Optimization of processes

A utomation and Control systems are present in all and every one of ACCIONA Agua’s past, present and future projects. All the Company’s processes and installations are controlled by control and automation equipment that requires specialized maintenance, updating and continuous care in order to optimize the plants and their processes. As head of the department, Alejandro Beivide, explained, “You could say that our Automation of the water cycle processes is what differentiates us from the competition. It is one of the chief specializations of the Company as a whole.”

How this department works?

Automation and Control systems are essential to all ACCIONA Agua’s projects. All the processes and installations are commanded by control and automation equipment which need specialized maintenance, updating and continuous care in order to optimize plants and processes.

With which areas of the company do you collaborate?

“We work horizontally across many of the departments of the Company in order to support them in specialized tasks and add value to their offer in the area of design competitiveness and optimization. At the moment, we are studying calls for tender to act as Automation and Tele-control solution integrators in order to generate a business line compatible with the activity of the company and which can improve our position and image in the sector as innovators and technologists. In the department, we are six people and everything passes through here, from the design of systems to their commissioning. Our aim as a team is to obtain optimum, highly competitive solutions in the automation sector.”

Which significant projects have you carried out or are going on at the moment?

“One of the most important on which we have worked is the design, programming and implementation, along with the relevant execution and commissioning departments, of the Control System for the Adelaide desalination plant in Australia. We implemented the design and execution of the control system, including the SCADA (the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system) and the PLC (Programmable Logic Controller) program, as well as instrumentation, management, supervision, consultancy and control of the programming and subcontracting technology. We also did the work for, and obtained, the certification relating to the FATs (Final Acceptance Tests) of the control and communications systems,” Alejandro answered.  

Automation and Control systems are present in all the ACCIONA’s projects

OUR TEAM

Alejandro Beivide is an Industrial Automation and Electronics engineer and leads a team of five, all of them with specialist knowledge in programming and engineering. They all have different roles in which the tasks they carry out can diversify. Alejandro looks after remote control systems and industrial communications, Automation and Industrial Control Systems and the design and implementation of applications.

Jessica Ruiz is an IT engineer who is concerned with the development of applications and their security and encryption, and is also responsible for installations and projects.

Alain Fernández Bartolomé is also an Industrial Automation and Electronics engineer who performs the programming of SCADAs (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition systems) and PLCs (Programmable Logic Controllers). Alongside Jessica, he also works on installations and projects. 

David Bragado González  is the team’s Telecommunications engineer. He programs the servers and takes care of the telecoms systems and network configuration and management.

José Antonio López González is an industrial engineer specializing in Electronics. He is also responsible for the PLCs, SCADAs and remote control systems and their commissioning, and also works on network configuration and management.

The team has all the knowledge needed to carry out its tasks. Theirs is a very specialized and complex area, since they are dealing with the global communications and control system.”The automation and control tasks are recurring ones; they are always on the agenda in the full management cycle of a project and, globally, in ACCIONA Agua’s business model, combining project development with operations and maintenance of our own and third party systems,” explained Alejandro. 

ADELAIDA (AUSTRALIA)

This desalination plant has just passed its Proving Test certifying that the construction fulfils all the contractual objectives as far as the process is concerned, opening the door for the return of the bank guarantees the client, SA WATER, has from ACCIONA Agua. 

OTHER SIGNIFICANT PROJECTS

• Commissioning of the Torrevieja desalination plant in Alicante, Spain.
• Modifications and improvements to Fouka desal plant in Algeria.
• Collaboration in the O&M for Hadda and Arena WWTP in Saudi Arabia.
• SmartWater4Europe European project.
• Remote control system for La Unión, Murcia, Spain.
• Remote control system for Somajasa, Jaén, Spain.
• Remote control system for Andratx, Majorca.
• ISO 50001 energy management certification.
• Design, execution and commissioning of the Control and Communications system for La China sewage regeneration plant in Madrid.
• Control and Communications audits for Canal de Isabel II, Madrid.