Press release: Espoo, 22 April 2021 – The main reasons for the renovation of the wastewater treatment plant in Vuohiniemi, Iisalmi, eastern Finland were machinery at the end of its life cycle, the need to increase wastewater treatment capacity, and a drive for increased energy efficiency.
The renovation project began in 2017 and the final upgrades will be completed in the autumn of 2021.
“The original Vuohiniemi treatment plant was commissioned in 1973 and it was last modernised in the 1990s. When the wastewater treatment plant was renovated, almost all the machinery was replaced,” Ulla Tyrväinen, the director of the Iisalmen Vesi municipal water utility, says.
During the renovation the automation system, machinery, sampling and instrumentation were replaced. In addition, all the legacy open-air basins were covered and the buildings fitted with activated carbon filters to combat odours from the plant.
Slatek fulfilled the electrical, instrumentation and automation contract at the plant. The requirement to keep treating wastewater throughout the renovation made the project challenging.
“Over four decades we’ve gained experience of similar sites which have been renovated while still being used. One of the most significant new-build projects we’ve done is the Ruka Moving Bed Biofilm Reactor (MBBR), completed in 2016,” says Slatek Project Manager Jussi Tervamäki.
“Our contracting is always customer-oriented, and in the Vuohiniemi project too we worked closely with Iisalmen Vesi towards a shared target. A plant that functions just as it should it everyone’s goal.
Modern technology is part of contemporary plants
Slatek delivered the process automation for the Vuohiniemi wastewater treatment plant using Schneider Electric technology. The system’s control room also includes electricity supply controls. Schneider Electric also supplied ATV-series variable speed drives and electricity supply components, such as Masterpact circuit breakers, for the plant.
“A standard requirement for today’s plant projects is a modern automation system that can be used to flexibly provide remote use solutions. Linked-up energy management and process automation, combined with the fine tuning of processes, enable optimised energy management and savings over the plant’s life cycle,” says Mikko Hytönen, Solution Sales Manager at Schneider Electric.
Ulla Tyrväinen says that the new machinery and automation have already achieved good energy saving results.
“Even though there’s now more machinery, the streamlined process has made the plant more energy efficient. The new wastewater heat recovery system has also cut heating costs. The process has worked very well, as we can adjust it in real time and based on monitoring.”
Treatment process can be controlled and monitored remotely
The Iisalmen Vesi wastewater treatment plant treats wastewater from the municipalities of Iisalmi, Vieremä and Sonkajärvi.
“In addition to replacing the machinery, we also wanted to prepare for the possibility of more stringent treatment requirements in the future and to ensure high-quality wastewater treatment in all situations,” Tyrväinen says.
The new automation system enables remote control and monitoring of the treatment process. Whereas specialists used to have to physically tour the plant to do monitoring, that can now be done via a mobile interface, such as a tablet. The system has been designed with data protection in mind.
“We’ve discussed the user interfaces with the client to ensure they’re easy to use and logical. What’s more, all the control room menus are entirely in Finnish,” says Project Manager Jussi Tervamäki.
Slatek has relied on Schneider Electric’s products and logic for decades.
“Schneider’s product development is state of the art, and we’ve had good experiences using its devices. The Vuohiniemi plant will serve well long into the future thanks to the new machinery and automation,” Tervamäki says.
Further information:
Mikko Hytönen, Solution Sales Manager , Schneider Electric
tel. +358 50 440 3963, mikko.hytonen@se.com
Ulla Tyrväinen, Director, Iisalmen Vesi
tel. +358 40 653 0003, ulla.tyrvainen@iisalmi.fi
Jussi Tervamäki, Project Manager, Slatek
tel. +358 40 7224541, jussi.tervamaki@slatek.fi