIPETM PORTABLE STANDPIPE.

reinstatement system, the patented BRFDTM (band-plate reinforced design) pole reinstatement system, is a low-cost, environmentally friendly, safe and reliable alternative to the expensive and challenging task of replacing damaged or decayed poles. Made solely in Australia, the award-winning, high-quality galvanised steel system extends the life of compromised poles by at least 20 years, with the added advantage of not requiring wood below ground.

Spotless has been quick to respond to the Power of Choice (PoC) reforms coming into effect this year, which give consumers the power to choose how they use electricity.

“Retailers will need to move quickly to adapt their new business models to not only meet their new obligations, but take advantage of the opportunities that PoC represents,” says Mr Ellich.

SAM (Spotless Advanced Metering) resolves several challenges retailers face with an integrated solution. The simple, efficient, and scalable business model provides an end-to-end advanced metering service direct to retailers, which includes meter supply and finance, installation and maintenance servicing, and remote digital services – allowing retailers to focus on their core retail energy business.

Disruption of the digital era is more obvious than ever. Spotless is continuously looking to do things smarter, faster, more efficiently, cost-effectively, and sustainably. Mr Ellich says, “The potential is enormous and investing in the right solutions will create further opportunities for all stakeholders.”

• SmartPipe™ portable stand pipe YOU SEE UTILITY ASSETS WITH OPTIMISED PERFORMANCE. WE SEE OUR INNOVATIVE TECHNICAL SOLUTIONS DRIVING SUSTAINABILITY.

We provide technical and engineering solutions that deliver technological superiority, high cost-savings, optimal operational performance and end-to-end technical and life cycle support. Our specialist utility services and products include:

• RFD and patented BRFD™ Pole Reinstatement System

• Asset inspection and monitoring

• Electrical overhead project and maintenance

• Street lighting upgrade and maintenance

• Vegetation management

• Terrestrial Laser Scanning

• Technical services (survey, design and drafting)

• Meter reading, installation, replacement and maintenance

• Advanced Metering solution (supply-finance-install-maintain-remote data services)

The digitisation of water utilities has been viewed as somewhat of a utopian goal for a number of years – but now, Melbourne’s three metropolitan water utilities are working towards making this dream a reality.

MELBOURNE’S WATER UTILITIES WORK TOWARDS

DIGITISATION

To meet the challenges of climate change and more extreme droughts, the three metropolitan Melbourne water utilities are working together to explore new ways to further improve the performance of the water network, and ensure it operates even more efficiently and delivers greater value to their customers.

Early last year, City West Water, South East Water and Yarra Valley Water formed the Digital Metering Joint Program to collaboratively investigate digital water meters as one option to provide enhanced benefits and visibility for customers, and to ensure an efficient network for the future.

City West Water Managing Director David Ryan said the utilities see digital water meters as an important part of the wider digital transformation of the industry, enabling greater advancements and efficiencies which will benefit customers.

“The utilities manage more than 2.2 million water meters combined, and gaining customer support and choosing the right technology will be critical success factors for a potential meter replacement program.”

South East Water Chief Financial Officer and General Manager Corporate and Commercial Phil Johnson said digital metering was one part of his organisation’s vision of a digital utility.

“The ‘digital utility’ extends beyond the realm of digital meters, and considers how technology will transform the way water utilities operate in their entirety.

“This includes the capture and digitisation of data, process automation and integration, analytics driven insights, and technology assisted collaboration and delivery.

“What makes digital transformations different is the cohesive realisation of these digital attributes across organisational functions to deliver traditional business outcomes and new business opportunities,” he said.

DIGITAL METERING: AN OPPORTUNITY

Melbourne’s existing mechanical meters use technology that has remained largely unchanged since the 1940s. Meters are still read manually every quarter, which results in:

• A lack of detailed information to help customers understand and control their water consumption, and to help the government and utilities plan and coordinate infrastructure investments efficiently

• Some customers experiencing bill shock due to an inability to detect and repair leaks

• An inability to meet growing customer expectations for more information about their water services

The current development of new digital meter technology will provide the ability for Melbourne to overcome all of these issues, and create further opportunity to solve some network planning and asset management challenges.

THE LASTING IMPACT OF DROUGHT

The Millennium Drought, which ran from 1996 to 2010, had a lasting impact on Melburnians’ water consumption, behaviour and attitudes to their water supply.

Currently, Melburnians use 22 per cent less water than they did before the drought.

Research by the utilities has found drought remains a top concern for Melburnians in regards to their water supply, and customers want utilities to be prepared for another future drought.

Digital meters provide customers with daily water consumption information and the ability to compare consumption to targets or restrictions, which may be necessary in the event of another drought.

This has the potential to provide Melburnians with a greater level of comfort about the reliability of their water supply in a time of increased climate uncertainty.

Access to more frequent usage information could even enable customers to find new ways to save more water.

The Millennium Drought also changed the way the utilities manage water, and led to the introduction of alternative water sources such as recycled water, stormwater harvesting, and the Victorian Desalination Project.

Yarra Valley Water Managing Director Pat McCafferty said by finding new ways to save water, the utilities can potentially defer future large capital

Melbourne’s water utilities work towards digitisation

investments in new water supplies.

“The current lack of usage information could be resulting in oversized, and therefore costlier, assets.

“Alternatively, if assets are undersized, they risk not meeting demand, resulting in customers experiencing pressure losses or service interruptions.

“One of the key successes of the Mackay Council digital metering upgrade was the council’s ability to defer capital investments due to lower water consumption rates,” he said.

More granular water information also enables the utilities to reduce costly and disruptive emergency repairs by predicting and fixing water network issues before they turn into bursts.

COLLABORATION THE KEY

By working together on the Digital Metering Joint Program, the three utilities aim to develop a common approach to business cases, present a consolidated position and consistent messaging to government and customers, and potentially achieve economies of scale through bulk purchasing or sharing services.

The utilities are considering an Advanced Metering Infrastructure two-way fixed communications network and open standard solution that allows access to a large ecosystem of related product technology providers.

The utilities are conducting trials across a number of Low Power Wide Area carrier technologies.

The trials are being conducted across multiple geographical regions to test different topography for coverage as well as functionality, maturity, service specification, asset life, and battery load.

Trials are also being conducted to simulate real-life conditions in a laboratory to test–using various metering and communications technology combinations–the impact on battery power consumption of the water meter component, communications component, and communications chip against various test case scenarios.

A CUSTOMER-FOCUSED SOLUTION

The ability of digital meters to detect leaks could help reduce the

number of enquiries the metropolitan Melbourne utilities receive each year that relate to high bills, high usage, and leaks, which can be as high as a third of all enquiries.

The utilities have estimated the cost of managing these enquiries under a "business as usual" scenario could exceed $20 million per year by 2041.

The New York Department of Environmental Protection’s Automated Metering Infrastructure program installed 820,000 digital water meters.

Its leak notification program has saved customers more than $26 million since its inception in 2011, and billing disputes have reduced by 56 per cent.

Digitising the entire network also has the potential to reduce non-revenue water losses, which account for 10 per cent of Melbourne’s total water use.

Even though this is efficient for the sector, this is a key area where water can be saved.

In considering and building the business case for digital metering, the utilities stress the importance of considering less quantifiable benefits such as:

• Empowering customers with information so they can choose to change their consumption behaviour to save water and save on their bill

• Meeting changing customer expectations for digital customer service channels and personalised information and tips

• Offering more frequent billing so households can better manage expenses

GROWING SUPPORT

Research undertaken for the program has found knowledge and support of digital meters is growing and 69 per cent of Melbourne water customers support the potential introduction of digital meters in the near future.

The benefits of a collaboration by the three metropolitan utilities is that Melburnians are ensured a better digital metering experience if and when the time is right.

DIGITAL METERS ALSO HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO IDENTIFY LEAKS BEFORE BILL SHOCK IDENTIFIES THE PROBLEM.

DIGITAL METERS HAVE THE POTENTIAL TO PROVIDE CUSTOMERS WITH ALMOST REAL-TIME USAGE INFORMATION.

Long-term remote monitoring, easy and accurate on-site testing as well as reliable process instrumentation are highly sought after by water operators and technicians. Thermo Fisher Scientifi c together with supplier partners supply a comprehensive solution to your applications.

Order Placement:

customer service, call 1300-735-295 To fax an order, use 1800-067-639 To email an order, infowaterAU@thermofisher.com

IS 3D PRINTING THE FUTURE OF

water asset management? water asset management?

By using 3D printing, the automotive industry has been able to print car parts, the architecture industry can print complex design models, and the healthcare industry is using the technology to create prosthesis, implants, and organs. Rod Priest from Goulburn-Murray Water (GMW) believes it’s now the utility industry’s turn, and is developing a 3D printing approach that has the potential to reduce costs and increase the life of water assets.

Additive manufacturing, or 3D printing as it’s more commonly known, allows industries to create 3D printed objects from digital designs. Rod Priest, a mechanical engineer and metering support officer in GMW’s Asset Forward Planning team, has created a program that is assessing how 3D printing could produce parts for water assets that can be used in GMW’s asset management program.

The project, part of GMW’s innovation program, was recognised at the 2016 Water Industry Operators Association (WIOA) Conference where Mr Priest won the Kwatye Award. The Kwatye Award is sponsored by leading biotechnology product development company, Thermo Fisher Scientific Australia, and honours innovative projects that benefit the Australian water industry.

The award also came with a $6,600 grant for the project, which Mr Priest said will help the program look at how existing 3D printing processes and technologies can extend the life of water assets.

“3D printing will potentially reduce the cost of asset life, or increase the life of a particular asset. At the end of the day, it’s all about cost for use, so we need to reduce the cost of our assets to our customers. 3D printing will be able to prolong the life, and make parts cheaper than traditional methods.

“Potentially some of the different materials that we can use will actually extend the life of a particular part, so there’s a much bigger variety of material composition that we can use. We can also use coding technologies to actually strengthen the existing technologies, or the existing substructure,” Mr Priest said.

3D printing has the potential to drastically reduce manufacturing costs as the materials used are much cheaper than conventional materials. It can also allow utilities to create parts that are no longer available through traditional manufacturing. Mr Priest said some of the current focus areas of GMW’s 3D printing program include aging infrastructure around dams, and pump station components used for run-off drainage water and irrigation.

“We’re looking at repairing particular components on some of those dam infrastructure assets, as some of those are a hundred plus years old. Also, other particular components on some of our smaller pump stations, so we’re looking at particular pump stations where we can actually improve the cost of pumping.

“We’re looking at several different options across all of our asset base, but tending towards some of our bigger assets, rather than our smaller, more frequent assets. This technology focuses better towards smaller one-offs and

RHIANNON HORRELL, CHEE CHIANG WOO, STEPHEN CHURCH, MATTHEW BOWLES, JOE COSTANZO, RODNEY PRIEST (KWAYTE AWARD WINNER), SAM GREEN, RYAN LINDSAY, ANDREA POGUE.

customised components, rather than multiples of small components,” Mr Priest said.

Since receiving the Kwatye Award, GMW has begun working with CSIRO to further investigate how this technology can be implemented in the industry. 3D printing technologies are providing water utilities with a new option for replacing aging asset components, which Mr Priest said revolves around innovation.

“I think the project scope is endless in terms of what we

can actually use 3D printing for, it’s not just a product, or a particular thing, it’s a whole new way of thinking, and a new way of potentially developing all of our assets, and all of our manufacturing techniques.

“It’s all about innovation in terms of if we can be smarter in delivering water to any of our customers, and that goes right across the board, we can reduce the cost of that water delivery. That process can then lead on to bigger and better things for the whole irrigation and water delivery industry.”

ROD PRIEST IS PRESENTED WITH THE KWATYE AWARD AT GOULBURN-MURRAY WATER BY CHRIS HARITOU (RIGHT) FROM THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC AUSTRALIA, WITH GMW'S INNOVATION MANAGER, ANDREA POGUE.

ROD PRIEST IS PRESENTED WITH THE KWATYE AWARD AT WIOA-BENDIGO CONFERENCE 2016 BY DAVID CROSSLEY (LEFT) FROM THERMO FISHER SCIENTIFIC AUSTRALIA.

Water is our business

TRILITY management operates plants across Australia and New Zealand treating over 1.8 GL/d and servicing millions of people every day. Our managers and field staff offer the qualifications and experience across disciplines such as engineering, project and financial management to ensure water infrastructure is managed in an optimum way, where the safety of employees and contractors is paramount and community engagement is ongoing. Our employees use advanced technology and systems across each operation to ensure plant availability for our clients and their customers.

INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS EQUAL MORE WATER AND MORE OPPORTUNITY

Over a recent holiday period, as families across Australia were enjoying seasonal festivities, TRILITY employees were at work managing a raft of issues across the nation: raw water quality challenges in the River Murray; assessing the effects of an earthquake in the Sydney region; monitoring extreme temperatures in several locations across the country; and preparing for the onset of severe wet weather in regional Queensland, and intense tropical lightning strikes in Far North Queensland.

For TRILITY Group Managing Director Francois Gouws this sort of commitment symbolises the dedication each of his employees has to getting the job done whatever the circumstances and time of day.

“Throughout these events TRILITY operational teams worked extended hours, and showed high levels of flexibility and commitment in order to meet our obligations to our client and their customers,” Gouws says.

Moreover, TRILITY employees worked through these challenges encountering and managing potential safety risks such as lone working, working remotely, driving in adverse weather, and fatigue. Gouws adds that all of the work was completed safely and without incident.

“This reinforces the importance of teamwork across our business,” he says.

“The collaboration between the teams on the ground and the various TRILITY departments, such as IT, Corporate Services, and Asset Management, underscore how we work together as one team and sacrifice family commitments to take on daily challenges, no matter what time of the day or night and every day of the year.”

This requires a commitment to 24 hours a day, seven days a week service, irrespective of the weather conditions or time of the year. TRILITY’s operational sites must operate around the clock to ensure that essential services are provided to communities. This commitment also requires employees to contend with significant weather events and ensure the assets are protected.

Behind this commitment is the machinery of a business with around 300 employees operating from offices in Adelaide, Melbourne, Brisbane, and Perth, as well as regional locations in most states.

TRILITY’s footprint spans locations that change with Australia and New Zealand’s highly variable climate and topography; from the plains of Queensland’s Northern Peninsula or alongside that state’s pristine golden beaches; deep into South Australia’s harsh inland, or operating a community wastewater scheme nestled between the Pacific Coast and rolling farmland of Mangawhai, New Zealand; to supplying water piped across thousands of kilometres into the goldfields region of Western Australia.

The distinctive TRILITY branding can be found in numerous locations across regional Australia, where the supply of water and treatment of wastewater is just as critical to industry, agriculture, and communities as it is to customers in parts of metropolitan Sydney, South East Queensland, or Melbourne’s burgeoning north-east.

The company has established a national portfolio of assets that delivers for customers and clients: from local and international corporate clients to every level of government; in locations across metropolitan and regional Australia; and at every step in the water infrastructure life cycle, from design and construct, to operations and maintenance of conveyance, treatment, reuse, and biosolids infrastructure.

A distinguishing feature of the TRILITY story is its commitment to working hand-in-hand with industry, drawing on its depth of knowledge to innovate and create opportunities for companies built on new ways to utilise water and protect a precious resource.

One of these areas is the transformation of aging water assets. Another is leading water recycling initiatives for beneficial purposes such as agriculture. This is resulting in new opportunities for farmers and industry, job creation and stronger regional economies.

“Entire regions can be transformed by innovative water solutions,” Gouws says “More water means more opportunity for high-tech farming and higher-value crops, and greater capacity for Australian farms to capitalise on the rising Asian demand for Australian produce.”

Greater use of recycled water in farming also has environmental benefits through a reduced discharge to the environment.

This commitment to excellence and reducing impact

WATER MANAGEMENT

Utility Partner Solutions

on the environment has enabled the company to win numerous innovation awards for work on design and operational excellence. This has elevated the company in the water sector for its innovative thinking and approach to developing water infrastructure of the highest quality.

“Hydramet is one of the jewels in our offering,” Gouws says. This market-leading, specialised water treatment solutions company is another prime example of TRILITY’s resourceful and diversified offering.

