FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE No. 3287

TOKYO, June 18, 2019 - Mitsubishi Electric Corporation (TOKYO: 6503) announced today that it has launched a full-scale collaborative project to utilize Japanese technologies to deliver a centralized monitoring system to manage a wide-area water network comprising numerous water-supply facilities in Sri Lanka. The project will be carried out under the auspices of The Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and in cooperation with Kobe, ^*1 Japan, which has been operating Mitsubishi Electric water-treatment facilities. Mitsubishi Electric, which supports the United Nations' sustainable development goals (SDGs^*2 ), will now apply its water-treatment technologies, know-how and experience toward the improvement of water stability and quality in Sri Lanka.

1. *1Mitsubishi Electric and Kobe signed an agreement to develop overseas water and infrastructure business on December 1, 2015.
2. *2Sustainable Development Goals. A plan of action adopted by the United Nations General Assembly in 2015 for people, the planet and prosperity towards 2030.

Overview

One of JICA's initiatives is to promote the use of Japanese private-sector technology to support social and economic progress in developing countries. In addition to contributing to development, the activities also help officials in these countries to better understand the diverse and advanced technologies offered by Japanese companies. Through the announced project, Mitsubishi Electric will deliver its wide-area water network monitoring system to Sri Lanka's National Water Supply and Drainage Board (NWSDB). The company also will provide operational training, including opportunities to observe and train with an actual system that is operating in Japan, and tours of factories producing water-treatment equipment. Mitsubishi Electric proposed the project to JICA and it was approved in August 2017. A kickoff meeting and a workshops were held in Sri Lanka this past March to explain the purpose and structure of the project, and now the project is being launched in earnest with the cooperation of Kobe.

Project Background

Mitsubishi Electric has delivered more than 100 systems to five countries and one region since launching its global water-treatment business in 2003. Based on local assessments conducted in Sri Lanka in 2015, Mitsubishi Electric determined that water-quality and water-quantity data was not being utilized effectively. The company proposed to JICA to introduce a wide-area water network monitoring system and conduct related workshops through a collaborative project.

Project Details

1. 1)Support for independent resolution of water-supply issues
   • Workshops will be held to teach NWSDB engineers about monitoring systems for wide-area water networks in Japan and Sri Lanka. The workshop, which will be held in Japan from June 20-26, will include an inspection tour of Kobe's Central Control Center for water supply to introduce Japanese water-treatment technology. The main objective will be to train engineers in how to accurately identify and resolve problems independently.
2. 2)Transfer of Japanese advanced technology, know-how and experience
   • Mitsubishi Electric will transfer advanced technologies for water-treatment monitoring and control as well as related operational support.
   • The Kobe City Water Works Bureau will transfer its know-how and experience regarding the operation of water-treatment monitoring and control facilities from the user's point of view.
3. 3)Establishment of pilot system utilizing local companies
   • Mitsubishi Electric will install equipment for measuring water quality and quantity as well as the pilot system for communicating and monitoring measurement data in the Dehiwala and Kalutara Manager areas Regional Support Centre western South of NWSDB this coming October.
   • To strengthen local technical capabilities, Mitsubishi Electric will use Sri Lankan companies for equipment procurement, software programming, and installation and maintenance of the pilot system.

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