WEDNESDAY, 23 MAY 2012 20:30 PAUL ANTHONY A. ISLA / REPORTER
THE National Grid Corp. of the Philippines (NGCP), the country’s sole power lines concessionaire, spent close to P30 million to upgrade its Overall Disaster Command Center (ODCC) to be able to expedite power restoration processes during actual emergencies.
The ODCC oversees and coordinates with the four regional command centers all power restoration efforts during times of disasters and calamities.
The ODCC, according to NGCP, monitors the operational status of all affected transmission lines and substations and manages procedures of all NGCP units in preparing and coping with typhoons, heavy rains, floods, landslides, tornadoes, fires, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions and tsunami.
The upgrade entailed refurbishment of the old command center and installation of various equipment entailed some P28.5 million outlay which include a a separate upgrade of its power dispatch and monitoring systems on its System Operations (SO)–National Control Center (NCC).
“This is part of NGCP’s Integrated Disaster Action Plan [IDAP], which aims to protect not just power transmission facilities such as lines, posts and towers physically exposed to calamities, but also the lives of our employees and the people living near our facilities,” Henry Sy Jr., NGCP president and chief executive, said.
Sy said the ODCC complements the upgrade of the SO’s Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition (Scada) system that assures the monitoring of every aspect of the grid situation in real-time, 24 hours a day. Scada refers to a collection of computers, equipment and application software integrated into a system to acquire real-time data on power system parameters and to provide monitoring and control facility for remote devices such as breakers.
“We can easily visualize data with state-of-the-art projection and digital graphic representation, especially during emergencies. We have also upgraded our communications equipment to complement the speedy monitoring and response to grid operations,” Sy said.
The facility located at NGCP’s head office in Quezon City serves as the nerve center of power grid operations for the entire country, which is where monitoring and controlling the operations of the grid, distribution system or user system, and balancing of power supply and demand are done.
NGCP said that simultaneous upgrades were also done at the Visayas and Mindanao Regional Control Centers.
The SO-NCC acts as a power hub that dispatches all generation facilities and loads directly or indirectly connected to the transmission system, which is in accordance to the dispatch schedule submitted by the Market Operator, the rules of the Wholesale Electricity Spot Market, Grid Code, and the Energy Regulatory Commission (ERC), according to the NGCP.
NGCP said the SO-NCC uses the Scada/EMS system in its day-to-day
operations of the nationwide power grid. It has replaced the old GE System previously used at the Luzon, the Visayas, and Mindanao Regional Control Centers with an upgraded version of this system called the OPEN3000.
NGCP said the upgrade will result in more efficient, reliable, and secure grid operations—consistent with NGCP’s goal of building “stronger transmission for a stronger nation.”
Energy Management System is basically composed of a Scada system with integrated advanced applications used in the management of the power grid. NGCP said the upgraded system integrates the three Scadas of NGCP in Luzon, the Visayas and Mindanao.
The said operating the system from only one platform ensures compatibility among the three island grids and minimizes parts inventory NGCP said.
“The upgraded operating system also increases database capacity and allows flexibility and mobility of resources, especially skilled personnel, and the upgrade is expected to improve overall performance and reliability, resulting in fewer system failure incidents and shorter power restoration time,” NGCP added. source
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