Hydramet maintains 700 disinfection facilities across Australia, many of them in very remote locations. The company’s expertise also encompasses a wider range of water treatment technologies including reverse osmosis, electrochlorination, filtration and electrodialysis reversal. Hydramet’s dynamic team continues to develop innovative and proprietary products to provide bespoke water treatment solutions for a diversified range of clients.

Gouws says the company’s business model is nimble and adaptable. “The water industry is constantly evolving due to changing community and industry needs, and climate change.

“TRILITY is at the forefront of this ever-changing environment, and is making an important contribution to the future of Australia’s precious water infrastructure.

“Our clients are planning for the community’s future demands and expect reliable, sustainable, and efficient water, wastewater, and reuse water solutions delivered across networks.

“Our assets under ownership or management may sit in every state and territory but the core of TRILITY is our people.

“We deploy and commit employees to deliver the best possible service to our clients or customers, and the value we provide is built on the skills and dedication of every employee selected for the task.”

Critically, the achievements and challenges TRILITY teams encounter and overcome are communicated to all of the company’s teams so each employee can draw on this experience and ensure the knowledge is deployed to other sites, providing solutions for customers and a bank of intelligence that ensures TRILITY and its people are in high demand across the utilities sector.

“We operate as one team always, wherever our people are located across Australia or New Zealand,” Gouws says. “We have invested heavily in staff and systems, and a core part of my role is to maintain and enhance the exceptional culture that exists within TRILITY today.

“This is fundamental to the way TRILITY has grown over the years and how it will continue to evolve into the future.”

TRILITY’S FOUR BUSINESS UNITS

TRILITY Group is built around four main business units:

• Operations and Maintenance: comprises employees operating and maintaining plants around the clock

• Asset Ownership: responsible for the financial and administrative aspects of the business

• Design and Construction: comprises a team of highly skilled engineers, construction and project managers that handle upgrading and construction of infrastructure at all of TRILITY’s facilities

• Hydramet: the group’s first acquisition, which delivers gas chlorination and chemical dosing system design, development, manufacture, installation and service

THE TRILITY NETWORK

TRILITY manages the largest private utility irrigation networks in regional Victoria and South Australia. It delivers a range of complex services in these states, as well as Queensland, Western Australia, and New South Wales, that includes:

• 24 water treatment and desalination plants

• 15 wastewater treatment and reuse plants/schemes

• Two irrigation schemes covering 212km

• One biosolids plant 60,000 tonnes/year

HYDRAMET SERVICES 700 SITES ACROSS AUSTRALIA INCLUDING:

• 433 water treatment plants

• 50 wastewater treatment plants

• 64 aquatic centres

• 32 mine sites

• 30 food and beverage manufacturers

REVOLUTIONISING CHEMICAL INJECTION

Hydramet recently launched its HQ3 injection quill, which they believe is the future in providing operator safety during the chemical injection process.

The HQ3 injection quill has been engineered and designed with operator safety in mind, and ensures the quill cannot be accidentally withdrawn or ejected from the body.

HQ3 has been certified and tested to AS4037 for pressure equipment. Hydramet has a patent pending.

The quill is duplex stainless steel SAF2205 and the ball valve and seal chamber are 316 stainless steel, making it ideally suited to applications in chlorination systems.

The Hydramet Advantage

Service and Spare Parts

Compliance Audits

Emergency Response

Fabrication and Installation

Design and ConstructionProject Management

Chlorination, Disinfection and Chemical Dosing

Maintenance Contracts

Design and Technical Support

Training

FOR SMART COMMUNITIES,

just add water

by Mark Halliwell, Taggle Systems

Smart cities are now official. The Australian Government has a smart cities plan, city deals, a smart cities and suburbs program and there was a Smart Cities Summit in April. Hardly a day goes by without news of a town or city launching its smart city initiative. But what exactly is a smart city?

Answers can be varied, vague and, in some cases, pure vapourware. However, a recent report by the National League of Cities (USA) titled Trends in Smart City Development started with this: “Smart city initiatives involve three components: information and communication technologies (ICTs) that generate and aggregate data; analytical tools which convert that data into usable information; and organisational structures that encourage collaboration, innovation, and the application of that information to solve public problems”. Sounds reasonable, but how do you get started?

Well, it may come as a surprise, but many Australian communities are already well on their way towards becoming a smart city or smart community without realising it. Twenty-two councils and water utilities around the country are currently using Taggle’s Low Power Wide Area Network (LPWAN) to collect massive amounts of data from water meters, pressure transducers, and other sensors installed throughout their water infrastructure. On a daily basis Taggle delivers 2,532,285 readings to their customers; data which they are using in billing systems, SCADA, GIS, hydraulic models, meter data management software, and web-based customer portals. The last one, customer portals, are important new channels for customer engagement which benefit both councils and customers.

Managing infrastructure and delivering services to the community are core business for a local council, and doing so more efficiently is a high priority. Asked to provide more and more services with little or no increases in rates revenue, councils are looking for every opportunity to reduce their service delivery costs and extract maximum value from resources. And, where water security is a problem, they are

seeking new ways to ensure that water losses are kept as low as possible.

The Australian Government, recognising that “local governments are at the frontline of urban service delivery”, is providing $50 million to support “projects that apply innovative technology-based approaches to improve the liveability of cities and their suburbs”. One of the priority areas for this funding is smart infrastructure with the aim of “improving the safety, efficiency, reliability and delivery of essential services”. What could be more essential than water?

Round one of the funding available under the smart cities and suburbs program will support “deployment-ready” projects that are able to start within two months of funding being granted.

Taggle is ready to deploy its network in your area at very short notice and we have devices to help you start collecting data and getting results straight away. Within hours of connecting your water meters to our network, for example, we can send data which will identify potential leaks on your customers’ properties. Once repaired, they’ll save water and money, and your council will have happy customers. Over time, the data will help reduce non-revenue water losses and assist in raising community awareness of the need to use water wisely.

In his November 2016 Utility article, Stephen Fernando of Mackay Regional Council wrote in considerable detail about how his community reduced water consumption by 12 per cent, how the council expects to charge less for water in future years, and how a major investment planned for 2020 has been deferred to 2032. Sounds like a smart community to me!

So, if your community wants to be a smart community, get onto Taggle’s Low Power Wide Area Network and just add water!

innovative safety solutions.

Halliday Products has manufactured aluminium access covers since 1972. Our founding force was the desire to provide a cost-effective and more reliable product than a steel hatch, which was the industry standard at the time. Since then we have added a full line of allied and accessory aluminium and stainless steel products for the municipal and industrial water and wastewater treatment industries.

Lifetime guarantee.

Debris Baskets Portable Hoist Ladders Retro Grate

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Monitoring:

THE CRITICAL STEP IN SOURCE TO TAP SAFETY

A water distribution network fulfills the roles of storing, treating and conveying drinking water. It is a critical part of the requirement for water utilities to take “source to tap” responsibility for delivering safe drinking water to its customers.

There are many opportunities for water quality to be compromised in drinking water distribution systems – biofilm in pipes, contamination during line breaks and periods of low pressure, and animal droppings in uncovered reservoirs are well known problems. Until now, drinking water distribution systems have been black holes for information, and short-term water quality events could pass unnoticed.

Enabling managers to make decisions and take effective action requires accurate and “near real-time” multi-parameter water quality data, at strategic locations across the network.

Blue I Technologies now offers the Smart LEA (low energy analyser), a low energy, self-powered, multiparameter water quality analyser designed specifically for performing measurements at hard-to-reach places along the water distribution network, without requiring power or communication infrastructure.

Battery life is enhanced by the use of low-power components and innovative operational algorithms. Site visits for maintenance are minimal, and measurement can be performed where it is needed and not where it is simply convenient.

Measurement data and alarms are logged locally and also transmitted through GSM/GPRS data communication systems. Rapid response to level changes in the parameters being monitored enables real-time reporting and alerts, allowing prompt corrective action. Precise positioning of each Smart LEA on a map on the user interface avoids any confusion about location.

Manual labour required for sampling and analysis is dramatically reduced, and incident response delays, caused by waiting for laboratory results, are eliminated.

The Smart LEA combines information and communication technology with accurate water analysis.

Water chemistry (free or total chlorine, pH and ORP) is measured using high-precision amperometric technology. Integrated pH and temperature compensation enables accurate measurements at low levels of chlorine, providing stable and reliable measurements.

Physical measurements (turbidity and conductivity) are measured with innovative, low-power devices.

The network status is indicated by line pressure measurement and the ability to accept a flow signal. Calibration can be performed remotely.

Optimos Solutions has installed Smart LEAs in three Australian distribution systems – in Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland.

Within a very short time, valuable insights into the water quality dynamics of these distribution systems are being gained. Comparing the trend plots, we can see three quite different systems delivering very different water quality to end users. Comparing the water quality data from the three networks is analogous to comparing the data from three different parts of a large network.

COMPARISON OF FREE CHLORINE DATA FROM THREE INSTALLED SMART LEAS, OVER THE SAME ONE-MONTH PERIOD.

COMPARISON OF CONDUCTIVITY DATA FROM THREE INSTALLED SMART LEAS, OVER THE SAME ONE-MONTH PERIOD.

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BARWON WATER’S SHAPING A REGIONAL WATER UTILITY: NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR

Barwon Water’s new Managing Director, Tracey Slatter, has only been in the role since the start of 2017, but she is already making plans to help address major issues in the region, including population growth, water security, liveability, and the effects of climate change. Here’s how she plans to work with the community to shape the utility’s future direction.

Ms Slatter is stepping into the top job at Victoria’s largest regional urban water corporation with a range of previous leadership experience. She has been CEO of the Colac Otway Shire, and the City of Port Phillip, the Head of Claims at the Transport Accident Commission in Geelong, and has held numerous executive positions within the Victorian Government.

Ms Slatter said she was excited to join Barwon Water at a time when the Geelong region is going through a transition in its economy, from one that was primarily a manufacturingbased economy, to a more service industry, technology and new manufacturing-driven one.

“Organisations like Barwon Water really have to play a strong role in helping to lead that transition, particularly with water being so critical to the economy and liveability. I thought it was a great time to come back to the region, and to work in an organisation that has a critical role to play.

“I think my breadth of leadership, coming into an organisation like Barwon Water at a time of change, is proving to be a real strength. I’m finding that I’m drawing on the experiences that I’ve had in all of those organisations to help this organisation shape its future direction.”

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT KEY FOR FUTURE POLICY

Ms Slatter said that while Barwon Water is currently in a relatively strong position, she hopes to further build on its

strengths through a focus on community engagement.

“Barwon Water is in a strong position. It’s been managing its finances very well. It has been providing affordable water to our community. We have secure sources of water, and really good infrastructure. A lot of capital projects have been implemented over the last few years to really bring that about, particularly the Geelong–Melbourne Pipeline, the Anglesea Borefield Project, and the Colac–Geelong Pipeline. They’re projects that have really helped build the region's water security.

“The organisation’s in good shape, but the opportunity really is to then say okay, what’s the aspiration? How do we build on those strengths and really help play a pivotal role in the leadership of our region’s prosperity and liveability?”

Ms Slatter said the answer lies in working with community groups, businesses, industry, schools, Aboriginal communities, other water authorities and local councils to help the region reach the next level in water strategy.

One of the ways this is being made possible is through the government’s Water for Victoria policy, which is providing a blueprint for water authorities.

“Water for Victoria is a really important framework, and here with the board and with the staff we’re working through the next level of our strategy, and we’ll build the capability to do that,” Ms Slatter said.

Barwon Water is also going through a detailed engagement process with the community to find out what the residents

actually want from their water and sewage services.

“We’ve been having a series of engagements, online, out at community events, at markets, in townships, and with businesses, to engage in a structured approach to gaining their feedback and input into what they value most about water, and what they want us to do more or less of.

“In addition to that, we are running a deliberative process with a group of 30 members of our community who have been randomly selected from across the region, and across a range of socio-demographic groups, to work intensely over a series of a few days to make recommendations to our board about many of those questions as well. I’m really looking forward to the results, and the recommendations of that panel.”

THINKING SMARTER ABOUT WATER USE

Ms Slatter said while it was still too early to draw conclusions, she is beginning to get a sense of what the community wants based on her interactions with residents and organisations.

“I’ve also been spending time one-on-one with a number of external key stakeholders, including local councils, Aboriginal community groups, and businesses in the industry, really understanding where the aligned goals and objectives are, and what role we can play as an organisation to help with that.

“[The community] wants safe, reliable drinking water, a secure supply of water, and safe, effective, and reliable water treatment services. They’re the bottom lines, and for those services to be provided in a way that’s affordable for everyone in our community. I’m [also] really sensing

in our region an appetite to go a lot further than that. Tick those boxes, but also, [for Barwon Water to] be a leader in partnering with community, with business, with councils, to drive and improve the liveability of our region.”

Ms Slatter said, to achieve this, Barwon Water needs to find ways to be more productive with the water that is already available.

“[We need to] think smarter about stormwater, about productive uses for recycled water, or how we can best use potable water for the highest and best use, so that we can really drive liveability and economic prosperity in the region. I think that’s the next level. It is a new mindset for many water utilities, not just ours, to get into,” Ms Slatter said.

CHALLENGES FACING REGIONAL WATER AUTHORITIES

Ms Slatter said Barwon Water is also looking at the challenges that will face the region in the future, and what can be done now to overcome them.

“By 2040 Geelong’s population is expected to increase by more than 40 per cent, to over 400,000 people. Over the same period, it’s predicted that climate change will have the effect of reducing flows into our dams and reservoirs by more than seven per cent,” Ms Slatter said.

“The combined impact of that growth, and reduced flows into our dams, means we have to be a lot more innovative and productive with our water use. We have to be innovative with technology, we have to play our role in reducing emissions, and electricity is a massive part of our overall costs here. I think that really tells a story about the opportunity for innovation.”

Shaping a regional water utility: Barwon Water’s new Managing Director

BARWON WATER’S NEW MANAGING DIRECTOR, TRACEY SLATTER.

Shaping

TECHNOLOGY TO HELP INCREASE WATER EFFICIENCY

Ms Slatter said there are a number of key projects currently underway that aim to address these challenges, and increase water efficiency and productivity, through technology.

One of these examples is Barwon Water’s new headquarters in Geelong, which combines a number of new technologies to reduce electricity usage by an expected 70 per cent, and gas by 90 per cent, compared to the old headquarters. The reduced costs of operation will allow more funds to be used for service delivery priorities.

Another major project in the works is a one megawatt solar array project at Black Rock Water Reclamation Plant in the Black Rock environmental precinct in Connewarre, for which a contract was recently awarded.

The plant currently consumes 39 per cent of Barwon Water’s overall electricity use, and the solar array project is expected to achieve a five per cent reduction in the utility's scope two (electricity) emission, and, over time, reduce costs for customers.

Outside of projects aimed at reducing energy usage and carbon emissions, Barwon Water is also undertaking a trial using leak detection technology. The trial, which started two years ago, is estimated to have saved 65 million litres of water by identifying leaks when they occur, allowing them to be addressed quickly.

Ms Slatter said if the trial is successful, the technology could be rolled out across the region to improve water productivity.

“Solutions are not always about finding more water, but about how we use all of the water that we have efficiently and productively.”

PASSION ESSENTIAL IN WATER SECTOR ROLES

Ms Slatter said people in leadership roles within the water and utilities industry all have different styles and strengths, with hers being a passion for driving performance through collaboration.

“I have a real love of the people that I work with, and the work that we do. I have a real passion for driving high performance, but through building a very collaborative, exciting, and fun organisation where people are

excited by the big challenges that we’re trying to nail, the big projects that we’re trying to land. We all work together, each of us bringing our different strengths and ideas, and constructive criticisms to the process along the way. It’s very much about working together,” Ms Slatter said.

“I get very excited and engaged in the work that we’re doing, and I think my experience has been that that excitement is infectious, and people love to come onboard. Every organisation I’ve worked with and every team, we’ve always achieved a lot more together than we ever thought we could when we started out. That just makes me incredibly proud and excited.”

a regional water utility: Barwon Water’s new Managing Director

Speeding construction at

BARANGAROO

On the edge of the famous Sydney Harbour and at the heart of Barangaroo’s brand new commercial district, there are three high-rise office towers currently under construction that will become a new corporate centre for the Asia-Pacific region.

