A total of 242 substations, or over 90 per cent of PGCIL’s total number of substations were being monitored remotely, as of March 31, 2021.
During FY21, PGCIL added eight substations to its collection of remotely managed substations under the NTAMC/RTAMC architecture. This took the total tally of remotely managed substations to 242, out of PGCIL’s total count of 259 substations, as of March 31, 2021.
Located at Manesar in Haryana, NTAMC (National Transmission Asset Management Centre) was dedicated to the nation on April 29, 2015. It was set up for remote operation of the system and monitoring of various parameters at the national level. Similarly, Regional Transmission Asset Management Centres (RTAMCs) were put up for similar function at the regional level. According to latest available information, PGCIL had eleven RTAMCs, as of March 31, 2020.
NTAMC and the various RTAMCs are manned 24×7 by experts, providing real-time and continuous monitoring of PGCIL’s assets and systems. It is learnt that PGCIL has successfully developed software tool completely in-house for centralized real time monitoring of transformers and reactors by integrating the sensors installed in the transformers and reactors for Dissolved Gas Analysis (DGA). Online monitoring of transformers/reactors is aimed at detecting early stages of faults initiation and hence reducing sudden catastrophic failures of the same.
Modern technologies
During FY21, PGCIL launched an in-house tool for condition monitoring of transformers and reactors. The copyright has been received and an application for patent has been filed, it is learnt.
Besides, PGCIL also undertook ground patrolling and live updation of its assets, through an Android-based patrolling application. Moreover, PGCIL continued the use of unmanned aerial vehicles (drones) for patrolling of transmission lines.
Asset base
As of March 31, 2021, PGCIL owned 1,68,256 ckm of transmission lines. The Central PSU had 259 substations with aggregate capacity of 4,38,108 MVA. During FY21, a total of nine substations aggregating 27,300 MVA and around 6,500 ckm of transmission lines were added.
Featured photograph (www.deltadisplays.com) shows a “video wall” in the control room of PGCIL’s NTAMC.
