Projects for the Green and Digital Upgrade of the Larnaka Water Supply Board with the contribution of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism

The Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP) reflects the comprehensive planning of the Republic of Cyprus for the utilisation of resources amounting to €1.2 billion, which will be made available to Cyprus for the period 2021-2026 through the EU Recovery and Resilience Mechanism (RRM), part of the exceptional recovery financing instrument known as Next Generation EU. The objective of Next Generation EU is to address the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic, promote sustainable growth, ensure the resilience of the EU economy and prepare societies to face the challenges and opportunities of the transition to a green and digital economy.

To achieve the objectives of the Recovery and Resilience Mechanism, each Member State has prepared a Recovery and Resilience Plan (RRP), which outlines and defines the investments and reforms to be implemented during the period 2021-2026. Cyprus’ RRP is based on five Policy Axes. These are: (1) Public health and civil protection – lessons from the pandemic, (2) Rapid transition to a green economy, (3) Strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the economy, (4) Towards a digital era, and (5) Employment, social protection, education and human resources.

The Cyprus RRP includes an investment of €7 million to support the efforts of the Larnaka Water Supply Board (LWSB) to improve customer service and enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of the organisation. The LWSB investment falls under Policy Axis 2 and more specifically under Section 2.3 – “Smart and sustainable management of water resources”, which includes actions in the field of water supply and sewerage services.

The mission of the Larnaka Water Supply Board is to ensure the uninterrupted supply of water of suitable quality and sufficient quantity at reasonable prices, while at the same time addressing various challenges such as water losses and the need to renew infrastructure and equipment. This investment is an important step towards adequately addressing the above challenges through the implementation of the following interventions: (1) “Construction of a new reservoir with a capacity of 10,000 m3 in Klaydia” and (2) “Implementation of smart technologies to improve the efficiency of the Larnaka Water Supply Board”. These interventions will be co-financed by the RRP and by the resources of the Larnaka Water Supply Board.

Intervention 1: “Construction of a new reservoir with a capacity of 10,000 m3 in Klaydia”

The first intervention concerns meeting consumers’ water needs through the construction of a new water reservoir at the site of the existing Larnaka Water Supply Board reservoirs in Klaydia. The new reservoir will be constructed from reinforced concrete. In addition to the construction of the reservoir, the project includes new pipelines, monitoring and control chambers with flow meters, valves and other equipment, as well as landscaping of the surrounding area. Works on the project started in 2022 and were expected to be completed by the end of 2023. Funding from the RRP for this intervention amounts to €3 million and, upon completion, it will be possible to ensure continuous water supply to consumers for at least 24 hours in the event of a supply interruption.

Intervention 2: “Implementation of smart technologies to improve the efficiency of the Larnaka Water Supply Board”

The second intervention concerns the implementation of smart technologies by the Larnaka Water Supply Board and consists of the following actions:

1. Installation and operation of a smart metering system, involving the replacement of 25,000 domestic water meters with new smart water meters. These smart meters will be installed in areas of the Larnaka Water Supply Board with high levels of non-revenue water, such as the newly incorporated areas of the Municipalities of Aradippou and Livadia, and will be able to record and transmit hourly water consumption data from premises once per day to a dedicated monitoring platform. The project is expected to provide significant benefits to the Larnaka Water Supply Board, since the daily calculation of the water balance in areas where smart meters are installed will enable the timely detection of leaks in the water supply network. At the same time, the project will also provide significant benefits to consumers with smart meters installed, such as monitoring water consumption at their premises through an online platform and reducing the likelihood of paying higher bills due to the early detection of leaks on their premises.
2. Installation and operation of sensors to monitor water quality and pressure at various points of the network. With the installation of these sensors, the Larnaka Water Supply Board will receive real-time data on water pressure and quality at selected points in the network, enabling better network management and the timely detection of problems.
3. Creation of an integrated Digital Twin Decision Support System, which will assist in optimising decisions regarding the operation, maintenance and expansion of the network. All data and information from the existing and future systems of the Larnaka Water Supply Board, including smart meters, sensors, telemetry and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), will be integrated into this system and, in combination with the use of Artificial Intelligence tools and hydraulic and water quality models, dynamic information will be provided on the flow, pressure and quality of water in the network. Through this tool, the Larnaka Water Supply Board will be able to draw conclusions regarding network efficiency, areas for improvement and the identification of potential losses.
4. Creation of a data bank hosted on cloud infrastructure, which will serve as a space for collecting and storing information and data from the existing and future systems of the Larnaka Water Supply Board. The collected information and data will be able to feed the Digital Twin network and other systems.
5. Creation of a consumer platform, which will provide consumers of the Larnaka Water Supply Board with advanced online services, such as bill payment and the submission of various applications and reports.

Funding for the second intervention amounts to €4 million. The various works related to the implementation of these actions began in mid-2022 and are expected to be completed by 2026.

Green and Digital Transition

It is worth noting that the investment of the Larnaka Water Supply Board contributes to the green transition of the organisation, to adaptation and mitigation in relation to climate change, as well as to the achievement of the EU climate targets for 2030 and climate neutrality by 2050. The construction of the new reservoir is directly linked to climate change adaptation, as it increases the ability to supply water to consumers in the event of climate-related risks such as floods, storms and drought.

The implementation of smart water technologies will facilitate data collection and processing and contribute to the visualisation of data for correct and timely decision-making, thereby enabling efficient monitoring and operation of the network, faster leak detection and behavioural change among consumers regarding the protection of water, which is a natural resource whose quantity is declining due to climate change. Consequently, the results of the above actions are expected to lead to a reduction in water losses and unnecessary waste, with a resulting reduction in the energy required and greenhouse gas emissions produced for pumping and treating water or producing desalinated water.

Finally, the above actions will contribute to the digital transition of the organisation through the implementation and adoption of innovative technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT) technology for wireless data collection from the field, the installation of real-time monitoring and network control sensors, communication infrastructure, and the use of advanced Digital Twin technology and Artificial Intelligence tools to create an integrated decision-making system.