Developed by Lendlease and designed by internationally acclaimed architects, the three commercial towers at Barangaroo in Sydney are ready to set new benchmarks for sustainable workplace design.

Called International Towers Sydney, the towers sit at an impressive 49 floors, 43 floors, and 39 floors, respectively. With the 2016 completion date, there was a huge number of contractors working on them. All three mechanical contractors, Axis, Brown & Moodie, and Sydmec, plus the hydraulic contractor, used Viega’s Propress technology.

After initially considering another approach, Viega’s innovative and highly efficient pressfit technology won out.

“Productivity was the main reason for the change from brazing to Viega pressfit, as there is a lot of time lost moving oxyacetylene bottles vertically between floors – it is more efficient to use pressfit,” explained Rob Elliot, NSW State Manager for Axis Plumbing.

“Other reasons included site work and safety requirements, and the need to reduce/eliminate hot works on site due to safety reasons.”

VIEGA THE PREFERRED SOLUTION

Brown & Moodie, another contractor working on the project, also supported the use of Viega’s pressfit technology.

“Viega’s Propress was already

approved and preferred by the consultants and engineers as a superior product, which made it easier for Brown & Moodie to get it through,” says Quentin Brown, Brown & Moodie Project Manager.

“We were happy that the engineers were also convinced that pressfit was suitable for this project.”

Developer Lendlease secured a number of high-profile tenants including Westpac, KPMG, PwC, HSBC, and Lendlease itself. The pressure was on all contractors involved to deliver the highest quality work, under tight timeframes, as safely as possible.

“That is the best thing about the Viega Propress system – it offers fast, flexible and safe copper pipework installation that assists with overcoming the challenges of working on such a largescale project,” said Rob. “The technology also works with the elimination of fire/ flame/hot work permits.”

TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND TRAINING

Viega Propress copper press fittings are being used in all three towers for potable hot/cold water, as well as mechanical services, and gas services. A huge project for all involved, contractor Axis is particularly pleased with the technical field support and

training Viega provides on site.

“There is a peace of mind when using a premium product like Viega,” says Rob. “We know that Viega is a premium product with unique features, the most innovative of which are the patented smart connect feature and leak detection safety feature.

“The added safety on site, ease and speed of installation, and quality of installation are the icing on the cake.”

Contractor Brown & Moodie also expressed a strong confidence in the quality of Viega’s products and the accompanying warranty.

“The product gives us the ability to capture any unpressed joints thanks to their smart connect feature,” explains Quentin. “Propress saves us time on installation, minimises the need for hot work permits, and provides us with topnotch technical support and training.”

Providing clients with the best onsite support in the industry is exactly what Viega aspires to do, as Robert Hardgrove from Viega Australia attests.

“Viega prides itself on setting the highest standard for safety, product innovation, and training for clients,” he explains. “For a large-scale project such as Barangaroo that needs to utilise the quickest, safest, and most accurate way of installing a sizeable amount of piping, Viega’s Propress technology is a perfect fit.”

For more information, visit www.viega.com.au or call 1800 4 VIEGA.

THIS WILL SOON BE SYDNEY’S VIBRANT NEW FINANCIAL HUB.

Containing thousands of copper pipe fittings that will ensure sustained drinking water hygiene for the future.

a reliable supply of drinking water. Not only does the system impress with its excellent hygienic properties, it is also quick and easy to install – a significant advantage for a major project like this on a tight schedule. Viega. Connected in quality.

International Towers Sydney is being developed by Lendlease as a future economic centre for the Asia-Pacific region, right next to Sydney Harbour. Viega ProPress copper fittings are being used throughout to provide the 131 floors of the three towers with

International Towers Sydney, Sydney, Australia

NEW ENTRY INTO THE AUSTRALIAN WATER MARKET

Filtec is pleased to have recently established itself in the Australian Water market. Filtec has an outstanding reputation in New Zealand for the design and construction of small to medium water and wastewater treatment systems for the municipal and industrial market.

Filtec also sells an extensive range of specialised water and wastewater treatment equipment backed by excellent after sales service.

Filtec recently completed Wannon Water’s Casterton water treatment plant (WTP) upgrade using Parkson Lamella® technology to significantly reduce the turbidity load on the existing filters. This has resulted in significantly improved filter run times and treated water quality.

Due to the corrosive nature of the raw bore water, the plant is designed with external paint specifications for a fifty-year

life. All internal wetted parts of the Lamella® are of 316SS construction and it was built in Filtec’s own specialist Auckland fabrication facility under licence from Parkson, USA.

Filtec is currently commissioning a four million litres per day GE ultrafiltration plant for the new Fonterra Cheese Factory at Stanhope in Victoria. The turnkey WTP incorporates chemical coagulation, UF, and Trojan UV disinfection technology.

They have also recently commissioned the first Trojan advanced oxidation plant in Australasia for drinking water taste and odour removal (Waihi WTP near Auckland). Utilising hydrogen peroxide and UV treatment to remove geosmin and 2-MIB.

For more information on Filtec’s skills and capabilities for your project or equipment needs, please contact Colin Nash on 0419347054 or colin.nash@filtec.co.nz, or visit www.filtec.co.nz.

An End to End Telemetry Solution

Point Green – Low Cost, High Spec:

3G / DNP3 / IP68 / 2 sensors / CI & DI I/O options / RS232, RS485 & SDI-12 / 5+ years battery life

Ideal for simple remote and/or underground ‘out-of-sight’ monitoring applications.

Point Orange – The Next Generation:

3G / DNP3 / IP68 / 5 sensors / AI, CI, DI I/O options / RS232, RS485 & SDI-12 / Up to 4 passive/2 Active voltage inputs / Up to 5 digital inputs / 5+ years battery life / flexible I/O configuration

Offers a wider range of applications including: rainfall, creek level and flow, sewer level and pressure, dam level management.

Point Blue – Intrinsically Safe:

Benefits from most of Point Orange’s functions and in addition is IECEx approved / Exll 1G Ex ia llB T4 Ga (-20°C ≤ Ta ≤ +50°) / Can be used as part of an overall IECEx compliant installation

Ideal for utilities, gas and energy providers, agricultural applications and inline monitoring of gases and liquids.

When Point Colour RTUs are combined with our web-hosted end user data visualisation platform, ‘Palette’, they provide a real time monitoring and management tool that enables effective decision making.

To find out more contact email info@metasphere.net.au or call 1300 785 681 www.metasphere.net.au

Fast data access, ANYWHERE, ANYTIME

For the modern utility, remote access to data from your water and wastewater treatment plants is an essential part of running an effective and efficient organisation.

NHP understands that gaining a competitive advantage relies on your ability to provide real value to customers in a marketplace that offers increasing choice.

Equipment that provides real-time and readily available data is key to this, and thanks to the range of NHP industrial remote access devices, this is now easier than ever before.

Secure remote access solutions enable superior visibility and control for better preventive and predictive maintenance. These remote access devices provide superior customer service, and with the capability to identify and troubleshoot performance issues as, and, in many cases, before they occur, increase uptime and efficiency of your installations.

These remote access devices can be the difference between success and failure for your customers as the remote diagnostic capability eliminates the need for major travel to fix minor issues.

NHP’S REMOTE ACCESS DEVICES

NHP brings to market high-quality, industrially rugged remote access devices that provide wireless communications solutions for a range of applications.

The extensive range is designed to offer easy remote access, across the internet, to machines and installations on customer sites or in the field.

These devices allow the users to troubleshoot machines, debug the PLC program, upload projects, and gain remote access of an HMI or a drive – all without going on site, which drastically reduces support costs.

This industrial modular M2M (Machine to Machine) router and data gateway is designed for data monitoring, alarming (SMS and email), and data collection to provide a low-cost solution for large deployments.

This range provides the capability to communicate with the most varied field equipment. This is increasingly important in an environment where communication technologies are constantly changing.

NHP’s remote access offering allows users to upgrade easily to new technology and connect to a wide range of industrial devices for seamless communication.

OPTIMISE YOUR OPERATIONS WITH NHP

When it comes to the water and wastewater industry, ensure you’re ahead of the competition with readily available data, accessible anywhere and anytime. By implementing an enhanced automation system with advanced networking you can now tackle challenges impacting the utilities sector.

For more information on how NHP can help provide efficiency and superior performance for your next project, contact your local sales representative or call 1300 NHP NHP.

Ensure reliability, efficiency and superior performance with NHP

Re

ecting the need for sustainability in Water and Wastewater, NHP delivers innovative automation and networking engineered products and solutions.

When it comes to the utility sector, NHP o ersincr eased e ciency and lower costs of ownership to transform data into actionable and real-time information. Employing standardised and secure networks, NHP provides a wide range of devices insuring connectivity and equipment safety.

Providing the optimal balance of knowledge and experience, a partnership with NHP promises to last the life of your project, providing quality, assurance and peace of mind.

For your next utility project visit nhp.com.au/more/watercomm

LEVEL MEASUREMENT WITH RADAR – A SUCCESS STORY

The petrochemical industry started using the first radar sensors for level measurement in the early 70s. However, the technical effort was immense, and the costs too great to use them in process automation. Thanks to the continuous development of aerospace technology and telecommunications in the 80s and 90s, microwave technology became cheaper, and gradually established itself in industrial level measurement. And so it came about that, in 1991, VEGA introduced the first production-ready level transmitter based on radar.

THE MOST SUCCESSFUL LEVEL RADAR IN THE WORLD

eric® – that was the name of the first two-wire radar sensor in the world, which VEGA brought to the market in 1997. Equipped with digital signal processing, the radar sensor was mainly characterised by its very low energy requirements.

Various industries started using eric® sensors in many applications where the use of radar had been too difficult technically or too expensive up to that point. Within a very short time, eric® propelled VEGA to the top of the world radar market.

But even eric® had some limitations: the area of application for radar level measurement was still restricted mainly to the measurement of liquids. That changed in 2004, when VEGA succeeded in increasing the sensitivity of radar sensors by a thousandfold.

The signal processing of the instruments was also adapted to the typical environments inside bulk solids containers. This made VEGAPULS 68 well prepared for the extremely difficult process conditions in the bulk solids industry.

INTO THE FUTURE WITH 80 GHZ

VEGAPULS 69, a radar sensor specifically designed for continuous measurement of bulk solids, was successfully introduced in 2014. Measuring with a high frequency of 80GHz, the instrument enables significantly better signal focusing. And in containers and silos with many internal installations, good focusing is key in reducing interference signals.

With the introduction of VEGAPULS 64, the world’s first 80GHz radar level sensor for liquids, VEGA has added another chapter to its ongoing success story in radar measurement.

Reliable level measurement in water treatment facilities, pump stations and rain overflow basins. Open channel flow measurement and water level monitoring.

VEGAPULS WL S 61

▪ Measuring range up to 8 m

▪ Can be used outdoors without restriction

▪ Flood-proof IP 68 housing

▪ Operation via Bluetooth with Smartphone, tablet or PC

Further information: www.vega.com/wls61

Phone 1800 817 135

SETTLING WATER DISPUTES WITH AERIAL IMAGERY

Yarra Valley Water settles disputes in minutes, boosts customer satisfaction, cuts site visits by 20 per cent, and achieves substantial annual savings each year.

Yarra Valley Water is the largest of Melbourne’s three water corporations, providing water and sewerage services to 1.8 million people and 50,000 businesses in the city’s northern and eastern suburbs. The company owns and maintains more than 9,000km of water mains and over 9,000km of sewer mains. In addition to supplying established communities and commercial entities, it also services new suburbs and business parks. To ensure the operational integrity of its infrastructure, Yarra Valley Water retains a dynamic and highly professional field maintenance team, committed to delivering exceptional customer service.

The company was keen to optimise the customer experience in relation to claims and billing disputes. These investigations were often costly and time-consuming, requiring site assessments and evaluation. Through the use of new technology, Yarra Valley Water hoped to gain greater insight into customer issues to

enhance decision-making, resolve disputes faster, and increase customer satisfaction.

Yarra Valley Water deployed Nearmap for its field maintenance division, and settled disputes faster and more efficiently. It minimised revenue lost through compensation payouts, and greatly improved customer satisfaction. The company also eliminated a range of travel and inspection costs, enhanced maintenance and planning operations, and cut site visits by 20 per cent by using Nearmap to provide clear and detailed visibility into its on-theground assets.

Furthermore, by using Nearmap’s Timeline, a comprehensive archive of aerial surveys, to enable “before and after” comparisons, Yarra Valley Water was better equipped to monitor and maintain its extensive infrastructure, and respond quickly and personally to customer concerns, deepening customer engagement.

Nearmap gives us fast, easy access to detailed current and historic visual information that enables us to resolve billing disputes and damage claims in minutes, increasing customer satisfaction. It also achieves substantial annual savings by enabling us to manage customer disputes quickly and efficiently, as well as improving asset management and cutting site visits by 20 per cent.

— Alberto Vela, Manager, Contracts and Procurement, Yarra Valley Water

RESOLVES CLAIMS IN MINUTES, IMPROVES CUSTOMER SATISFACTION, AND ACHIEVES SUBSTANTIAL ANNUAL SAVINGS

Using Nearmap’s Timeline, Yarra Valley Water was able to provide detailed visual evidence in support of its disputes processes. This enabled the utility to determine the historical accuracy, or inaccuracy, of competing claims, resolve issues in minutes, and effect a dramatic increase in customer satisfaction.

“A property owner complained that his driveway was badly cracked because we had driven onto his property while doing maintenance works in the area,” said Alberto Vela, Manager of Yarra Valley Water’s Contract and Procurement.

“A month into the dispute, however, we still couldn’t determine a definitive cause, since the contractors insisted they hadn’t been anywhere near the property. We used the Timeline to view an image of the property predating the maintenance works, and, by zooming down, were able to see clearly that the cracks were already there. It was then just a matter of going to see the property owner, showing him the photo, and the dispute was over. It was fantastic.”

The benefits Yarra Valley Water gains from using Nearmap images to settle claims also extends to the billing

division, where customer consultants are able to have better informed conversations with customers. The outcomes have also been very impressive.

“A customer with an exceptionally high water bill insisted that the spike in her usage was due to our faulty infrastructure, such as a leaking pipe,” Mr Vela said.

“We didn’t disagree; we just opened Nearmap’s high-definition Timeline images of the property for the period in question. The first thing we noted was that the lawn on the target property was lush and green, while neighbours’ lawns were like straw. We then checked neighbours’ bills and confirmed that there had been no spike in their usage. This prompted the customer to remember the sprinkler she had been using all summer, and withdraw her complaint. Not only was the matter settled, the customer was actually grateful to learn the precise cost of her green lawn.”

In the past, billing disputes like this had often dragged on, with little real hope of a satisfactory resolution for either party. With Nearmap’s ability to provide detailed, factual evidence, however, this was no longer the case.

“Nearmap enabled us to effectively manage our customer disputes, resulting in reduced compensation payments and significant overall annual savings,” Mr Vela said.

At the same time, Yarra Valley Water used Nearmap’s products to further strengthen customer relations and reduce the number of queries that escalated into disputes, by identifying situations where faulty or damaged company infrastructure was impacting on customers, and rectifying the problem.

“There have been many cases where a customer has rung up to report an issue, and, after checking Nearmap, we have been able to confirm that it is our responsibility and fix it straight away,” Mr Vela said.

“It’s important for us to be able to do this, because it shows customers that our commitment to service quality is genuine, and not just marketing hype.”

IMPROVES MONITORING, CUTS AUDIT COSTS, AND REDUCES

SITE VISITS BY 20 PER CENT

For already established and expanding residential areas, where infrastructure-alignment planning continues to be critical, Nearmap provides Yarra Valley Water’s growth planners and project managers with browser-based access to timely information on changing boundaries, new titles and recent property improvements.

“Nearmap allows our people to remotely monitor target sites and plan the location of required infrastructure, including water mains and sewer pipelines, without booking multiple appointments or intruding on customers’ time and property, which can be a massive logistical headache,” Mr Vela said.

“Admittedly, the savings this enables are not huge, but they are consistent. We’re looking to expand our use of Nearmap all the time, and we just seem to keep achieving new efficiencies, which includes reducing audit costs and cutting site visits by 20 per cent.”

WHY NEARMAP?

Yarra Valley Water required a solution which would help improve its process to resolve customer disputes in a timely and efficient manner. A field maintenance staff member with prior experience recommended a 12-month Nearmap trial, confident that it could address the company’s needs.

