State power utility Madhya Pradesh Power Transmission Company Ltd (MPPTCL) has planned to automate three 132kV substations.
MPPTCL has planned to automate all old 132kV substations and the process will be initiated with a pilot project of automating three substations. These are Ayodhya Nagar (Bhopal), Satya Sai (Indore) and Madhotal (Jabalpur).
These substations will operate in fully automatic mode, controlled by Human Machine Interface technology.
Once automated, these substations can be remotely operated from any nearby major substation, a release by MPPTCL said. Depending on the success of this pilot project, more such substations, including some 220kV ones also, will be taken up for automation and remote monitoring.
It may be mentioned that MPPTCL currently has two GIS (gas insulated switchgear) substations and these can be operated remotely. These two GIS substations are located at Mahalaxmi and E-8 Arera Colony, in Indore and Bhopal, respectively. Except in these two GIS substations, operations are conducted manually.
Discussing the impact of automating substations, the MPPTCL release observed that automation will lead to remote monitoring, which in turn will ensure accurate operation and monitoring. As a consequence, possibility of electrical accidents due to human error will reduce and reliability of power supply will improve.
MPPTCL has 416 substations that include 14 of 400kV rating, 88 of 220kV and the remaining 314 of 132kV rating.
Featured photograph shows MPPTCL’s Nagda substation