Itron expands smart island project in Tonga

Technology and services company Itron has signed a contract with the Tonga Water Board to deliver its OpenWay Riva IoT solution for water.

The Kingdom of Tonga is currently unifying electricity and water management with a single Itron solution to better manage island resources. Building on the kingdom’s success with its electricity system, the Tonga Water Board will use the same network and new smart water meters to reduce water losses associated with leaks, capture lost revenue due to non-payment and improve customer service.

Tonga Water Board will take advantage of the existing OpenWay Riva network utilised by Tonga Power Limited (TPL) on Tonga’s main island of Tongatapu to connect with OpenWay Riva-enabled static water meters. In collaboration with TPL, the utility will also utilise Itron managed services for network management and maintenance for water operations.

A combination of old infrastructure, inaccurate consumption measurement and unpaid invoices has resulted in high levels of non-revenue water losses in some areas of Tongatapu, reducing the utility’s revenue intake. With the collection and analysis of more detailed data over the network, Tonga Water Board can measure water consumption more accurately, detect leaks faster and empower its customers to monitor their consumption on a continuous basis.

“By utilising the existing OpenWay Riva network on Tongatapu island for water, we are becoming a truly smart island,” said Aisake Tuiono, chairman of the Smart Metering Committee for Tonga’s Common Utilities Board. “We look forward to extending the benefits of an open standards network to our water operations so we can better account for water losses while improving service and reliability for our customers.”

“Itron is excited to be a part of this visionary smart island project, which will demonstrate how technology can help utilities better manage water and electricity resources and create a more resourceful world,” said Dominique Lerouge, Itron vice president for Water and Heat in the Asia-Pacific.