“From our experience, no other vendor provides the quality of imagery that Nearmap provides, far less the comprehensive suite of measurement and planning tools, the frequent capture and Timeline archive,” Mr Vela said.

“Other satellite imagery was great when it first came out, but it has not been able to deliver the timeline option we need for our business. The technology has advanced in many respects since then, and Nearmap is the face of that advancement.”

WHAT LIES AHEAD FOR THE

by Alan Pears, Senior Industry Fellow, RMIT University

THE ENERGY SECTOR?

2017 is the year when many long-festering energy policy problems must be addressed. Our outdated energy market model is falling apart. The gas industry is lining its pockets at the expense of Australian industry. Climate policy is urgent, but controversial among key decision-makers. Our fossil fuel exports are under threat from global forces.

The objectives are clear: provide reliable, affordable, and low-carbon energy services to households and business, and build a sustainable energy export sector.

The problem is that there is little agreement on how we interpret and frame these goals, let alone how to achieve them. Some see threat where others see opportunity. Powerful interests are keen to protect their investments. Meanwhile, diverse competitors are emerging from many directions, and consumers clamour for equity, rights, affordability, and choice.

These debates are set in a context of Chief Scientist Alan Finkel’s review of the sector, a federal review of climate policy, and debate about extending the Renewable Energy Target. Australian business is calling for certainty in energy and climate policy: that’s one thing they can’t be certain they’ll get this year. But there will be some useful groundwork.

INTO THE JUNGLE

The Federal Energy and Environment Minister Josh Frydenberg has criticised state governments for introducing uncoordinated and overly aggressive renewable energy policies.

He is seeking “harmonisation”, which is code for capping growth of renewable energy, as he and his Prime Minister struggle to satisfy the rampant extreme right within their party.

But state governments know supporting renewable energy is a vote winner. The economics and climate pressures are shifting in favour of renewable energy.

The ACT’s “contracts for difference” auction approach to renewables has reduced risk for project proponents while delivering low-cost renewable energy projects additional to the RET, and delivering ambitious climate targets. Others are copying.

The problem for the minister is that the nature of the energy sector has changed from a centralised, top-down, slowly changing system dominated by big businesses, governments, and large investments, to a chaotic, decentralised, diverse, and rapidly changing jungle.

Even if state governments could be brought into line, local governments, the private sector, households, and community groups will pursue their agendas. Competitive democracy is at work.

So we may see a rethink of the design and operation of energy markets in 2017. Governments will focus on reliability, energy security, consumer rights, and providing fair access for emerging competitors balanced by higher expectations.

RELIABLE SUPPLY

Debates in the wake of the Basslink failure and South Australia’s blackout suggest that few politicians, industry participants, and commentators have a comprehensive understanding of the fundamentals of delivering reliable and secure energy services in a modern world.

But it’s not just about having enough wellmaintained energy supply. We can now manage demand by using energy more efficiently, actively managing demand, and storing energy.

We can then use a mix of supply-side options to satisfy this demand. For instance, we can install storage in regional pumped hydro dams, and at solar thermal generators. We can transport electricity via batteries in electric vehicles instead of powerlines.

We must face new challenges, such as increasingly extreme weather events and bushfire risks from powerlines, without disrupting consumers. And consumer rights must be protected when they may have equipment and services provided by multiple energy businesses.

What lies ahead for the energy sector?

So appliance manufacturers, distributed energy and storage providers will need to incorporate new features into their products, and meet tougher performance standards, to play their part in maintaining system reliability and security.

In return, governments will have to open up access to the electricity market and encourage investment in a smarter, distributed energy system.

2017 is the year when a new framework for our electricity service system must be designed.

REDUCING DEMAND

Australian policymakers seem to have a blind spot on energy efficiency. Energy efficiency plays a key role in managing electricity demand. For example, energy efficiency didn’t appear to rate a mention following the South Australian blackout. The draft Finkel review focuses on supplying electricity, mentioning energy efficiency ten times, but only in passing.

Yet the International Energy Agency describes energy efficiency as “the first fuel” – cutting demand is the same as building more supply, and cheaper. It could make the biggest contribution to cutting fossil fuel carbon emissions out to 2030.

Research by many groups such as Climateworks and Beyond Zero Emissions has shown that many energy efficiency measures actually save money while cutting carbon emissions, so have a “negative” carbon cost.

Despite ongoing analysis and adjustment, energy efficiency and demand management have not captured significant roles in the National Electricity Market. The National Electricity Objective, which sets the overall focus of the electricity market, focuses on the price of

electricity that consumers pay, not the total cost of delivering energy services (which should include carbon). This undermines focus on actions that reduce the amount of energy needed.

Among the original 1992 draft objectives in the National Grid Management Protocol was:

To provide a framework for long-term least-cost solutions to meet future power supply demands including appropriate use of demand management.

Our electricity market could have been a very different creature.

The National Energy Productivity Plan is a positive step forward. But it is poorly funded ($18 million was allocated by COAG) and has vague governance. Yet it is supposed to deliver a large chunk of our 2030 emissions reduction target.

As with renewable energy, states and territories are filling the vacuum.

There is also emerging support for the concept of energy productivity. This goes beyond energy efficiency and aims to deliver more economic value from each unit of energy consumed.

The Australian Association for Energy Productivity and Climateworks have published major reports on doubling energy productivity by 2030, while A2EP has worked with business to develop sector roadmaps and an “innovation scan”.

A much stronger focus on improving energy productivity may well be an outcome of the climate review. If so, it will play a significant role in reshaping our energy future. But it will require strong leadership, cultural change, and policy intervention beyond past levels.

KEEPING PRICES UNDER CONTROL

Energy markets are failing to deliver on their objective of low prices,

reliability, and protection of the “long-term interests of consumers”. It is increasingly clear that emerging nimble technologies and business models are outflanking traditional structures. 2017 seems to be the year it is coming to a head.

Gas prices have been driven up by failure to manage impacts of a tripling of east coast gas demand from three Queensland LNG export plants. Industrial gas users are struggling to secure reasonably priced, long-term contracts.

The high gas prices and shortages at winter peak times have driven up electricity prices. In the wholesale electricity market, the highest bidder sets the price for all power stations.

So if that’s an expensive gas generator, all generators are paid handsome prices, regardless of how much it costs them to generate electricity. Over time, these prices flow over into electricity bills.

The solution for gas is not necessarily more gas supply. Decades of low gas prices have meant that Australian industry and households use gas very inefficiently, so there is substantial scope to save gas.

There is increasing potential to switch from gas to electricity and renewable fuels. Regional gas storage (or electricity storage) could reduce peak gas demand, reducing price spikes.

In any case, our gas industry seems to lack a social licence to increase gas production from coal seams, and we will need to cut fossil gas demand to meet our medium-term climate targets. 2017 is looking like a busy and challenging year across the energy sector.

This article was originally published on The Conversation.

Alan Pears is a Senior Industry Fellow at RMIT. He has worked in the sustainable energy and environment fields since the late 1970s for community groups, government, and the private sector. While working for the Victorian Government in the 1980s, he helped develop and implement programs such as the Home Energy Advisory Service, public information and education, appliance energy labelling, and mandatory building insulation regulations. Alan is a highly regarded analyst, consultant, and commentator on sustainable energy and climate policy.

DEALING WITH HIGH LEVELS OF GREASE IN WASTEWATER

An increase in the amount of greasy wastewater discharged to sewers causes two main issues: pipe blockages, and an increase in grease load to downstream sewage treatment plants.

Compounding the problem is the number of food courts with multiple commercial kitchens located together in large shopping centres. Based on traditional calculations, most large food courts are required to install multiple grease arrestors to handle the high flows.

Usually fats, oils, and greases (FOGs) are removed by conventional grease traps in food courts, but with the increase in the size and number of them, combined with the use of outdated systems, grease traps may not capture all the FOGs.

That’s where a Dissolved Air Flotation (DAF) system such as the Hydroflux Grease Trap Dissolved Air

Flotation (GT-DAF) system has a key role to play.

Hydroflux realised that while a traditional DAF system can be more effective than a conventional grease trap, there is still a compromise. This is because traditional DAF systems are often large, consume high levels of energy, and can require high loads of chemicals.

So Hydroflux came up with a separation device that was more energy-efficient, smaller, and designed specifically for the treatment of greasy wastewater from food courts.

Hydroflux’s GT-DAF was the first of its kind in the industry, incorporating the best of traditional GT and DAF systems. It features a two-stage separation process involving a free grease gravity separation stage, followed by the addition of dissolved air and demulsification agents.

The Hydroflux GT-DAF system,

• No lenses to clean

• No vials to clean

• No glass to clean

• No annual lamp changes

• No fogging – (heated optics)

And a true time saver:

• Minimum maintenance

• Minimum down time

• Minimum call outs

• Extended warranty

• Lifetime calibration

• Approved Methods: ISO 7027 and EPA 180.1

SWAN Analytical Australia Pacific

Ph: 61 2 9482

1455

sales@swan-analytical.com.au

www.swan-analytical.com.au

which most consultants now specify, is excellent at removing oils and grease from wastewater, is a viable alternative to a grease trap, and is preferable to traditional DAF systems. It can be up to 30 per cent smaller in size and deliver energy savings of up to 50 per cent.

When Hydroflux realised the advantages the GT-DAF design had over grease traps and traditional DAF systems, it took out a patent on the unique system.

The purpose-designed unit performs better than grease traps and typical DAF systems, with benefits including a reduction in unit size, improved performance, and the ability to overcome the operational problems of conventional systems.

Hydroflux has already installed ten GT-DAF units in Australia, several of them at Westfield shopping centres.

For more information, visit www. hydroflux.com.au.

INNOVATION BOOSTS BIOGAS RESOURCE

Wastewater remains a largely untapped resource for harnessing renewable energy. Pioneering technologies to enhance biogas recovery are poised to become a driving force in the evolution of Australia’s water industry.

Biogas is a powerful source of sustainable green energy. Refined biogas, known as biomethane, can be used to power homes and businesses, or as clean biofuel for cars, buses, and commercial fleets. Enough biomethane can be recovered from the annual sewage sludge of 100,000 residents to power 20 buses or trucks, or 100 cars, saving 525,000 litres of diesel fuel.

Wastewater treatment facilities around the world are turning to anaerobic digestion to harness this sustainable and economically viable resource. SUEZ has been working to boost the efficacy of this process through investing in advanced anaerobic co-digestion technologies, whereby additional organic waste streams – such as commercial kitchen and food processing waste, oils and grease – are introduced to wastewater sludge as the matter degrades.

It is a powerful combination, amplifying the volume and rate of biogas production. After refining it in Europe, SUEZ has worked with local utilities in its Australian wastewater treatment operations contracts, where it is delivering promising results.

SUEZ’s General Manager Business Development in Australia

Stuart Gowans said that operating across both waste and water offers great synergies in perfecting the process.

“We've done a lot of testing in our R&D facilities and we know which waste streams will give the best value in terms of biogas production,” he explained. “We can then source those streams through our waste business, and introduce the substrates to digesters in a way that maximises biogas output whilst protecting the digesters process.”

Raw biogas requires purification before it can be converted to market-ready compressed natural gas, and developing

technologies to enhance that process is the next stage in driving greater yields. In September 2016, SUEZ made a significant investment in Prodeval, France’s leading producer of biomethane and developer of the innovative VALOPUR technology for biogas purification.

VALOPUR’s high-performance polymer membranes achieve a biogas purification yield in excess of 99 per cent, with less than one per cent methane loss. The technology is compact, robust, flexible, and simple to maintain and operate. SUEZ and Prodeval installed the technology in a wastewater treatment plant in France’s Rochois region, where it is producing clean biofuel for passenger cars, and has since rolled it out in other locations across Europe.

SUEZ operates almost 170 methanation facilities worldwide, and aims to increase its production of biogas by up to 50 per cent in the next five years. Its investment will accelerate VALOPUR’s commercial deployment so that it can take its place in the energy transition.

SUEZ is currently looking into various business cases with local utilities to determine the benefits they – along with consumers and the environment – could reap from bringing this advanced technology to Australia.

“What we're trying to do is create a wastewater treatment plant that is, at a minimum, energy neutral, by minimising the power used on site, and maximising the production of biogas and energy from wastewater and organic waste,” said Mr Gowans.

“We're looking at resource recovery more fully, and trying to extend the value chain of what we can do with wastewater as a resource.”

SOLVING WASTEWATER CHALLENGES IN NORTH EAST VICTORIA

BY ADRIAN RIJNBEEK, SALES ENGINEER, XYLEM, AND PRESIDENT, WATER INDUSTRY OPERATORS ASSOCIATION OF AUSTRALIA

North East Water provides water and wastewater services to 41 localities across North East Victoria, Australia, serving an estimated 122,000 people in an area of approximately 20,000 square kilometres. The region extends from Corryong in the east, along the Murray River to Yarrawonga, then south to Benalla, and the alpine towns of Bright, Mount Beauty, and Dartmouth.

The municipal sewer pump station at Jordyn Terrace in Wangaratta receives very challenging wastewater containing a large quantity of sanitary items, and other fibrous waste objects, that cause "ragging" of the pumps. This resulted in pumps having to be lifted and unblocked twice or three times every week.

In July 2016, North East Water became the first water business in Australia to install Xylem’s Flygt Concertor system with the aim of resolving this issue and delivering clog-free pumping to Jordyn Terrace's wastewater pump station.

Since the installation, station managers have reported no blockages or clogging issues at the station, as well as a cleaner station with less visible material in the sump.

THE CHALLENGE

Jordyn Terrace in Wangaratta, North East Victoria, is located within a busy residential area and close to a retirement village. The pumping station receives very challenging wastewater, including personal sanitary products and towelling, that caused the pumps to clog a number of times a week. This frequent clogging required operations and maintenance staff to travel to the site to remove the blockage up to three times a week.

“Regular clogging of the pump station was a serious issue for us,” said Grant Waite, Manager Assets and Operations, North East Water.

“As a result, operation and maintenance staff had to leave their daily work schedules to travel to the pump station, unclog the pump and get the station up and running again. In addition to manpower, a maintenance crane truck was needed to perform the pump lifts which meant it had to be taken away

from other projects, which added further expense to the repair job.”

NEW INTEGRATED CLOG-FREE TECHNOLOGY

In July 2016, North East Water agreed to have Flygt Concertor installed at the Jordyn Terrace pump station in order to resolve the chronic clogging experienced at the station.

The team had high hopes in this new system, as it combines Flygt’s wellknown self-cleaning hydraulics, Adaptive-N, as well as intelligent functionalities like pump cleaning. This function activates when a clogging instance is detected and starts operating the impeller at different speeds and directions to remove the debris. Its efficiency has been proven in many applications all over the world and, together with other functions that ensure trouble-free pumping, offers a new level of reliability.

After installing the Flygt Concertor system, clogging issues at the Jordyn Terrace wastewater treatment plant were completely eliminated.

“We have found Xylem’s Flygt equipment to be of excellent quality so we were happy to trial the new wastewater pumping system. The trial pump we received is still running in our station and so far we haven’t had one single case of clogging,” Mr Waite said.

PEACE OF MIND IN THE LONG RUN

Concertor’s short-term results in Jordyn Terrace were certainly a relief for the station’s operators, but their main concern was to find a sustainable solution that can bring peace of mind in the long run.

This is where the system’s flexibility played an important role. One of its main hardware elements, the pump impeller, is offered in three different materials, to adapt to different conditions: Flygt Hard-Iron, duplex stainless steel and stainless steel.

A high chrome alloy, Flygt Hard-Iron™ is five times more wear resistant than duplex stainless steel.* In accelerated wear tests, Hard-Iron kept working efficiently and showed minimal wear after pumping water with a very high concentration of extremely abrasive particles. This durability and reliability saves customers time and money.

Mr Waite said, “The Hard-Iron™ impeller will ensure that the current pump performance is maintained for extended periods. In an application like this, with wastewater that contains a high level of non-biological solids, it is the best option.”

COMPACT DESIGN AND MORE FUNCTIONALITY

Flygt Concertor is proof that new technologies with sophisticated integrated intelligence for wastewater pumping do not require more components or complexities, rather Concertor is user friendly and simple to install, commission and operate.

