Taqa Water Solutions has awarded a AED95m ($25.8m) contract to develop a comprehensive Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (Scada) system across its water treatment infrastructure, linked to a new and centralised control facility.

The project aims to enhance operational efficiency, reduce the company’s carbon footprint and improve wastewater treatment capacity by approximately 20%.

The local Electro Mechanical Company won the contract.

Consultancy firm TVA Engineering supported the bidder, which will also tap the latest Scada technology from Germany’s Siemens.

Taqa Water Solutions said the Scada technology will “enable integrated, real-time monitoring and control of Taqa Water Solutions’ extensive network using over 2,000 high-performance sensors, transmitters and instruments”.

The project will link all plants in Abu Dhabi, benefitting 91% of Taqa Water Solutions’ wastewater collection and treatment assets.

“This ensures seamless, real-time oversight and efficient management across the entire infrastructure with a network that spans over 13,000 kilometres in length, 43 treatment plants and 260 pumping stations,” the firm stated.

Key benefits of the centralised Siemens Sacada system upgrade include artificial intelligence (AI) smart monitoring for enhanced operational efficiency.

The project is expected to reduce the treatment plants’ carbon emissions by up to 13%, equivalent to almost 6,500 metric tonnes annually.

The system also aims to deliver a 12% reduction in maintenance costs and lower energy consumption, with total annual savings of more than AED10m.

In addition, the project seeks to strengthen security with the latest cybersecurity measures and physical security enhancements.

The then Abu Dhabi Sewerage Services Company (ADSSC) tendered the Scada contract in 2022 and a separate contract for a disaster recovery data centre facility.

At the time, it was stated that the scope of work for the Scada system included constructing a new command and control centre building in addition to the Scada hardware and software.

The package will also entail security systems for electronic, information and operational technologies; communication systems; programmable logic controllers; cabling and human-machine interface systems; and field instrumentation devices.

ADSSC rebranded to Sustainable Water Solutions in early 2023 and this year to Taqa Water Solutions, following its acquisition in June 2023 by Abu Dhabi National Energy Company (Taqa).