In an exclusive interview with Rabab Zehra, Executive Editor at TECHx, Nayef Bou Chaaya, Vice President, MEA at AVEVA, shares insights into the company’s participation at ADIPEC 2023 and its commitment to promoting sustainability while driving innovation in the industrial landscape.
TECHx: Could you provide us with an overview of AVEVA’s presence at ADIPEC 2023 and the key themes you’ll be addressing in your showcase?
Nayef: This year at ADIPEC, AVEVA will advocate for a greener future and spotlight our digital solutions that drive measurable emission reductions and accelerate the energy transition of hard-to-abate industries such as steel, cement, and petrochemicals.
Our entire portfolio of cutting-edge digital solutions will be showcased in Hall 4, booth 4410, through three demo pods. Visitors will find out how an integrated ecosystem relying on AVEVA Data Hub can bring to life the concept of a connected Emirates while supporting the energy transition of the UAE/Middle East; how the synergy between Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure for Power & Process and AVEVA’s solutions helps design, build and operate more efficient plants; and how to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of operations in the energy ecosystem, providing the connected worker with the most relevant information for more effective decision-making.
On show will be Value Chain Optimization products, Asset Performance Management solutions, as well as AVEVA’s Digital Twin technology that helps achieve superior performance in carbon neutrality. We will exhibit AVEVA Unified Operations Centre which provides a 360-degree view of plant operations with increased visibility of energy sources, consumption, and greenhouse gas emissions data.
We will also hold demonstrations of AVEVA Connect at its partners Schneider Electric and Microsoft’s booths, illustrating how industrial companies can drive innovation, growth, and sustainability by adopting a trusted cloud platform designed to meet their unique needs.
TECHx: The concept of a “connected industrial economy” seems to be a central theme for AVEVA at this event. Could you elaborate on how AVEVA’s digital solutions enable industrial teams to collaborate using data?
Nayef: A key message for us is that sharing data can transform our world. To overcome challenges, industries are building stronger bonds.
We are seeing the emergence of new, connected industrial networks, by connecting people across ecosystems to make value chains more agile, profitable, and sustainable. In short, we call this the connected industrial economy. It enables companies to accelerate the low-carbon transition, drive the circular economy and achieve greater resilience and agility in their value chains.
Challenges ranging from climate change to food security and fair access to goods and services require intelligent connected networks. AVEVA is bringing together data across the industrial lifecycle, removing the siloes between Engineering, Operations and IT, and developing trusted applications that give teams the confidence to make decisions quickly based on integrated intelligence.
TECHx: In the context of industrial sustainability, AVEVA aims to drive innovation and sustainability simultaneously. Can you explain how AVEVA’s offerings help industries innovate faster while also promoting environmental responsibility?
Nayef: We believe trusted data-led technologies are essential to decarbonization, driving responsible use of the world’s resources and delivering innovative, climate-forward products in the net-zero economy. Digital technologies are integral to building new industries and supply chains that will deliver sustainable growth and create new jobs.
An industrial enterprise looking to become more sustainable can use technology to operate more efficiently and conserve energy across their operations. What is specific about our industrial software is that it also provides a way to accurately baseline data and measurable evidence of progress. In fact, our technology supports optimization, collaboration, and identifies ways to reduce carbon emissions leveraging artificial intelligence, big data, and digital technologies. We enable businesses to use energy more efficiently and to ultimately use less energy while delivering more.
Our software supports sustainability in three key ways: improving operational efficiency, agility, and reliability; connecting and contextualizing key sustainability data with artificial intelligence and human insight; and delivering capital projects sustainably, on time and on budget.
Sparking industrial sustainable innovation for companies that deliver life’s essentials is also part of our mission. AVEVA software is being used to promote circularity by improving sustainable design for greenfield and brownfield projects, supporting environmental compliance and certification, enhancing asset management and optimization, and indicating routes to decarbonisation.
In a nutshell, our customers use AVEVA software across the value chain, from design to operations and analytics to achieve their goals of emissions reductions, carbon capture and storage (Aker Carbon Capture), advancing the hydrogen economy, optimization of biofuels production, (Neste), supporting renewable energy generation, transmission and management (Xcel, EDF, Dominion Energy).
Energy giant BP uses AVEVA Predictive Analytics to model carbon emissions at its chemical manufacturing facilities in the UK. Our software enables BP to optimize processes in advance so that it selects the most carbon-efficient approach to minimize any environmental impact.
Pimpiri Chinchwad Smart City (known as PCMC), in Pune, India, has used AVEVA smart systems to cut pollution by 18-22% by reducing traffic waiting times. It has also decreased water leakage in the sewerage system by up to 25%. We are working with Schneider Electric and EY on the next phase of the city’s evolution, which will encompass smart water metering and smart water management. This example is being copied across India and offers potential for many other cities across the globe.
TECHx: Can you shed light on AVEVA’s partnership with Schneider Electric for greener plant design? How does this contribute to shaping a sustainable energy landscape?
Nayef: SENER’s Noor Concentrated Solar Power Station in Morocco was built using Schneider Electric’s EcoStruxure Plant solution with integrated AVEVA software. It includes around two million mirrors that turn sunlight into enough clean energy to supply around 6% of the entire country’s requirements. Unlike most solar photovoltaic (PV) facilities, CSP facilities are designed around a thermal energy storage system that allows for surplus energy produced during the day to be stored in molten salt tanks. The complex uses a single control platform that integrates a digital automated industrial control system with the solar field, calibration and data collection systems.
Data is captured, predictive asset analytics are applied and, finally, performance and profitability are optimized. Better working and maintenance conditions through remote supervision are also supported, while maintenance and adjustments can be done without stopping production, reducing downtime.
TECHx: Lastly, with so many innovative solutions on display, could you share some real-world examples of how AVEVA’s technologies have already made a positive impact on industries and their sustainability goals?
Nayef: Our digital technology is unlocking opportunities in the net-zero economy across many industries.
I’ve already referenced smart cities, oil & gas companies, and renewable power companies.
We also work with the Food and Beverage industry. Namibia Breweries (NBL) usesAVEVA Historian to support the management of energy consumption, reduce CO2 emissions, and improve production. The renewable energy system supported by Historian provides for 8% of NBL’s electricity demand as well as approximately 4.23 million kWh of green energy. In terms of emissions reduction, the company has achieved savings of 4,230 tons of carbon dioxide (CO2). Precise verification of KPIs can now be obtained to evaluate plant processes and related equipment operations.
In the chemical sector, a powerful example of sustainability is Covestro. The global player in polymers, has reduced specific CO2 emissions by 40% by leveraging AVEVA PI System data in energy management.