“Since Flygt Concertor has been installed we haven’t experienced any clogging issues at the station, which is a dramatic improvement to how the station’s old pumps had been running. The new wastewater pumping system has also had a positive impact on the local community – less visits to the station by large maintenance trucks and personnel. Station managers have also reported that the sump is cleaner as a result,” said Mr Waite.

*Hard-Iron™ is a high-strength alloy containing 25 per cent chromium and three per cent carbon. During the solidification process, the chromium and carbon transform into very hard carbides. This makes HardIron™ highly resistant to abrasive wear and erosion-corrosion.

For more information, visit Flygt.com/one-ultimate-system.

INTEGRATED NEW PUMPING SYSTEM WITH CONCERTOR™ INTELLIGENCE

WORLD’S FIRST WASTEWATER PUMPING SYSTEM WITH INTEGRATED INTELLIGENCE

This revolutionary system delivers optimal performance while reducing your total cost of ownership. It also offers unparalleled flexibility and simplicity on a whole new level. You might even say it thinks for itself. We invite you to enter a new era in wastewater pumping with Flygt Concertor.

Witness the official unveiling of Flygt Concertor at Ozwater’17, Australia’s International Water Conference & Exhibition in Sydney, 16th - 18th May 2017.

One powerful solution. Unlimited possibilities.

www.xylem.com/pumping

PREPARING WATER AND WASTEWATER TREATMENT FOR THE FUTURE

by Ashok Sukumaran, MWH, now part of Stantec Australia, and Grégory Poussardin, Accenture ANZ Water Utilities

Water and wastewater treatment in Australia and New Zealand have seen significant change in the last two decades. Water utilities are under constant pressure from the community to protect the environment, treat water or wastewater to a higher quality, and meet the demands of digitally connected communities and customers. These industry pressures are combined with broader issues such as emerging technologies, population growth, rapid urbanisation, climate change, extremes of weather patterns, aging assets, supply chain transformation, and the need for more efficient performance.

As the industry continues to navigate the evolving utility landscape, it has become clear that water utilities wanting to prepare and future-proof their organisation need to reconsider their approach to investment. In order to operate more efficiently, reduce costs, engage customers, and provide a healthier and more environmentally friendly service, utilities need to embrace industry evolution in line with the following trends.

DOING MORE WITH LESS

The water sector needs to do more, with less, for less, so the adoption of innovative techniques to extract greater performance is critical. Effectively harnessing enabling technologies within the asset base, to avoid stranded assets, will consequently become of greater importance to water utilities. Take anaerobic digestion for example, as a traditional solids treatment technology, with high sunk costs. Water utilities must focus on technologies which enhance the performance of this asset in order to continue improving its inherent value. Pre-treatment technologies can improve performance and capacity, or configuration changes can increase effectiveness without significant additional upgrade or replacement costs.

TRANSFORMING O&M WITH DATA

Water utilities need to change the way their operations and maintenance (O&M) functions work if they want to meet the needs of the public. With the pressure on capital investment, and reduced budgets for asset maintenance, the ability to conduct "right time" (driven by cost or risk), rather than "just in case" (schedule-based) or "just after" (reactive) maintenance schedules is vital.

Data analytics, coupled with real-time sensors, can support both reactive and proactive management of day-to-day operations. Today water utilities operate in silos across functions and with multiple versions of the same data sets, creating duplication, misinterpretation or conflicting strategies. Utilities organisations of the future should be creating a single data platform which allows simultaneous cross organisation access to the same data source.

The City of Atlanta for instance, has used predictive analytics along with geospatial visualisation on all of its existing sewer level sensors to create an effective means to identify potential pollution incident sites before they happen.

MAKING THE MOST OF WASTEWATER

Modern wastewater treatment endeavours to deliver maximum possible value from the process and the system as a whole. However, by its nature, wastewater treatment can be energy intensive, which is driving the industry toward net energy neutral treatment plants, or energy factories which produce more power than they consume.

The Netherlands launched its Energy Factory initiative several years ago to harvest the chemical energy that is present in organic matter in wastewater to move towards energy neutrality. Providing a glimpse into the future, this industry-leading application provides the utilities industry with a benchmark to guide future system planning.

ENGAGE CUSTOMERS WITH UNREALISED TREATMENT BENEFITS

Cross-industry best practice has shown how greater customer engagement can be achieved through the use of customer behaviour analytics. More meaningful engagement with customers in the dialogue around water and wastewater services is becoming a fundamental tenet of utility operations worldwide. For instance, the Sydney Park Stormwater Project harvests and treats up to 850 million litres of stormwater from Newtown’s Munni Street catchment each year, releasing the cleansed water into the park’s main pond and creating a popular waterscape for tourists. Beyond an aesthetic water feature, the waterscape creates an opportunity for residents and visitors to be educated on the concept of water capture and cleansing; ultimately increasing engagement and interest levels.

While Sydney Park stormwater created a community landmark, other issues such as sewer abuse do not provide the same level of uniting community engagement opportunities. Despite this, by moving into greater levels of customer transparency, by sharing blockage hotspots for example, utilities can support a greater sense of community, which, in turn, can support education programs to tackle the problem source.

By embracing these emerging trends in the water and wastewater treatment industries, water utilities will be able to face the challenges and demands of the future. The industry is heading away from benchmarks based on historical performance and generalised cases, which can be applied broadly, towards benchmarks based on a series of interconnected models, with more focus given to performance trends. The future operating model also moves all those engaged in O&M towards an outcome-based model rather than scheduled task or output-driven one, leading to a higher degree of productivity.

ENERGY IN TRANSITION: GETTING THE BALANCE RIGHT

by Catherine Tanna, Managing Director, EnergyAustralia

EnergyAustralia has a vision for how modern energy suppliers can operate, providing customers with a product that is cleaner, more reliable, and more affordable than that offered in recent years. Here, Managing Director Catherine Tanna outlines this vision, and discusses the factors that need to be in place to achieve these goals.

EnergyAustralia owns some of our country’s largest coal-fired power stations and is one of the three largest generators of electricity, supplying reliable and affordable gas and electricity to 2.6 million households and business accounts across eastern Australia.

We recognise however, that to balance the delivery of reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy, the way in which we generate, deliver, and use energy has to change.

Any transition from these large, older coal-fired power stations to newer technologies will require an orderly, realistic transition plan, and stable energy policy. The plan must reduce generation from fossil-fuelled power stations to make space for renewable energy, and encourage investment in cleaner forms of energy.

EnergyAustralia is actively exploring a number of solutions to this problem. A pumped hydro technology solution using seawater is one example.

Pumped hydro technology works like a giant battery. Its great advantage lies in complementing the shift to renewable energy by providing a reliable store of affordable power. On hot days, when demand spikes, a pumped hydro plant can be brought into action in minutes, keeping the lights on and costs down.

At Lithgow in New South Wales, we’re assessing the viability of converting part of our Mount Piper power station to run on non-recyclable household materials, an Australian first. This energy recovery project has great potential to improve the efficiency of the Mount Piper plant, (already one of the most reliable and efficient plants of its kind in NSW), reduce landfill, and allow the power station to produce more energy using the same amount of coal.

We’re also supporting the development of new wind and solar projects across eastern Australia in a $1.5 billion program announced in December last year. We’ve already announced power purchase agreements for four solar and wind farm projects in New South Wales, Victoria, and Queensland –representing around 285MW of renewable power.

Finding these new ways to generate energy will be critical to ensuring Australia’s transition to cleaner energy also delivers reliable and affordable supplies for families and business.

We don’t have to speculate about what the future holds without an orderly, realistic transition plan. The past 12 months have given us a good idea of what to expect.

We’ve seen a state-wide blackout in South Australia, loadshedding in South Australia and New South Wales, large generation capacity leaving the market on short notice, wholesale market volatility, and large businesses facing real challenges securing supplies of gas. And of course, we’ve seen rising electricity prices for households and businesses across the country.

It seems like it has come on us with little warning. It’s more shocking because for the past two decades energy supply has been reliable and prices have been steady –even falling.

Now, in 2017, our residential customers tell us their electricity bill is their top concern among household costs.

The staggering thing is there is no shortage of existing and potential energy supply in Australia. The problem isn’t capacity – it’s planning.

We have enough electricity generation capacity, just not where and when it’s needed. And there are abundant supplies of gas, but they stay in the ground.

And customers are wearing the cost.

For example, retail electricity prices in New South Wales increased almost 10 per cent in 2016, while average prices in Victoria increased 8-10 per cent for 2017. And despite Australia’s abundant natural resources, we have struggled to secure gas supply on behalf of some larger industrial customers.

That’s why any approach to energy must start and end by considering impacts on customers, particularly families and small businesses.

It brings us back to the exam question: how do we deliver reliable, affordable, and cleaner energy for everyone in Australia?

When one of those elements is given priority over the others you get the situation we have right now: volatile markets, problems with the security of supply, and rising prices.

No-one pretends it’s an easy fix. But the answer isn’t rocket science.

It’s giving business confidence to invest, whether that’s

backing new, cleaner generation to replace coal, or entering long-term energy contracts.

Given our starting point, creating those conditions will be a challenge. For EnergyAustralia to have the confidence to invest, we need three key things:

• Policy stability – we need to know any decision we make today won’t be undone next year; there is enough risk in this industry already from technology and intense competition without policy flip flop. We think a national, bipartisan approach is critical.

• Market transparency – knowing how much fuel thermal generators have left is critical to knowing when and where to invest in new capacity.

• A firm, durable emissions trajectory – in other words, we need some clear signal to investors to reduce carbon intensive generation. Some form of emissions intensity scheme is the commonly mentioned mechanism, but it doesn’t have to be that. An emissions cap for large generators might work just as well.

Now, none of that is revolutionary.

The National Electricity Market is working; yes, it needs enhancements but, despite what you may have read, it does not need a radical overhaul. It’s doing exactly what it’s designed to do, and when it is allowed to, the NEM has shown it can adapt and balance price with system stability.

We get problems when the rest of us play at picking favourites out of cleaner energy, reliability, and affordability.

Success is providing reliable, affordable, and cleaner supplies of energy for all Australians. And that is most likely delivered by a durable, stable bipartisan and national approach to energy.

Catherine Tanna is Managing Director of EnergyAustralia, one of the country’s leading energy retailers, providing gas and electricity to more than 2.6 million customer accounts around Australia.

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storage. Mega-Power Storage solutions are built in world-class facilities, to meet global standards for quality and value. The final result is a solution that is affordable and sustainable, utilising local design resources and supporting advanced manufacturing in Australia.

The Sonnenschein lithium modules are ideal when advanced energy systems are required. They offer excellent float and cycle life with zero maintenance, which results in significant cost of ownership savings for end users. They also provide users with the peace of mind that comes with the safety features inherent with Sonnenschein lithium ion phosphate chemistry.

Sonnenschein lithium battery management systems are designed to manage system safety, optimise system performance, and control communication for their designed application. The battery systems are compatible with all HC and VHC Sonnenschein lithium ion modules.

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Hybrid and green deployment

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Renewable energy management

Improve and increase the integration of renewable energy sources into existing grids to enhance CO2-free power production and make renewable energy more controllable. Own consumption, generation smoothing, and ramp rate control.

Grid and power quality

Ensure the availability and quality of the electrical grid. Stabilise frequency and voltage and reduce the requirement for grid extension. Balance power production and consumption at different grid levels. Grid stabilisation, peak shaving, control power, defer capital investments, and intra-day or demand shifting.

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THE CHALLENGE OF USING BATTERIES TO STABILISE THE GRID IN REMOTE AREAS

In order to combat the growing problem of power instability in remote parts of Australia, utilities are deploying large-scale battery energy storage systems to increase reliability, assist with the integration of renewables, and save millions of dollars on infrastructure upgrades.

Rural Australia has a sparsely populated grid and customers are often connected by long, heavily loaded lines. This, combined with aging infrastructure, an increase in extreme weather events, and the destabilising effect of renewables, results in rural customers often experiencing lower standards of service than their city dwelling counterparts.

Owen Lock, Application Director Asia Pacific at S&C Electric Company, one of only a few companies that has successfully deployed mega-watt scale, grid-connected energy storage systems in Australia, says battery storage can help overcome these problems. S&C Electric Company has been in operation across the globe for more than 100 years, and in the Australian market for more than 60 years.

“If a section of the grid is reaching capacity, we can install a battery in order to alleviate the stress on the network during times of high demand,” Mr Lock says.

“An islanding system can even disconnect a segment of the grid and supply it from the batteries during a power outage. The customers served by the battery would be oblivious to

the fact that the grid is down.”

Community expectations around the quality and reliability of the electricity supply are also on the rise, and Mr Lock says to meet these expectations we need 21st century solutions to 21st century problems, not necessarily more poles and wires.

This was the case for a utility company in Queensland who needed to improve the quality of the power served to its customers connected to Single Wire Earth Return (SWER) Lines in rural Australia. The cost of upgrading long power lines that run through rugged, inaccessible terrain in the Australian outback was very high, so they employed S&C Electric Company to install a more commercially viable solution – an integrated PureWave CES Community Energy Storage System.

“A battery energy storage system is the single most complex piece of infrastructure connected to the distribution grid, and deploying this technology is more challenging than most engineers first envisage,” Mr Lock says.

“It requires a broad range of power systems engineering expertise, some of which no longer exists in the

modern lean, privately-owned utility.

“The biggest challenges lie not in the batteries themselves, but with how the various sub-systems are integrated to produce a cohesive solution, and how this solution is integrated into the grid. The technology is evolving rapidly and most providers are still learning many lessons the hard way, so the best way to ensure success is to employ a highly experienced system integrator.

“A true energy storage integrator has experience with all facets of the energy storage equation, from policy and regulation, to building the business case, integrating the technology with the grid, and of course supporting the solution throughout the entire life of the system.

“Energy storage offers many benefits to consumers, both in rural and city environments, and the challenge at this point in time is for the industry as a whole to move beyond learning how to integrate a battery with an inverter, and get on with proving the financial and societal benefits that this truly amazing technology can offer, as S&C has been doing for over 10 years now.”

For more information on grid connected energy storage systems, visit www.sandc.com.

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SHAKING UP THE MARKET WITH THE INTERNET OF ENERGY

You’ve heard of the Internet of Things (IoT), but what about the Internet of Energy (IoE)? Similar in principle, the IoE explores the automation of assets to enhance capabilities, and create a user-centric business model to support energy consumption and generation. Ilén Zazueta-Hall, Director of Product Management at Enphase Energy, explores the potential of IoE and how it can be applied to solar and battery systems to support the electricity grid.

Ilén Zazueta-Hall leads the management system product team at Enphase Energy, a producer of AC batteries, energy management systems, and one of the early pioneers of microinverters. She is responsible for advancing Enphase’s technology solutions, and was the principal software manager of the Enphase Enlighten product, one of the world’s largest cloud-based energy data platforms.

“When I first joined, fighting climate change by making solar easier to install was a big part of the appeal. It still is. But seven years on, I’ve found that what keeps me engaged is that there are so many different ways to make an impact –solar is just part of the picture.

“The way that picture keeps growing and changing – storage, home energy management, transactive energy –means that there is always something new to learn.”

Ms Zazueta-Hall says that through her work at Enphase, she has been at the forefront of the Internet of Energy (IoE), and has seen the potential it could have in the energy sector.

“With the Internet of Things, we saw how connecting physical devices to the cloud to harness additional computing resources can enable automation and enhanced capabilities that are not possible otherwise.

“When we apply this same thinking to distributed energy systems, we are creating the Internet of Energy.”

AUTOMATING THE ENERGY MARKET

Ms Zazueta-Hall says the most exciting thing about the future of the energy sector is the possibility of the IoE evolving with artificial intelligence (AI) and neural networks, ultimately unlocking the capability to predict and make decisions that are currently made by humans.

“There are already a range of companies doing fairly sophisticated prediction with the limited datasets available today, but there’s also a saying that ‘your AI is only as good as its data’," she says.

“It’s exciting to contemplate what will become possible as richer data sets become more available. I’m particularly interested to see how this plays out in regard to smart cities. We’re already seeing some interesting partnerships between utilities and municipalities.”

