Cooperation spanning more than two decades proved its effectiveness in Porvoon vesi’s major automation modernization project. As part of critical infrastructure, water services must operate with absolute reliability and security, enabled not only by advanced and well-functioning automation but, above all, by strong partnership.
Published on 4 August 2020. Updated on 21 April 2026.
Over one hundred years old, Porvoon vesi is a municipal utility whose task is to provide water services for residents, businesses, and other actors in society. In addition to serving the water supply needs of a growing and developing city, Porvoon vesi also delivers clean water to, among others, the Kilpilahti industrial area.
Water utilities are part of critical infrastructure, meaning the basic structures, services, and related functions that are essential for maintaining society’s vital operations. Ensuring the quality and reliability of water supply requires exceptionally reliable, disturbance-free operation and a high level of security. This is ensured through risk management and planning, which is based not only on legislation but is also the approach recommended by the WHO.
Porvoon vesi, which is responsible for ensuring access to clean drinking water and the conveyance of wastewater, carries great responsibility for the environment. Efficient wastewater treatment helps reduce the load on the Gulf of Finland.
"Water services must operate 24 hours a day, and there must be no interruptions or disturbances in water production or wastewater treatment. Even the smallest maintenance measures must be carefully planned and scheduled", explains Elina Antila, Managing Director of Porvoon vesi.
Artificial intelligence for 20 years
Elina Antila describes Porvoon vesi as progressive, not least because of the exceptionally comprehensive automation system delivered by Insta already 20 years ago, and its water production control system, Opti. Opti monitors and forecasts water consumption, performs water balance calculations, and controls water production.
Today, when artificial intelligence is a widely discussed concept, Antila sees the system as a kind of early artificial intelligence that has been taught and refined over many years to perform better. Compared to the present day, the original implementation has evolved significantly, but fundamentally the same operating principle remains in the background.Due to the critical nature of the sector, water utility automation is advanced and highly developed. When facilities are spread across an entire region, automation must be reliable, connections between plants and the control room must function, and the automation supplier must be reachable through on-call support should a situation arise that requires assistance.
"In water services, the automation supplier is an extremely important partner. Expertise is the foundation of everything", Antila summarizes.
The smooth functioning of cooperation requires a close relationship between the customer and the automation supplier.
"Insta must work closely with Porvoon vesi, almost as if it were an employee, because the better Insta understands our operations and processes, the better and more reliable the automation is."
Automation modernization improved reliability, data transfer, and cybersecurity
The life cycle of automation systems at water utilities is typically around 15 years. In Porvoo, renewals and expansions have become timely in recent years. Porvoon vesi has recently invested in expanding sewer networks in sparsely populated areas as well as in the renovation and upgrading of treatment plants.
The plant automation system has been comprehensively upgraded, most recently with the commissioning of the system update for the Hermanninsaaren wastewater treatment plant, which had been in use for 18 years. The Pappilanmäki network renovation improved water quality, supply reliability, and stormwater and meltwater management, and the recently launched expansion of the Saksala water treatment plant will secure sufficient water supply for more than ten years ahead.
The automation modernization carried out together with Insta is one of Porvoon vesi’s largest projects. The new automation system replacing the 17-year-old version was first commissioned at clean water production and distribution sites, and this spring the renewal of the wastewater treatment plant automation followed. Pumping station automation for wastewater had already been renewed earlier, in 2015. The modernization improved system reliability, data transfer, and cybersecurity.
The project began with a careful, jointly conducted preliminary assessment, during which all water utility sites—water abstraction plants, water treatment plants, and control and pressure boosting stations—were reviewed. The cooperation included several design workshops and meetings attended by future users as well as Insta’s programmers and user interface designers. The process also included an internal audit at Insta, in which another team reviewed the developed code to identify areas for improvement.
"The internal audit was credible, as the auditing group identified concrete areas for improvement. The assignment was taken seriously", Antila praises.
The automation modernization has made fieldwork easier and faster, as connections function better than before and process operators can use tablets as control and monitoring devices. As part of the automation modernization, control room displays were also renewed, with one of them receiving a new map application.
Successful cooperation is the key to everything
As a partner, Insta receives praise from Elina Antila for understanding the customer, flexibility, and stability. According to her, cooperation was smooth, and Insta received customer ideas and development proposals very well. At the beginning of the project, requests were made to streamline financial and schedule reporting, and Insta responded by developing its operating practices in the manner requested by the customer.
"Both Porvoon vesi and Insta have succeeded in this cooperation. Even though all kinds of things have happened along the way, nothing has gone wrong, which I am truly pleased about", Antila says happily.
When discussing future development areas, she highlights the need to streamline data transfer between different systems. The quality of drinking water is monitored regularly, and a large number of analyses are conducted annually, with the resulting data transferred to authorities. Different operators use different systems, and collecting data from various parties into the Insta Wahti® Reporting reporting system is already underway.