National Grid Corp of the Philippines upgrades systems

NGCP spent close to P30 million to be able to expedite power restoration processes during actual emergencies.

This entailed having to upgrade its Overall Disaster Command Center.

The upgrade includes refurbishment of the old command center and installation of various equipment, which included a a separate upgrade of its power dispatch and monitoring systems on its System Operations –National Control Center.

“This is part of NGCP’s Integrated Disaster Action Plan, 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,” said Henry Sy Jr., NGCP president and chief executive.

Sy said the ODCC complements the upgrade of the SO’s Supervisory Control And Data Acquisition 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.

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.”

“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.

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