THE FUTURE OF STORAGE IN THE GRID

In the past, some commentators thought that energy

ILÉN

storage would signal the end of the electricity grid, but Ms Zazueta-Hall says even with technical advancements allowing renewable energy to achieve greater penetration into the grid, Australia will still rely on a mix of energy sources in the near future.

“Some form of the grid will always be needed because not all homes or businesses can have locally sited renewable energy or solar.

“The challenges for network operators are not dissimilar to what we saw in terms of the disruption in the telecom industry. In that shakeout, companies that evolved and learned how to deal with innovation at the network edge thrived. The same will be true with energy.

“The lessons we’ve seen from the rise of collaborative consumption have made an impact on many traditional industries we never thought would be disrupted. The growth in rooftop solar in Australia has resulted in utility companies creating new divisions and business models around renewables to serve their customers.

“As for network operators, there is a clear opportunity for them to reform their role in the grid to be prepared for the IoE.”

OVERCOMING FINAL OBSTACLES

Ms Zazueta-Hall says that in Australia, she sees an opportunity for regulatory reform to pave the way for innovations like the IoE to develop and evolve.

“I think that energy has become a highly politicised issue here, and there needs to be a clear direction for the adoption of clean energy and investment in smart grids to give the IoE a greater push.

“Renewable energy will have an increasing role in any country’s energy security, the challenge remains in whether a clear mandate exists that will give investors the confidence to build a network that supports the IoE, a network that is designed for the future generations.”

Ilén Zazueta-Hall will be discussing the Internet of Energy (IoE) in further detail as part of her presentation, ‘Are we ready to roll with the Internet of Energy?’ at the Australian Energy Storage Conference & Exhibition 2017. This event will run from 14-15 June at the International Convention Centre in Sydney. Visit www.australianenergystorage.com.au.

ZAZUETA-HALL, DIRECTOR OF PRODUCT MANAGEMENT AT ENPHASE ENERGY.

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PILE DRIVER HITS PAY DIRT

Civil and Allied Technical Construction (CATCON) had previously experienced issues with speed, accuracy, and damage to piles due to inefficient piling equipment at the Moree Solar Farm in northern New South Wales. To solve these problems at the Barcaldine Solar Farm, they chose Vermeer’s PD10 laserguided solar pile driver for the project.

11,000 PILES IN 90 DAYS

The Barcaldine Remote Community Solar Farm is a 25MW photovoltaic solar project owned by Elecnor Australia.

The project has been designed using single-axis tracking technology, which allows the solar panels to tilt, move, and follow the sun as it crosses the sky for maximum accumulation of clean renewable power.

The farm is expected to generate 53,500MWh of clean, renewable power each year, reducing greenhouse gas emissions by around 50,000 tonnes per annum. It will cover 93 hectares of land.

Construction of the project includes 11,000 4m and 4.8m piles, and 79,000 solar modules. Each solar module is 3m wide and sits 2m above the ground.

The project brief outlined that the 11,000 piles had to be driven approximately 2m into the ground with less than 5mm variance in spacing, vertically plum, and within height variances of 4mm. This had to be done at a rate of at least 120 piles a day.

MEETING REQUIREMENTS WITH THE PD10

The Vermeer PD10 laser-guided solar pile driver was used to successfully install piles at the Barcaldine Solar Farm. The PD10 is an easy-to-use, laser

and GPS-enabled pile driver with an integrated control system that allows users to see important information, including pile height, angle, and engine readings at the touch of a button.

It features fast tracking for faster cycle time, ergonomic dual joystick control, one-touch auto plumb button, and wide track pads for reduced site disturbance.

The machine is also enabled with Vermeer InSite, a tool that allows the contractor to see vital information from the computer in their office, such as idle time, work time, fuel usage, and machine location.

Anthony O’Grady, Queensland Area Sales Manager Construction Equipment at Vermeer, said most pile drivers on the market were initially designed to install road barriers, which utilise piles of only a couple of metres in length.

While some other pile drivers just had height added to their stems, Mr O’Grady said Vermeer built a machine designed around the unique requirements of solar pile installation.

“One of the biggest problems with pile driving is that machines tend to damage the top of the pile, taking off any coating to stop rust, and mushrooming the top of it.

“The Vermeer PD10 has a special bash plate designed to give the heavy knock that the piles need without damaging them,” Mr O’Grady said.

SPEED AND ACCURACY ON ALL TERRAIN

When the PD10 arrived onsite at the Barcaldine Solar Farm, CATCON still had reservations when it came to claims regarding the accuracy and speed of the machine.

“Due to past challenges they had

With a target of over 100 piles per day, and strict accuracy requirements, initial scepticism turned to delight when a contractor trialled a new pile driver at Central West Queensland’s Barcaldine Solar Farm and was able to double the quota and finish the job six weeks early.

with pile drivers, when I told them about the accuracy and speed of the PD10, they were extremely sceptical,” Mr O’Grady said.

Because of these reservations, a backhoe and auger was initially brought in as a backup to drill holes on terrain that the contractor believed the PD10 would not be able to manage.

However, when the trial began, the PD10 had put in all six piles, plum, within 2mm of spacing and within 1-2mm of height in the same amount of time that the auger bore had drilled one foot of its first hole. Precise pile placement is very important, as panel motors are later mounted on them.

“CATCON was very happy with the results, they couldn’t believe the speed and accuracy,” Mr O’Grady said.

However, the supervisor still had some doubts, and asked for a demonstration on hard terrain.

“We drove the machine over to the hard ground with a pile, directly next to the area where they were using the auger borer. The auger borer had only been able to drill half a metre in 30 minutes, whereas in 60 seconds we had a pile 2m in the ground,” Mr O’Grady said.

Mr O’Grady said the contractor's confidence continued to grow as the machine was able to put in more and more piles each day with accuracy.

Elecnor was expecting 120 piles a day. The PD10 was able to achieve 290 a day on the project.

All piles were put in six weeks ahead of schedule, within tolerances (sometimes within 1mm) and with almost no damage to, or mushrooming of, the pile head.

EXCEEDING EXPECTATIONS

Mr O’Grady and Vermeer project support team members Simon Coles, Richard Punter, and Colin Maginnis spent five days on site training the operator and supervisor on how to best utilise the machine’s capabilities.

The PD10 has run smoothly since its trial and due to its speed, accuracy and reduction in pile damage, CATCON has purchased two PD10 Pile Drivers.

Mr O’Grady said as most solar farms are located in remote areas, Vermeer’s Australia-wide dealerships and mobile technicians can provide a level of product support that other brands cannot, giving contractors an advantage when using the PD10.

Mr O’Grady said he believed Vermeer’s role in the future of solar farms would be significant.

“We offer a wide variety of specialised machinery used in the construction of solar farms, including trenchers for underground cable installation, electronic utility locators and vacuum excavators,” Mr O’Grady said.

“The PD10 has been a standout for contractors because it allows projects to move forward ahead of schedule without sacrificing accuracy.

“Australia is becoming a leader in solar power, and Vermeer is excited to be able to make the construction of solar farms more efficient.”

A COMPLETED PILE, WITH NO DAMAGE AFTER INSERTION.

THE MOBILE WORKFORCE REDEFINED

As utilities transform towards more connected and distributed grids, their mobile workforces must also transform. The results of a recent survey of North American utilities yielded a range of insights on the evolving utility mobile workforce, relevant not only to US utilities, but also those within Australia and elsewhere across the globe.

Emerging technologies and innovations resulting in a more integrated, responsive, and data-rich network will provide significant opportunities for utilities’ mobile workforces to leverage real-time data and better interact with customers and the grid.

In research sponsored by Panasonic and Verizon, Zpryme surveyed over 150 respondents from North American utilities about their mobile workforces, asking questions covering changing technologies and demographics, the adoption and impacts of IoT and Smart Cities, and how prepared utilities are for these changes.

The resulting report provides a multitude of valuable insights into these subjects, and attempts to answer the million-dollar question: how can utilities best leverage new technologies and data for their mobile workforces, in order to take full advantage of the opportunities presented in a time of rapid change?

THE EVOLVING UTILITY MOBILE WORKFORCE

When examining the effects of technological changes on a utility’s mobile workforce, we must also consider changes to the makeup of the workforce itself, as these are equally critical to driving innovation.

Changing demographics

Although 76 per cent of the utilities surveyed expected at least some portion of their mobile workforce to retire during the next few years, 78 per cent anticipated that their mobile workforce would grow overall.

As utility workforces age, institutional knowledge and valuable skills will be lost to retirement. However, this transition also presents utilities with a unique opportunity to introduce new mobile solutions to their workforces and attract new generations of digital natives who may be more comfortable with modern technologies than their predecessors.

Ultimately, utilities have the opportunity to adopt new approaches to their mobile workforces – and technology can play a significant role in helping make the transition between different mobile workforce generations.

Changing technologies

The overall growth and changing demographics of the mobile workforce mean new opportunities for integrating advanced data, analytics, and technology into workflows.

Digitisation is occurring across many industries, and utilities are no exception. Overwhelmingly, utilities plan to increase the digitisation of their mobile workforces (96

per cent) – with over half of the utilities surveyed saying digitisation will increase significantly in the next one to three years (54 per cent).

Instrumental to successfully digitising mobile workforces are fast, rugged, and reliable mobile devices. Mobile phones and consumer laptops make up the bulk of the mobile devices utilised today. However, other technologies – such as rugged laptops, tablets, and handhelds – are also seeing uptake.

Utilities are also planning to adopt new technologies, such as wearables (24 per cent), and augmented reality devices (19 per cent), to enable their mobile personnel with new opportunities for connectivity.

In addition to mobile devices, connectivity among devices is critical for digitisation. Over the next three years, 88 per cent of surveyed utilities plan to increase their use of cellular connectivity for mobile devices – with 35 per cent planning for significant increases.

TECHNOLOGY RESHAPING THE MOBILE WORKFORCE

While the foundation of mobile workforce digitisation involves mobile devices and communications, emerging technologies are adding new layers of connectivity and complexity.

Innovations such as the Internet of Things (IoT) and Smart Cities will create incredibly data-rich and connected environments for the mobile workforce.

Most utilities agree on the importance of both IoT and Smart Cities. This means the next step is implementing strategies to leverage the maximum benefits of these technologies.

Two key areas where utilities expect to benefit are business efficiencies and customer service enhancements.

The most common business benefits from IoT and Smart Cities expected by respondents were improved operational efficiency (77 per cent), access to real-time information (35 per cent), and reductions in restoration times (29 per cent).

Improved operational efficiency is the most valuable improvement to overall business efficiency due to a more connected and knowledgeable mobile workforce, as well as the opportunity for more automation among distributed assets and personnel.

BUT ARE UTILITIES PREPARED?

Given the potential benefits of embracing IoT and Smart Cities technologies in the mobile workforce, utilities must create the infrastructure to support these advances.

To reap the full benefits of these technologies, utilities need secure mobile infrastructure to embrace an emerging data-rich, real-time and connected environment.

Responses to the survey indicated that 33 per cent of utility respondents felt prepared, with seven per cent feeling very prepared, to take on this change. But there is still some hesitancy, with 20 per cent of respondents reporting that they felt unprepared.

Currently, most utilities are making progress in preparing access to back office systems, IT support to field workers,

real-time analytics capabilities, mobile device form factors, and mobile device reliability.

To maximise the efficiency of the new data-rich mobile infrastructure, utilities also need a reliable wireless communications network. Cellular connectivity is an important factor for managing high-volume data, as well as interacting with utility customers.

In addition to needing sustainable digital infrastructure, the mobile workforce itself must also be equipped to make the shift toward digitisation.

Overall, most organisations are starting to prepare their mobile workforces for the increase in real-time data. They are also working toward enhancing the customer experience through new customer engagement opportunities.

For example, 43 per cent of utilities surveyed revealed they are at least somewhat prepared for the sales of new customer products and services, and 39 per cent feel at least somewhat prepared for remote access to customer care and billing. Only eight per cent of respondents did not feel at all prepared to share real-time data with customers.

PREPARING FOR TOMORROW’S MOBILE WORKFORCE, TODAY

The shift toward a real-time, incredibly connected environment is imminent for today’s utility mobile workforce – and utilities are preparing for this immense change.

There are a number of steps that utilities can take to prepare, in order to successfully make the digital transition and reap the benefits of technological change.

1. Utilities need to ensure that their mobile devices provide the security, efficiency, and reliability to handle the increasing demands placed on mobile workforces. Selecting rugged solutions with the lowest failure rates will help maintain the highest levels of productivity in the field.

2. Network security and data privacy are top challenges in the utility digitisation era. Opting for enterprise-grade devices over consumer-grade devices can help utilities alleviate these concerns. These rugged mobility solutions are designed specifically to securely integrate real-time data and analytics into the increasingly connected environment of mobile workforces.

3. Mobile devices should operate with reliable sustainable digital infrastructure and communications networks that integrate new technologies, like IoT and Smart Cities, with existing processes.

4. Utilities should ensure that mobile devices are connected to a reliable wireless network, such as an LTE network, to strengthen all communication efforts within each utility and with customers.

5. Lastly, simplicity is the key when building a digital interface because it allows maximum use across the widest range of employees. The more employees can connect with customers and each other, the more beneficial a digital infrastructure becomes.

Gabriel Harder Software Developer

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VERIFICATION AND SUPERVISION OF COMMUNICATION NETWORKS FOR UTILITY AUTOMATION

Communication networks are an integral part of utility automation systems. With the increased usage of non-conventional instrument transformers and IEC 61850 protection devices, more and more critical information, like sampled values streams and GOOSE messages, are transmitted on these networks.

All protection, automation, and control devices have to be online and communicating appropriately. Testing tools and techniques are needed to verify and supervise the operation of protection, automation, and control (PAC) systems.

This already starts in the commissioning phase, where communication problems are ruled out and the correct transmission of all signals is verified. Later on, during the operation of a digital substation, it is crucial that problems are detected immediately, so staff can react on it.

The correct functioning of the communication network is an essential precondition for the optimal performance of a PAC system. Consequently, the performance of the communication network needs to be measured and assessed on its own. Depending on the communication architecture and technologies deployed, different approaches are applicable.

VERIFICATION OF THE IEC 61850 COMMUNICATION

In the standardised IEC 61850 substation configuration language (SCL) format, it is verified that the IEC 61850 servers of all intelligent electronic devices (IED) are available and reachable over client/server (C/S) connection and the substation real-time network traffic (GOOSE and sampled values) is actually present on the communication network as defined in the configuration files.

A network analyser tool can verify, proof, and document that all protection and control devices are communicating properly. Such verifications are mainly done in factory and site acceptance tests (FAT, SAT), and during the commissioning. In case of a malfunction, the network analyser tool has to provide detailed information for debugging.

If an IED is “checked green”, the complete IEC 61850 communication has been found as defined in the configuration files. A warning means there is an issue, which can be related to the server in the IED, or that not all sampled values streams or GOOSE messages are found on the network as expected.

An error is shown if an IED or one of its services is not found during the verification process. Differences in found sampled values streams or GOOSE messages are visualised by showing the found values next to the defined ones. If the values found on the network are the correct ones, the IED configuration file has to be updated, otherwise the device need to be reconfigured.

For more information, visit www.omicronenergy.com/ sysverification.

ROLAND HEATLEY, WATER SERVICES MANAGER (LEFT), AND ANUB

NAIR, WATER AND WASTE TECHNICAL OFFICER.

SEWER ASSESSMENTS HELPING TO MANAGE RISK

Moree Plains Shire Council in the North West Slopes region of New South Wales is currently undertaking inspections, risk assessment, and maintenance of its sewer network to assess the condition of these assets as part of its major asset management strategy.

By adopting a more strategic approach to maintenance, the council aims to reduce unplanned maintenance requests, and the overall costs of annual maintenance. These assessments will help it better manage the full lifecycle costs of the sewer system, while still providing a high level of service.

This is the first time the council is completing condition scheduling for its whole network, which includes around 112km of sewer mains comprising 83km of gravity mains,

21km of rising mains, 2km of pressure mains, and 6km of vacuum mains.

Moree Plains Shire Council Water Services Manager

Roland Heatley said the program is something new for the council and aims to look at the whole network to reduce maintenance costs and allow the council to take advantage of current technology.

“Condition assessment is an investment for these valuable community assets. It’s also an investment in managing risk.

Sewer assessments helping to manage risk

Knowing the structural condition of your assets will allow you to avoid emergencies, prioritise repair and replacement projects, and plan for the long-term future.

