Dalton Utilities awards $7.4 million I/A Series SCADA contract to Invensys Process Systems.

Business/Technology Editors

FOXBORO, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct. 8, 2001

Dalton Utilities, Dalton, Georgia, has awarded Invensys Process Systems a $7.4 million contract for turnkey installation of Foxboro I/A Series Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) systems, including Remote Terminal Units (RTUs), field instrumentation, and enclosures at more than 100 remote sites. These sites include pump stations, lift stations, tanks, gas rectifiers, and gas monitoring stations. Most of the RTUs are connected to the Command Center via the utility's high-performance fiber optic network. Several sites not being served with the fiber network are connected to the system via Invensys-supplied RF networks.

Invensys will also provide turnkey application engineering, construction engineering, field service, construction, and construction site management services for the project. This is the third turnkey automation project that Dalton has awarded to Invensys/Foxboro in recent years.

Dalton Utilities provides potable water, wastewater treatment, electrical distribution, and gas distribution services over an area of approximately 200 square miles in northern Georgia. The utility is installing Foxboro I/A Series SCADA and process control technology as part of a comprehensive plan to automate and gather real-time information of all public utilities from a common, state-of-the-art Command Center. The SCADA system will also enable the utility's largest industrial users to get real-time information on their power consumption via the Internet.

Benefits include:

-- Lower operating and maintenance costs through improved utilization of existing assets

--Improved security and efficiency via a real-time view of the power grid, limiting violations, and network outages 

-- Reduced downtime via more reliable controls and real-time operational information

-- Improved response time when outages do occur

-- Improved customer information

Dalton Utilities supplies gas, water, electricity and wastewater treatment services to approximately 45,000 residential, commercial and industrial customers. The utility operates three primary water plants and three wastewater plants, as well as eight electrical substations and eight gas metering points.

Invensys Process Systems is part of the US-based Software Systems division of Invensys plc. Invensys Process Systems' automation solutions provide measurable performance improvements across a broad spectrum of customer industries. Invensys Process Systems includes focused business units such as Invensys Performance Solutions; plus well-known brand names such as APV, Esscor, Foxboro, Simulation Sciences, Triconex, and Walsh Automation.

Invensys plc is a global leader in the Automation and Controls industry. With its head office in London, England it operates in all regions of the world through four focused divisions - Software Systems, Automation Systems, Power Systems and Control Systems. With over 80,000 employees, the company's products and services range from advanced control systems and networks for automating industrial plants and controlling the environments of buildings, to electronic devices and controls found in residential buildings and light commercial applications, plus complete power systems for the telecommunications and information technology industries.