Reduction of non-revenue water and optimisation of energy efficiency in systems operated by AyA in Costa Rica (RANC-EE Project)

Project details
Country: 
Costa Rica
Beneficiary: 
Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA)
Donor organisation: 
KfW and Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI)
Associated enterprises: 
TYPSA
Department: 
Architecture & Urban Development
Project volume: 
14,760,100 €
Currency: 
€
Value of services: 
6,642,045 €
Start of project: 
July, 2019
End of project: 
July, 2024
Project description: 

Non-revenue water (NRW) is an increasingly problem in Costa Rica. According to the Instituto Costarricense de Acueductos y Alcantarillados (AyA), the NRW index in its aqueducts is around 50% (estimates due to the fact that water consumption is not measured in its entirety). Although micromeasurement coverage is high (>90%), a good part of the installed micrometers need to be replaced, as they have already exceeded their useful life and a significant portion no longer records consumption adequately.

AyA repairs the visible leaks that are reported to it, but does not have a programme for the detection of non-visible leaks or detection of unregistered home connections, although the latter it´s done sporadically.

AyA has digital plans of the water supply aqueducts for the GAM, not updated in its entirety; and less than 50% of the commercial data are georeferenced. In the case of peripheral aqueducts, there are no digital plans or georeferencing of commercial data.

 

Service description: 

Services A: "Implementation Consulting" has as main objective to support the AyA in:

  • Development of the action plan (technical and operational);
  • Accompaniment in the processes of hiring/contracting;
  • Supervision of the investment measures of the project;
  • Theoretical-practical training to the personnel of the Execution Unit of the project inside AyA (hereinafter: UEP RANC-EE) and operative personnel of the AyA during the execution of their tasks; and
  • Elaboration, updating and optimisation of manuals, procedures, design, etc.

Services B: "Institutional Consulting" has as main objective:

  • To create the management, institutional, commercial and technical capacities for the AyA to implement the project in a sustainable and autonomous manner, and to achieve the institutionalization of the NRW reduction and optimization activities of the EE;
  • Change management;
  • Elaboration of the Baseline Study (technical, commercial, operational and institutional);
  • Action plan (commercial and institutional);
  • Institutional accompaniment of the project;
  • Training of AyA personnel in technical, commercial and institutional aspects of the reduction of NRW and optimisation of energy efficiency; and
  • Technical assistance for the development of user awareness campaigns.
Objectives: 

Therefore, the main objective of this assignment is to contribute to an ecologically sustainable and economically efficient management of water resources through:

(a)   A reduction and continuous control of unbilled water, made up of authorised unbilled consumption and 'real' (physical) and 'apparent' (commercial) water losses; and

(b)  The optimisation of energy efficiency in aqueducts selected and operated by the AyA in the terms of the IWA definitions.

The project has a duration of 5 years and includes the following water supply systems: GAM Aqueduct (also known as San José Metropolitan Aqueduct) and 7 aqueducts of the so-called Peripheral Systems: Liberia, Limón, Guácimo, Pérez Zeledón, Puntarenas, Pasito de Alajuela and San Ramón.

Other objectives of this assignment are:

  1. Establishment of the RANC Management System;
  2. Reduction of real water losses;
  3. Reduction of apparent losses; and
  4. Reduction of energy consumption (kwh / m3).
Currency: 
€