“An analysis of the data and information helps determine structural and operational issues, and performance of the system. Condition assessment also includes failure analysis to determine the causes of infrastructure failures, and to develop ways to prevent future breakdowns.

“Condition assessment enhances the ability of the council to make technically sound judgments regarding asset management.”

ASSESSING THE NETWORK

In 2006, 25km of sewer mains were cleaned and a CCTV condition assessment was completed. Another 46.8km of sewer cleaning and condition assessment will begin in the last quarter of the 2016/2017 financial year.

“The major flood of 2012 has meant that the majority of the sewer requires heavy cleaning to get rid of the built up silts and gravel,” Mr Heatley said.

“On average, one CCTV crew can clean and condition assess around 400-600m of sewer main each day. For the current project, we expect it to take 80-90 days (15-18 weeks) to clean and condition assess the 46.8km of mains.

“We have also condition assessed half of the network’s sewer pump stations, and the remaining will be completed next financial year.”

USING TECHNOLOGY TO IDENTIFY PROBLEMS

The inspection of the conduits is being completed by CCTV cameras in accordance with the Water Services Association of Australia (WSAA) Conduit Inspection Reporting Code of Australia.

The computer software WinCAN V8 is also being used to undertake video recording and defect coding of all inspected mains, as well as reporting on the condition of the sewer network for evidence of inflow and/or infiltration, and the identification of defects.

The technology used by the council aims to provide a number of benefits including:

• Rapid and thorough documentation of critical inspection work

• A tilt/panning head camera with high resolution colour camera modules with 90˚ picture view has allowed for a more complete view of the main

• The Combination Jet Vac unit has allowed contractors to conduct heavy cleaning when required

• EZITRAK Easement Reel has allowed for access to more difficult jobs

Moree Plains Shire Council Water and Waste Technical Officer Anub Nair said these technologies allow the council to identify issues and maintenance requirements and therefore, prioritise resources across the network to provide reliable sewerage infrastructure for the community.

“The report provides details of the location and characteristics of reportable features including defects and features of interest, together with details necessary to define the details of the inspection in accordance with the requirements of the code.

“The inspection report includes a grading of the structural and service condition of the asset determined in accordance with the code,” Mr Nair said.

Condition assessment that has been completed so far on 25km of sewer mains has helped the council identify the following issues and maintenance requirements:

• 7km of sewer main needs relining and around 20 dig-ups are required

• The collapse of 225mm concrete pipe with three collapsed pipe sections and two joint dislocations

• The affected sewer line is around 125m of 225mm diameter concrete pipe with three manholes which are 5.5m to 5.7m deep with 14 household 150mm sewer connections

• Unrepairable pipe and unstable ground above the sewer main and fourteen 5.5m excavations for household connections involved

• Pipe bursting 225mm mains and replacing with 225 PVC pipe offsetting a shallow main and connect 13 household connections to manhole

“Manhole condition assessment has been completed for half the network, currently a contract is been signed for relining 40 manholes per year for the next three years,” Mr Nair said.

Relining of sewer mains contracts will be tendered out within this quarter for relining 3km of sewer main in this current financial year, with an additional two 6km sections in the next two financial years.

INSPECTION PROVIDING VITAL INFORMATION

Mr Heatley said asset management plays an important role in the community, as the condition assessments provide critical information needed to assess the physical condition and functionality of a wastewater collection system, and to estimate its remaining service life and asset value.

“After the field inspection, pipe defects are classified using a standard coding system and pipe condition is assessed using a systematic method to produce consistent, useful information,” Mr Heatley said.

“Following data analysis, condition assessment information is used to make estimates of a pipe’s remaining useful life and its long-term performance, and to make decisions about pipe rehabilitation, pipe replacement, and/or further inspections.”

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AUSTRALIA’S PIPELINE SPECIALISTS

Only four years after the world’s first commercial production of PVC pipe commenced in 1935 in Germany using converted pasta extruders, Iplex Plastics Industries was established in South Australia as a fabrication business.

Over the eight decades that followed, this pioneering Australian company has been at the forefront of the development of plastics materials and processes, and is today an international leader in the manufacture and design of piping systems. Today, Iplex Pipelines supplies pipe ranging in size from 15mm to 3000mm in diameter but its range has expanded since those early days of PVC.

At the larger end of their size range, Iplex markets Flowtite® GRP pipe in sizes up to DN3000. Iplex first introduced GRP pipes to the Australian market in the 1980s, and drove the growth and market acceptance of GRP pipes in the Australian water industry. With the development of continuous filament wound GRP pipe advanced technology in Norway during the early 1990s, Iplex closed its plant to concentrate on modern technology through an exclusive distribution agreement to distribute Flowtite® pipe manufactured by RPC Pipe Systems.

The structure of the Flowtite® pipe wall optimises pressure and stiffness performance; with the precise position of glass filament for hoop strength and stiffening sand filler layers. Pipes are produced on a unique, continuously advancing mandrel, eliminating the length constraints placed on old technology GRP pipes produced in moulds. Finite element analysis software is used to design the complementary range of fittings required to complete the system in pressure classes up to PN32. Rubber ring jointing and Flowtite®’s low weight ensures rapid installation rates, making it ideally suited to long-distance trunk water mains whilst for specialised applications involving high temperatures and highly corrosive fluids, high performance vinyl ester resin is available.

Over the past decade the Flowtite® range has been expanded to include jacking pipes for demanding trenchless applications. To date many hundreds of Iplex projects have been supplied with Flowtite® GRP pipe, including the recently completed Amaroo project undertaken by John Holland for Yarra Valley Water. At 7.5km in length, this installation is the largest jacking pipe project undertaken in the Southern Hemisphere.

Although PVC pipe remains a key line for Iplex, their product bears little resemblance to the early forms of thickwalled, relatively low-stress materials developed in the 1960s and 1970s. Today’s PVC pressure pipes feature molecular orientation in both hoop and axial directions, which not only more than doubles the material's strength, it massively improves ductility, rendering the pipe virtually indestructible

from impact damage. This development has enabled oriented PVC pipe to assume the title of the lowest embodied energy form of pipe used for the conveyance of water. In late 2015, Iplex became the world’s first plastic pipe producer to publish a suite of independently verified Environmental Product Declarations covering its entire range of Polyvinyl Chloride, Polyethylene and Polypropylene pipe systems.

Although plastics are Iplex’s mainstay, they recognise that there remain applications that are best suited to ductile iron pressure pipe. Iplex stocks and distributes the Australian Standard range of DI pipe up to DN750 and can readily access ISO sized pipe in sizes as large as DN2000. Iplex is currently supplying the 30km DN375 PN35 Nyngan to Cobar potable water pipeline to National Australian Pipelines. To complement its ductile iron pipe product range, Iplex operates a fitting foundry located in Innisfail, North Queensland, from which standard and specialised fittings are sourced at short notice.

When it comes to polyethylene pipe, Iplex is Australia’s sole manufacturer of pipe in sizes up to DN2000. This capability was critical in 2014, when flood waters inundated the Yallourn Power Station, threatening the power supply to 5.7 million Victorians. Iplex provided the solution by supplying 4km of DN1600 polyethylene pipe to temporarily divert the Morwell River, permitting dewatering of the mine.

Over the past five years, Iplex has partnered with polyethylene resin producer Qenos to develop a pipe that has 10 to 15 times greater resistance to slow crack growth than that required of standard PE100 pipe. This innovation, known as Millennium® pipe, is specifically designed for harsh trenchless installation methods where pipe surface damage is inevitable. Equally, Millennium® pipe is also suitable for installation without the need to import granular embedment material, and can reduce pipeline construction costs by up to 25 per cent, and yield pipelines with much longer service life.

Whilst all these capabilities are testament to Iplex’s worldclass status, it is their freely offered technical assistance and expertise that sets them apart. Iplex personnel have trained a generation of pipeline designers through their engineering design guides, and structural and hydraulic software. These services are presently being expanded through a suite of apps available freely via PocketENGINEERTM, which can be found on the Iplex website www.iplex.com.au.

To date PocketENGINEERTM apps include a buried pipe deflection estimator used to determine safe installation designs; a complete chemical resistance library for plastics piping material; the full PIPA technical guidelines library with a word search function; and the newly released flange bolt torque calculator.

Through its technical publications, design software, Australian and ISO pipe standards committee work, and involvement with the Plastics Industry Pipe Association, Iplex Pipelines ensure their customers are kept at the forefront of worldwide developments in pipe innovation and technology.

SPECIALISTS IN WORLD-CLASS PIPELINE SOLUTIONS

Since 1938 Iplex has evolved to become the recognised leader in the supply of pipeline products to the water and gas industries. Through the manufacture and supply of innovative and comprehensive pipeline solutions, providing the ‘total package’ confirms Iplex’s reputation as Australia’s Pipeline Specialists.

CUSTOMISATION AND INNOVATION PAYS OFF

MFI Service Bodies has been an industry leader for more than 15 years, with a reputation built on quality designs and a willingness to provide an innovative solution for every customer’s requirements. This focus on clever, robust designs, totally driven by customer satisfaction, continues to pay off – they’ve outgrown their original Warragul home and moved to brand new 2,500 m² premises in Pakenham.

“Our focus has always been to provide the best solution possible for the customer. Customisation and innovation can add value to every single build,” said MFI Service Bodies Director Dallas Needham.

PURPOSE-BUILT IN PAKENHAM

The MFI team is revelling in the new purpose-built Pakenham premises. There’s the space to include even better levels of design and manufacturing efficiency, and room to bring in additional staff to better service the ever growing family of customers. And, at last, the three strings to their business bow, commercial, emergency services, and recreational vehicles, now have their own distinct design and manufacturing focus areas.

MORE ACCESSIBLE, MORE CAPACITY, BETTER SERVICE LEVELS

The move to Pakenham is a plus for customers too. MFI is now much closer to where many of their customers are

based, and the increased capacity means even better levels of service are possible. A visit to MFI has always been worth the trip, but now it is just that bit more convenient.

NO BETTER SOLUTION, NO BETTER VALUE

MFI’s strategy remains to provide every customer with a product designed especially to fit their unique requirements. They pride themselves on delivering the best value, and a key part of that value is any added efficiency that can be extracted from the service body design. Whether it’s smarter storage, more clever placement, or enhanced access, every advantage is an incremental benefit and money in the pocket of the client business.

UNBREAKABLE TOUGHNESS, UNSHAKABLE SAFETY

MFI understands that service bodies have to be more than good looking. They have to be tough, lightweight, and exceed any safety or legal requirements. MFI designs all utilise the strength of lightweight, high tensile, zinc-plated steel, and include weather and dust exclusion that works just as well in suburbia or the Simpson Desert. As for safety, MFI put the same uncompromising concern for safety into what they build, as they do for where they build it.

“Every MFI design is created to make your life on the road easier and safer,” concluded Mr Needham.

The MFI team are justly proud of their new facility and invite new and existing customers to come and see it for themselves. Convenient dates and times can be arranged by calling the sales team on 1800 613 537.

IRRIGATION INNOVATION REAPS A WINNING HARVEST

In Victoria’s Goulburn Valley, two innovative farmers have revolutionised the irrigation and pumping systems on their property, significantly reducing water usage per hectare of land, and widening the range of crops they can produce. In recognition of their efforts, they were awarded first place in the Irrigation District Water Users category of the 2016 State Rural Water Awards.

IAN HAMONO INSPECTING HIS MAIZE CROP GROWN ON SUBSURFACE DRIP IRRIGATION.

In 2008, when farmers Ian and Mary Hamono first purchased their farm in Cooma, Victoria, the land had previously been used for growing tomatoes and lacked a permanent irrigation system, the tomato growers having employed short-term, removable irrigation infrastructure.

In the midst of the Millennium Drought, water prices were high and the Hamonos knew they couldn’t take unlimited, reliable water supply for granted.

“At the time I purchased this farm water prices were really expensive,” Ian Hamono told Utility. “We were in the middle of a drought, and the long-term projection was the water prices were going to be expensive, and there was going to be a shortfall of water. I was really looking for an efficient way of irrigating my summer crops into the future.”

So the couple began to research and plan an efficient, effective irrigation system that would maximise yield for each unit of water used, keep costs down, and see them well into the future.

Now, in 2017, they have state-of-the-art irrigation systems, including a 160-hectare subsurface drip irrigation system, installed on the property, and are reaping the benefits of their investment.

INSTALLING AN INNOVATIVE IRRIGATION SYSTEM

The new irrigation system was eight years in the making and encompassed a three-stage project.

For each stage, Ian and Mary Hamono exchanged water

entitlements in return for government investment in on-farm efficiency improvements through the Australian Government’s $626 million On-Farm Irrigation Efficiency Program. This program aims to assist irrigators in the southern connected system of the Murray–Darling Basin to modernise their on-farm irrigation infrastructure while returning water savings to the environment.

But before installation works could begin, the Hamonos had to undertake significant planning and research to identify the ideal irrigation infrastructure for their intended applications.

“It was really a matter of going out and talking to others that had done it,” said Mr Hamono. “Talking to suppliers and equipment manufacturers about the latest technologies and trends. And I wanted to install something that was not only suitable today, but was going to be there in the future.”

Every minute detail had to be considered in order to design the most effective systems.

“We had to consider tape spacing, what sort of emitter application rates were required. What sort of filtration, what pumps,” said Ian Hamono. “There are a whole range of factors. What sort of control system. What sort of valve. How to control field valves. There are old traditional hydraulic systems, then multi-wire systems, two-wire systems, and there’s radio. It was really a matter of working through all those sorts of technologies.”

Once the planning was complete, on-ground installation

INNOVATION LEADS TO GREAT INVENTIONS. THE HOMEBUILT DRIP TAPE INSTALLATION MACHINE MADE BY IAN.

Irrigation innovation reaps a winning harvest

works could begin. The on-farm works have included pump installation, channel construction, laser grading, establishing recycle dams, subsurface irrigation, and the installation of a centre pivot.

“The first subsurface system that I installed we did in two parts, 60 hectares each year for two years,” said Mr Hamono. “The latest system that I’ve just finished installing, that was done over one season.”

“I installed a recycle system,” he said. “That was the first grant that I got, it enabled me then to install pumps on that recycled system, so that I could install a subsurface drip irrigation.

“I got a grant for the installation of centre pivot irrigation. I also got a couple of grants to upgrade some of the other parts of my property into high-flow flood irrigation. That was primarily done so that I could irrigate winter crops, to start them off in the autumn, and to finish them off in the spring, so that I basically

reduced the risk of crop failure on those winter crops.”

PUMPING WATER FOR EFFICIENT IRRIGATION

The Hamonos’ farm now has a highly efficient and effective irrigation system in place, powered by an array of pumps, allowing them to grow a wide range of crops all year round.

“I grow summer and winter crops,” said Ian Hamono. “Winter crops are cereals, canola, soya beans, whatever grows basically, on a rotation. In summer all of the area that I’ve upgraded predominantly goes to corn.”

The irrigation system includes specially developed drip tape with a longer life expectancy, as well as a filter system to the pressurised pipe network that removes all fragments from the water, preventing blockages. The filter system is also capable of back flushing at lower pressure, putting less strain on the pumping system.

“I’ve really got three different portfolios,” said Mr Hamono. “I’ve got some flood irrigation, which is the traditional way that people have irrigated here for decades.

“I’ve got a centre pivot irrigator that

covers about 65 hectares. Then I’ve got about 160 hectares of subsurface drip irrigation.

“They’re all pressurised systems, the subsurface drip irrigation pumps out of a dam. Basically, there are two systems, both pump out of dams. The water is then filtered, distributed in a main, distributed to a number of in-field valves that are controlled by a central processor unit that’s in the pump shed. It basically runs automatically. As for the drip lines, some are spaced a metre apart, some others are spaced a metre and a half apart, depending on what I’m growing on that country.

“The first system that I installed was installed by a company in Shepparton called Water Dynamics. The centre pivot irrigator was installed by Eagle i Machinery at Finley. The newest drip system that I’m installing is being installed by Water Plus Irrigation in Shepparton.”

The new irrigation systems couldn’t run without an array of pumps and valves to move and direct the water to where it’s needed.

