Smart automation controllers and motor management systems to support Zandvliet’s expansion and help increase water services for Cape Town’s growing population.
The Zandvliet wastewater treatment plant is set to benefit from a range of technologies that will support the site’s expansion. The Cape Town-based facility, which currently treats 72,000m3 of effluent daily, is expanding its capacity to 90,000 m3 to support the city’s growth. The wastewater treatment plant will use a number of solutions from Schneider Electric, including smart automation controllers and motor management systems that’ll help increase its efficiency, digitise systems and reduce operational costs.
An essential facility in the city’s water treatment network, the Zandvliet wastewater treatment plant has been scheduled for expansion since 2010. The Cape Town Municipality, which owns the treatment plant as part of the city’s wastewater treatment and is responsible for the provision of quality drinking water and the safe treatment of effluent for the city, has plans to increase capacity to cater to the area’s population growth; the metropolis, whose population today is 3.74 million, is growing at an annual rate of 2 to 3 percent.
The expansion of the plant will include the construction of a new wastewater pumping station, various primary settling basins, disinfection facilities, and drying facilities for dewatering sludge. The final commissioning of the new plant is anticipated to be by December 2023.
Schneider Electric is supplying a number of products, including M340 and M580 Programmable Automation Controllers, Magelis HMI interfaces, Tesys-T smart motor management system and power meters. The devices will be connected to and share data with the plant’s supervisory control and data acquisition software, allowing the site’s operations team to digitally optimise how the facility runs.
“We’ve worked with the Cape Town Municipality for years, and we understand the importance of expanding the area’s water treatment capabilities,” said Andries le Roux, Regional Account Manager - Western Cape at Schneider Electric South Africa. “Our technologies are going to make the Zandvliet wastewater treatment plant run better thanks to how we’re digitalising key equipment. The result will be a smarter, more efficient plant that’s better able to meet the needs of Cape Town, its residents and businesses.”