Smart water metering comes to Fiji islands

Itron, and their technology partner Pacific Technologies are working together with Fiji’s primary water utility, the Water Authority of Fiji (WAF), on the first smart metering deployment in the Fiji islands.

The meters are part of Itron’s smart water solution, which WAF is deploying to enable digital upgrades to its infrastructure and operations.

Deployment, which began earlier this year in May, is currently underway and is projected to finish in Q3 2025.

With the partnership, WAF is upgrading its existing meters to Itron mechanical meters affixed with Itron’s Cyble communications modules, transforming them into smart meters.

The Cyble module, says Itron in a release, has a design that requires no wiring or wall mounting, making it an efficient and cost-effective solution for the utility to modernise its water operations.

Data from the smart meters will be collected via drive by using Temetra, Itron’s meter data management solution. The Temetra solution will enable the utility to collect and store water consumption data, eliminating the need for manual meter reading. Data can be easily accessed at future dates if billing concerns arise.

Commenting in a release was Josateki Sivo, head of customer metering and installation at Water Authority of Fiji: “We have a long-term vision for the future of water in Fiji.

“Step by step, we are striving to improve water operations and create a resilient and reliable water network. One key benefit of deploying Itron’s Cyble module is that it’s scalable. This allows us to expand our smart metering programme gradually, based on our priorities and budget.”

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Said Danish Khalil, general manager of Pacific Technologies (New Zealand): “The simplicity of the installation will enable us to quickly see benefits, including reducing and identifying non-revenue water loss and we look forward to deploying this effective solution across the Pacific region.”

The coupled Cyble modules and Temetra solution, says Itron, will help address the challenge of reducing non-revenue water by providing insights and advanced data analytics to identify real and apparent water losses across infrastructure.

The Temetra solution will also integrate with WAF’s existing technologies, offering a view of the utility’s water infrastructure across the islands and enabling it to identify water inefficiencies.

Said Justin Patrick, senior vice president of Device Solutions at Itron: “Operating on an island surrounded by the South Pacific Ocean, WAF’s infrastructure is exposed to fine droplets of seawater that are released into the air and carried inland.

“This salt spray can cause corrosion on metals. Fortunately, Itron’s smart water solution is built to withstand these harsh conditions. Our Cyble module can handle a range of diverse environments and is resistant to corrosion, contaminants and temperature, helping WAF reduce long-term maintenance costs and avoid frequent meter or module replacements.”

According to Itron, the deployment of their smart water solution aligns with WAF’s Water Sector Strategy 2050, which outlines five key outcomes the utility is aiming to achieve by 2050: clean water, safe sanitation, livability and sustainability, financial sustainability and skilled workforce.

Among the hurdles to achieving these outcomes is ageing infrastructure and reducing non-revenue water, which WAF estimates is 47% of the water it produces/treats.