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AN ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY SOLUTION FOR PIPE INSTALLATIONS

Utilities are increasingly aware of the impact of pipeline installations on the surrounding environment. While all trenchless methods involve minimal impact, there is a microtunnelling system available that takes this one step further.

According to Stuart Harrison, Managing Director of Edge Underground, microtunnelling with machines such as the Vermeer AXIS guided boring system has a number of benefits that limit damage and destruction to the surrounding environment, flora, and fauna. This includes reducing site footprint, shorter restoration times, and low carbon emissions.

REDUCED SITE FOOTPRINT

“Trenchless technologies such as microtunnelling operate within a smaller site footprint than traditional open-cut trench projects,” Mr Harrison said.

“Microtunnelling involves the excavation of an entry and exit pit, with the ground between these points left undisturbed throughout the installation process.

“As disruption to the ground is kept to a minimum, the impact to the surrounding environment, flora, and fauna is greatly reduced, and

MICROTUNNELLING OPERATES WITHIN A SMALLER SITE FOOTPRINT THAN TRADITIONAL OPEN-CUT METHODS.

contractors are able to get the job done quicker than if full trenches are used.”

The AXIS system provides further benefits due to its extraction methods.

“In the past, pilot lines were predominantly installed via a displacement method. For this method to be successful, the ground being tunnelled through must be displaced, which has the risk of disturbing the ground surrounding the installation, causing unnecessary damage to the environment,” Mr Harrison said.

“Unlike traditional methods, the Vermeer AXIS systems extracts the ground being tunnelled through rather than displacing it. It is designed to cut and extract the ground as it

proceeds, and in doing so has little to no influence on the ground directly surrounding the installation.”

The AXIS system also utilises a vacuum extraction method that provides continued support to the ground by using a pipe jack system approach. This ensures quantities of both incoming and outgoing materials are reduced, causing less disturbance to the environment and minimising the size of the worksite.

A KEYHOLE SOLUTION

Using the AXIS system, Mr Harrison has been able to complete projects that were required to be extremely precise and noninvasive using keyhole pipelining with microtunnelling.

MICROTUNNELLING LEAVES MINIMAL SURFACE SCARRING AND REQUIRES SIGNIFICANTLY LESS RESTORATION.

While open-cut methods scar the terrain as adversely as open heart surgery on a patient, keyhole pipelining can be likened to keyhole heart surgery – a safer, cleaner alternative. As minimal ground incision is needed for a pipe to be installed, there is minimal disruption to the ground, and any services and obstacles around the pipeline.

SHORTER RESTORATION TIMES

“As the AXIS system only requires minimal excavation it is able to minimise restoration time and costs,” Mr Harrison said.

“While open-cut methods leave lengthy stretches of open trenches that need to be restored after construction, microtunnelling leaves minimal surface scarring and requires significantly less restoration of the landscape. Not only does this reduce the impact on the environment but it is also more cost-effective.”

LOW EMISSIONS

The AXIS system has been proven to have low carbon emissions.

During a project in the US which used the AXIS system, Dr. Sam Ariaratnam and his team at Arizona State University did an emissions study utilising the "E Calc" emissions calculator. The study compared the results to alternative methods, with the AXIS system conclusively presenting the fewest emissions of all the methods.

“With the environmental impact of pipe installations becoming an important consideration for utilities, the Vermeer AXIS guided boring system provides a solution that has minimal impact and remains cost-competitive,” Mr Harrison said.

ABOUT US

Edge Underground is a precision microtunnelling contractor that operates in Australia and the USA. With a focus on innovative technology and expertise, Edge Underground designs and enhances the performance of trenchless equipment.

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■ Capability and capacity to self-perform tunnelling and civil works

■ Inhouse engineering and fabrication capabilities that consistently deliver safe and cost efficient results

■ Complex, urban infrastructure specialist

■ Own and maintain the largest fleet of tunnel boring machines in the Southern Hemisphere

■ Own and maintain an extensive range of civil plant and equipment

■ Collaborative and transparent approach to project and contract management

■ Certified systems in Quality (ISO9001), Safety (AS4801) and Environment (ISO14001)

■ Part of the ASX-listed Seymour Whyte Group, with shared resources and financial backing of a national infrastructure brand

Delivering bigger and more complex projects

■ Green Square Trunk Stormwater, contract value: $30+ million

■ Dawesville 1B, 4A & 5A and Connecting Sewer, contract value: $15+ million

■ Mt Isa Sewerage Augmentation Stage 1, contract value: $15+ million

■ Busselton Infill Sewerage Project, contract value: $15+ million

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National CCF Earth Awards

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Project: Dawesville 1B, 4A and 5A and Connecting Sewer

THE DONVALE BRANCH SEWER

The installation of the Donvale Branch Sewer in Melbourne’s north-east has reached the halfway mark, with approximately 2,500m of the sewer installed using microtunnelling – eliminating the need for any open-cut trenches on the project.

Pezzimenti Trenchless was contracted to install the branch sewer in the Yarra Valley Water project, with MFJ Constructions, the project’s principal contractor. The complex project includes drilling under major roads, sensitive council reserves with a high number of trees, and private properties. The most challenging aspect of the installation is the crossing of the Mullum Mullum Creek, which occurs up to six times along the alignment of the pipeline.

Commencing in early 2016, Pezzimenti Trenchless has overcome challenging conditions, allowing for the

continued success of the project. The sewer’s location has extremely hard siltstone ground conditions, including veins of quartz and sections where the ground changes from siltstone to clay. There is also mixed ground conditions along the creek, including an old creek bed with river pebbles and silt. Pezzimenti has also taken into account the limited access along the sensitive council reserves, and has made sure nearby trees were preserved.

The scope of the project covers 4,200m of microtunnelling, with sizes including 427mm GRP Hobas, 550mm GRP Hobas, 650mm GRP Hobas, 718mm GRP Hobas, 752mm FRP Hobas, and 225 PVC. Pezzimenti has used its extensive microtunnelling experience, combined with solid research and planning, to overcome the complexities of the project and allow it to move forward without delays.

WHAT ARE THE REAL CHALLENGES FACING THE ENERGY INDUSTRY?

by Aleks Zids, Conference Director, Australian Energy Week

As the Australian energy sector transitions towards lower-carbon energy sources, which are more intermittent and distributed, the reliability and affordability of energy are once again key concerns, not just for utilities, but the Australian people.

Energy is once again back in the centre of the political cross hairs as state and federal governments continue to disagree over the best path forward, and consumers face rising prices and more regular blackouts.

For energy executives, the next few years are set to be some of the most challenging in history as the industry decarbonises, digitalises, and decentralises. Where the industry will be in three to five years is unclear, though that does not stop managers from needing to make decisions now.

Australian Energy Week is unique in that it is the only major event in Australia that brings together senior execs from the entire energy market under one roof. Each year it brings together over 400+ senior execs from the length of the energy supply chain.

It is where senior decision-makers from all parts of the industry come together to access leading content, debate policy, and network.

This year's event is shaping up to be better than ever

with new content streams and a speaker line-up second to none, including:

• The Hon. Josh Frydenberg MP, Minister for Environment and Energy, Federal Government

• Alan Finkel, Chief Scientist, Federal Government

• Andy Vesey, Chief Executive Officer, AGL Energy

• Paul Broad, Chief Executive Officer, Snowy Hydro

• Stephanie Unwin, General Manager Commercial , Synergy

• Mark Collette, Executive – Energy, EnergyAustralia

• David Smales, Chief Executive Officer, Energy Queensland

• Frank Tudor, Managing Director, Horizon Power

• Guy Chalkley, Chief Executive Officer, Western Power

If you need to identify the real challenges for your business out to 2020 and strengthen your strategy for addressing these, then Australian Energy Week is not to be missed. For more information visit www.energyweek.com.au

The utility industry is regularly required to call on an enormous and varied range of specialists; from mapping, to drilling, to wastewater treatment, to asset management, to pipe relining, to pipeline integrity, to land access, to risk management, and the list goes on. To make the process a little easier, Utility magazine is bringing together experts from various fields to answer your questions.

HDD

WHAT MAKES SHORE CROSSING DESIGN A SPECIALIST AREA?

Working in the nearshore environment, especially on Australia’s exposed coastlines, can be very challenging and inhospitable for both land-based and water-based construction equipment. Neither construction method is ideally suited to construction in this shallow, tidal, highenergy zone; it is too shallow for marine vessels, which risk grounding, and too deep and exposed for land-based work, which risks flooding and equipment damage. This is the zone that neither the offshore contractor or the onshore contractor are ideally placed to manage – it is not their normal working environment and it is this challenge that makes shore crossings very interesting to design and construct.

Up to 15 years ago, these crossings would have required large-scale open battered excavations onshore, which would connect to a piled cofferdam through the surf zone, followed by a dredged channel offshore. A concretecoated pipe section would be floated into position using floatation devices and hydraulic winches. The process was very susceptible to adverse weather conditions and tidal variations, as well as presenting numerous challenges for managing worker safety and potential damage to the environment, including oil spills and erosion.

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS OF USING HDD FOR SHORE CROSSINGS?

By using HDD to construct the shore crossing you are totally

eliminating the requirement for works to be constructed in the nearshore environment. Using HDD allows for the crossing length and depth to be increased, which positions the rig back on level land, and also allows for the exit to be beyond the surf zone. The rig will be placed well behind the dune system, which can then be preserved to prevent erosion, and maintain existing flora and fauna within the coastal corridor. The exit point will be selected to provide appropriate conditions for positioning subsea structures or providing a suitable transition to offshore pipeline. The exit location must provide sufficient water depth to allow safe vessel access and anchoring, as well as diving operations. The pipelines can be prefabricated onshore and thrust through the bore from entry to exit, or, alternatively, the HDD rig can be used to pull back the pipeline from offshore if the pipe is fabricated by a laybarge or towed offshore from a spool base/launching area. This is especially convenient if the product pipe is HDPE, which will float without the use of external buoyancy control measures.

WHAT ARE THE MAIN CHALLENGES WHEN USING HDD FOR SHORE CROSSINGS?

One of the main challenges for designing a HDD shore crossing is selecting an appropriate exit location and then obtaining reliable cost-effective geotechnical offshore information. For shorter crossings it may be possible to interpolate onshore and nearshore boreholes, but for longer crossings it is extremely important to develop an understanding at the exit topography and geology. This is critical for developing the HDD methodology;

ABOUT CHARLES STOCKTON

determining whether the hole will be forward reamed or back reamed, and if the pipe will be thrust or pulled into the bore.

Another key factor that needs to be carefully considered is weather. Even though the majority of the works can be conducted from onshore, marine vessels and divers will still need to be deployed during a number of critical stages of the operation. Having these windows well identified, and then having contingency planning for delays is essential. Clearly setting out what conditions the marine vessels can operate in, and determining how this risk will be costed, will be important to prevent cost escalation and potential disputes between parties.

The main difference in the HDD operation is that the pipe-side will be managed over water by a marine spread. It is essential to correctly specify the vessel requirements and establish what duties it will be performing in what conditions; this may include seabed preparations, dive support, lifting and recovery of downhole tooling, winching, alignment and hook up of pipe string, and placement of clump weights/ mattresses for temporary stabilisation, as well as flooding and gauging of the pipeline.

Another technique that has evolved is to drill and leave the bore closed just prior to exit. This then allows for the bore to be opened by forward reaming, thereby limiting offshore operations and ensuring drill fluids are returned to entry for recycling rather than being lost to the ocean floor. The final section of the bore can then be reamed out using biodegradable fluids to limit any potential environmental impacts of the break through to the seabed.

UK-born Charles Stockton has been a part of the HDD sector in Australasia since 2003. He is the Managing Director of Stockton Drilling Services, a leading engineering consultancy specialising in HDD and other trenchless pipeline installation methods.

For more information please visit www.stocktondrillingservices.com or contact Charles on 0400 623 441

charles@stocktondrillingservices.com to discuss your next trenchless project.

MICROTUNNELLING

WHAT FACTORS MAKE MICROTUNNELLING MORE COSTEFFECTIVE THAN TRADITIONAL OPEN-CUT METHODS?

Microtunnelling projects for the installation of new underground infrastructure are often motivated by costs. The chosen method has to either maximise the present value of the net benefits, or minimise the costs of providing the service. Traditionally, open-cut excavation methods were used for such projects, however, these methods are expensive. With asset owners focusing on costs, there are a number of areas to be considered where trenchless technologies such as microtunnelling can provide a more cost-effective solution.

SITE REHABILITATION

Unlike open-cut methods, which require trenches to be dug to match the length of the pipe, microtunnelling has a smaller site footprint, as it only requires an entry and exit pit. In terms of costs, especially in high-density areas, the reinstatement of surfaces such as sidewalks, pavement and landscaping is expensive – it is estimated this accounts for around 70 per cent of an open-cut project’s direct costs. As microtunnelling results in less surface disruption, the costs of site rehabilitation are greatly reduced with less human labour, excavation and backfill costs.

CONSTRUCTION COSTS

Time is money and the longer a pipe installation takes the more it will cost. The need to dig up and refill large sections of land for open-cut methods increases the duration of a project. Microtunnelling can reduce construction costs by decreasing the amount of time personnel and equipment are required on site. While timing for each project differs depending on specifications and site conditions, it is possible to complete projects such as the installation of an enveloper pipe and/or

gravity sewer in as little as 48 hours.

SOCIAL COSTS

In high-density areas, open-cut methods can cause major disruption to businesses and the general public, leading to increased social costs. These social costs may include disruption to traffic and to business activities, damage to existing paved surfaces, adverse environmental impacts, and disruption to normal life patterns of the people living, working and shopping around the construction zone. While these costs are generally paid for by the community and not realised as a direct project cost, it is important to take this into account when choosing a method. Other social costs can be directly related to the project, such as traffic management.

GROUND CONDITIONS

The cost to excavate in rock is often very expensive on a typical open-cut project, with time, excessive noise, and the total vibration of the process key issues on such jobs.

Microtunnelling is increasingly becoming a viable alternative due to reduced costs and production in such projects. By only coring a hole through the rock rather than excavating trenches through layers of rock there are significant cost and productivity advantages.

Similarly, in wet flowing ground, like below the water table and in sand/silt, the cost of dewatering and shoring, especially where sheet piling is required, is expensive. Microtunnelling is seen as a cost-effective solution as only the launch and exit pits require dewatering.

Contaminated ground is another area where microtunnelling has distinct cost advantages. Excavating the absolute minimum amount of ground necessary to install a pipe reduces the amount of contaminated ground that needs to be treated.

ABOUT STUART HARRISON

DEEP EXCAVATIONS

Whenever excavation starts getting deeper we see more reasons to look at microtunnelling. The cost of microtunnelling changes minimally with depth as opposed to open-cut. As a result there is a point of depth where microtunnelling is more cost-effective. The depth this occurs varies depending on ground conditions, job location and other obstructions. In an urban environment in a road reserve area it can be at 2m deep, and in a greenfield setting it might be 5m plus.

OBSTRUCTIONS (SURFACE OR SUBSURFACE)

The ability to create a keyhole pipeline is an advantage of microtunnelling for areas where there are surface obstructions such as roadways, power poles, trees, lakes, waterways, hills, and other structures, and subsurface obstructions, including other utilities, pylons, and foundations. The keyhole pipeline involves excavating a small shaft in accessible areas where obstructions can be navigated. This allows the pipe to be installed around any congestion, as minimal ground needs to be excavated to install the pipe.

DECREASING COSTS

With open-cut methods becoming increasingly expensive due to rising indirect costs of fuel, spoil waste disposal, and environmental and social impacts, microtunnelling provides a cost-effective option for pipe installation.

The points that have been discussed are only some of ways that microtunnelling can reduce the costs of a project, with the Louisiana Technical Institute estimating – based on bid data – total overall savings of up to 75 per cent can be realised.

There are of course other non-cost related advantages such as environmental advantages and minimal invasion on cultural heritage issues.

Global microtunnelling pioneer Stuart Harrison is the Managing Director of Edge Underground, where he specialises in on-grade microtunnelling installations with millimetre accuracy. Stuart is also the inventor of the Vermeer AXIS Guided Boring system, and he is constantly working to improve the effectiveness of this and other trenchless systems used in the installation of gravity sewers. To discuss your next microtunnelling installation, contact Stuart on 1300 JACKED or at stuart@edgeunderground.co.

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