Notes from the Underground

The latest edition of the International Water Summit just took place in January 2017. How would you assess the event’s contributions to the work and promotion of ADSSC?

This was the sixth edition of the International Water Summit, and it has become larger year after year. As part of the World Future Energy Summit (WFES) that summons some of the top speakers in the sector, we find it a great platform to promote the work of ADSSC, our projects, and our commitment to the development of the conscientious use of utilities in the country. Part of our activities in the event included a stand in the exhibition, managerial presence to inform people about what is happening at ADSSC, and an opportunity to build up relationships with international suppliers and contractors who attend the summit. ADSSC also participates in some of the presentations and panel discussions. We use the event to help promote our investment program with the intention of finding synergies with other like-minded institutions and companies. It is a great PR event to introduce the newest technologies available in the industry. Moreover, it is an ideal platform for Abu Dhabi to showcase its achievements regarding wastewater and water usage, which are particularly important for the country.

The deadline for the ADSSC Master Plan was recently met. What have been the major changes brought about by this plan?

The main idea of the master plan is to look at the continued growth of Abu Dhabi and what its future needs are in terms of meeting customer requirements. This includes the capacity within the network and treatment plants, and where we need to develop our capability. One area of emphasis is SCADA, which is a data collection and instrumentation tool that allows us to evaluate the performance of our system. The outcome of this evaluation helps to optimize our investment plans to those sectors where they are needed the most. Another major element we picked up from the master plan is the incorporation of a new KPI in our contracts to look specifically at our carbon footprint and the importance of introducing green energies. We are big energy users for the sole nature of our business, so this implementation aims to establish an innovative approach to working with our partners in Abu Dhabi, as well as with international contractors, to improve our practices in that regard. Another part of the plan was to improve our customer services by raising our standards and increasing our capacity of response. Although not part of our master plan, we aim to extend the customer understanding about what we do and educate them via open days, school visits, and community talks to enhance the awareness about the environmental friendly use of utilities.

How would you evaluate the approach of the average person to efficient water usage and how do you encourage a more conscious use of water utilities?

Most people do not think too hard about the utilities they use, including water. Concerns only arise whenever there is a problem in receiving the service. We still have an important role to play in conveying to people that water is a limited resource and that its usage has a huge impact on the environment. One of the ways to do this is to make water valuable to consumers by charging a realistic price for it. A cost reflective charge makes people more careful about how they can stop wasting resources like water and power. We seek to get people to understand this through education and the interaction with community groups. The increase in water tariffs has already resulted in a reduction in water usage, but the numbers still need to go further down. ADSSC’s flow has dropped in the last two years, but it has been more due to the downturn in the economy than the reduction in tariff supplement. We also work with other partners such as Masdar to develop new technologies, reduce energy costs, and utilize any waste products that come out of the process. We have made a great start, but we can make further improvements with continued cooperation.

One of your flagship projects is the Strategic Tunnel Enhancement Program (STEP), which is reaching completion. How will STEP enhance your performance in the market?

STEP has been a feature of ADSSC since we started in work on it in 2008. Construction work started with our first tunnel contract in 2009. At the moment we are at the tail-end phase of its construction, which ran a little longer than anticipated due to construction issues at the pumping station. The pumping station is now substantially complete and we have now successfully introduced sewage on a small scale to test some of the pumps and technology. We expect the station to be fully operational by the last quarter of 2017. The next phase entails the decommissioning of 35 pumping stations that are associated with STEP and the sewerage systems. This project pushes pumping standards to the limit in terms of size and volumes and is a major global scale achievement for Abu Dhabi. We are confident that commissioning will be completed in the next few months and that it will be fully operational by the end of 2017. Once completed, STEP will have a huge impact in terms of reducing the carbon footprint with our calculations showing that the new pumping station will be much more efficient than the 35 pumping stations it replaces.

One of the biggest novelties introduced by STEP is groundbreaking technology thus far unseen in this market. Can you tell us more about these technologies and how they will add to energy efficiency?

STEP involves a standard gravity system that has been already proven but that is different in terms of scale. Only around half a dozen manufacturers in the world can make the pumps we have brought in for this project. On top of that, the state of the art control systems will ensure effective pump management and maintenance. The power to run the pumps requires us to have our own sub-station, along with our own large standby generators in case we have a failure in the electricity grid system. STEP has 42km of gravity tunnel with a pumping station at the end and another 43km of linked sewers of up to 3m in diameter that feed into the main tunnel. The tunnel is 85m below ground at the deepest point and this technology is entirely gravity-based and will replace the 35 pumping stations in the current system. This centralized system with a deep sewer gravity tunnel was first used in Singapore and we have adopted a similar approach but with changes to match the needs of Abu Dhabi and the UAE as whole. This project will serve Abu Dhabi for over 80 years.

Abu Dhabi has a target of 100% recycled water by 2018. With less than two years to the deadline, how feasible is this target?

We have received approval for the design of three major pipelines to be put in for treated sewage effluent (TSE), which is the irrigation water. These contracts will start in 2017 and the aim is to have them completed by the end of 2018. Our intention is definitely to achieve as close to 100% recycled water use as technically possible throughout the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. We know the demand is there and we will have 100% recycled water to all intents and purposes by the time the deadline was set.