SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, through its subsidiary Ondeo Systems, has finalised the acquisition of Derceto, the world leader in solutions for minimising the energy cost of drinking water production and distribution systems. Based in Auckland, New Zealand, the company has some 20 employees with offices in the United States, Canada and the UK.
MINIMISING THE ENERGY COST OF DRINKING WATER UTILITIES: A CHALLENGE FOR LOCAL AUTHORITIES
Faced with regulatory changes and the rapid rise in energy costs, reducing energy consumption is a priority for local authorities. In response to this challenge, Derceto has developed a solution for minimising energy costs for drinking water utilities.
The production and distribution of drinking water is a significant energy consumption item for local authorities as 40%1 of total operating costs are energy-related. Of all the consumption items, pumping can account for up to 80% of those expenses.2
Connected to a drinking water utility’s monitoring & control system, Derceto’s solution accesses electricity tariffs in real time and updates the forecasts for drinking water demand. Using these forecasts, it derives the optimal pumping strategy for the next 24 to 48 hours, updated every 30 minutes, thus ensuring the highest economic efficiency for drinking water supply 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Marketed since 2004, this solution has proven its worth in over 20 installations supplying nearly 20 million residents in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and Asia-Pacific. Its effectiveness has been demonstrated by associated energy costs falling up to 20%.
SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT CONTINUES ITS DEVELOPMENT IN THE NEW SERVICES WATER MARKET 3
With this acquisition, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT boosts its ability to support local authorities to sustainably manage their resources by offering a comprehensive solution for optimising the performance of drinking water networks. The software developed by Derceto actually integrates with Aquadvanced, the innovation launched in June 2014 dedicated to optimising the performance of drinking water networks and, now, of energy management.
Through this acquisition, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT, leader in New Services in Europe, supplements its portfolio of solutions and strengthens its international presence. This acquisition is thus in keeping with SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT’s strategy to make NewServices one of its four strategic development priorities. The Group expects its average annual revenue to grow by more than 10% a year in this market.
ONDEO SYSTEMS
An expert in developing technological solutions and in engineering information systems for environmental uses, Ondeo Systems was created in 2009 by the merger of a number of centres of expertise at SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT and LYONNAISE DES EAUX in industrial and technical informatics. Ondeo Systems has proven know-how in developing systems for real-time control of water and wastewater networks and multi-fluid remote-reading solutions. Present in France and very active internationally, Ondeo Systems employs 140 engineers and experts.
SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT
Natural resources are not infinite. Every day, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT (Paris: SEV, Brussels: SEVB) and its subsidiaries deal with the challenge of protecting resources by providing innovative solutions to industry and to millions of people. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT supplies drinking water to 92 million people, provides wastewater treatment services for 65 million people and collects the waste produced by 52 million people. SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT has 79,550 employees and, with its presence on five continents, is a world leader exclusively dedicated to water and waste management services. In 2013, SUEZ ENVIRONNEMENT generated revenues of EUR 14.6 billion.