Pictures of the Future    Spring 2006

Lifelines for Cities and Societies

Infrastructures are the lifelines that tie cities and societies together. They bring us water, power, communications and transportation. In short, they are the lifeblood of any successful economy. And when it comes to providing innovative infrastructural solutions, Siemens is leading the way. Its solutions enhance efficiency, convenience, and the quality of our lives—in the most remote regions as well as in megacities.

Ancient Rome’s formula for success was literally carved in stone. Thousands of miles of well-constructed, paved roads crisscrossed the ancient empire, supporting a bustling world of commerce as well as swift campaigns of conquest. Mighty aqueducts supplied cities with fresh water from far away, and magnificent arenas served as entertainment venues for the people. A sound infrastructure was the foundation on which economic success and social progress were built. It still is today, some 2,000 years later.

"Today that principle is more valid than ever," says Dr. Michael Bobik, head of the Infrastructural Economics / Urban Technologies program at Joanneum Technical University in Kapfenberg, Austria. "Our economic structure and way of living are so specialized that we couldn’t even exist without a highly developed infrastructure." That’s especially true for urban centers, says Bobik, an industrial engineer. "Just imagine a prolonged power blackout on a cold winter day in a major city. The consequences could be catastrophic."

And demand for infrastructural solutions will continue to increase. The main reason is ongoing population growth, accompanied by rampant urbanization. Large cities exert a magnetic appeal. In 1975 only four cities had populations of more than ten million people—New York, Tokyo, Shanghai and Mexico City. By 2015 there will be five times as many, and Tokyo will be home to about 36 million people—that’s the entire population of Argentina today.

In 2030, over 60 % of the world’s population will live in cities (see Facts and Figures). Those five billion people will have much in common. They will want to get to work quickly every day, they will want to be mobile, and to communicate without restrictions. They’ll need clean water, an effective wastewater system, and an enormous amount of energy. And they’ll want an unpolluted environment. "That’s going to require a superb infrastructure," says Bobik. "But even today our infrastructure is pushing its limits—especially in Asia and in the developing countries most affected by urbanization. It’s going to be a Herculean task."

Siemens is better equipped than any other company to meet that challenge. As one of the world’s largest infrastructure suppliers, it has comprehensive expertise and experience in a wide range of areas, including electric power generation and distribution, water treatment, transportation, healthcare networks and communications. And the company’s recent acquisitions perfectly complement these capabilities. For instance, it can now use the know-how of VA Technology AG, an Austrian power transmission and distribution company. Additional expertise is now available from Danish wind power plant builder Bonus Energy, from German drive specialist Flender, and from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania-based Wheelabrator Air Pollution Control, Inc., experts in power plant emissions reduction. With its wide range of products and services, Siemens can provide long-term solutions for almost any infrastructural task.

Demand for advanced infrastructures is especially large in the energy sector. By 2030, according to the International Energy Agency, worldwide energy consumption will increase by more than 50 % (see Facts and Figures). As a result, there is a demand for high-efficiency low-emission power plants that can produce electricity cheaply. As a case in point, in Irsching, Germany, Siemens is participating in the construction of a combined cycle power plant with an overall efficiency of 60 %. That’s 1.6 percentage points higher than any other such plant in the world has achieved (see Power Plants). Siemens is equally capable of supplying innovative solutions for power transmission. In Australia, the world’s longest undersea power cable is now transferring hydroelectric power from the island of Tasmania to consumers on the mainland (see Undersea Cables). The latest technology ensures that virtually no power is lost in transit.

Elsewhere, Siemens is not only satisfying society’s hunger for power but also quenching its thirst—as in the desert state of Abu Dhabi, where water is also in short supply. Abu Dhabi needs lots of power for its rapidly growing industry and population. Siemens has provided the emirate with a solution in the form of a combined cycle power plant coupled with a seawater desalination facility (see Desalination). This plant, which has been in operation since the summer of 2004, is the most powerful of its kind anywhere. At 1,500 MW, it provides as much power as a nuclear power plant. It also produces 450,000 m&3sup; of potable water daily—enough to supply a large city.

Water supply questions also caused Singapore to turn to Siemens. This city-state is struggling with an acute shortage of drinking water. Local rainwater and groundwater can meet only half of demand. The rest must be imported from neighboring Malaysia. "As a small island with four million people, we have to invest in the most advanced infrastructure and technology," says Dr. Tony Tan, former deputy prime minister of Singapore (see Interview). The result: Siemens came up with an innovative solution—a water treatment plant that uses membrane filters and UV disinfection to convert wastewater into fresh, pure water. Recycling now produces 40,000 m&3sup; of drinking water daily, and by 2012, Singapore plans to develop water recycling capacities for 210,000 m&3sup; of drinking water a day in order to cover 20 % of its total water consumption.

Moving with Siemens. Transportation networks are another essential component of the infrastructure—especially in cities. "High-capacity road and rail connections are a prerequisite for production and commerce," says Bobic. Bangkok, for example, had no mass transit system until late in the 1990s and suffered from chaotic traffic and rampant pollution. Since 1999, however, these problems have eased thanks to the Skytrain from Siemens, which has been ferrying nearly 400,000 passengers a day. Two years ago, Bangkok’s young transit system received another big boost, with the arrival of a subway—also built by Siemens. This year a link from the city to the airport will enable passengers to complete the 28 km trip in just 15 minutes (see Bangkok).

A Siemens high-speed train will soon be covering much greater distances in Europe. Starting in mid-2006, the Velaro E high-speed train will travel between Madrid and Barcelona at 350 km/h (see High-Speed Rail). As the worlds fastest train, it will reduce the time needed for the 650-km route from six hours to only two and a half.

Many of these improvements have been reserved for industrial countries. But other regions could also benefit from new technologies. According to United Nations data, the lack of a decent water-supply infrastructure is responsible for over 80 % of all diseases and more than one-third of all deaths in developing countries. Many locations also lack connections to power or a telephone network—and thus don’t have the rudimentary essentials for hospitals or schools.

Siemens has created basic infrastructures in several African countries and in Vietnam (see Developing Regions). The company has, for example, been supplying water treatment plants and solar power systems for villages in Gabon for the last three years. "The project has ushered in a whole new era for many people," says Henri Randriamanana, a Siemens engineer. Siemens has also been involved in Nigeria since the 1950s, and has built 70 % of the country’s landline network. Kenya will soon be integrated into the global broadband network via a state-of-the-art fiberglass network. And part of South Africa’s healthcare system has reached international standards—for instance at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli Central Hospital in Durba, which has been equipped with the latest medical equipment by Siemens. In fact, its processes are completely paperless, with all medical data now collected on electronic files. That makes Inkosi the most modern medical center on the continent. Here too, infrastructure is the foundation on which economic success and social progress are being built—just as in ancient Rome 2,000 years ago.
                                                                                                                 Florian Martini