PECO has selected GE Energy to provide a new energy management system (EMS) to monitor and control the regional electric transmission system. GE’s XA/21 EMS was selected after an extensive competitive review process involving several suppliers.
PECO’s current transmission monitoring and control system is 15 years old and nearing its end of life. It had been upgraded in 1999 for the Y2k conversion and again in 2001 for improved recovery to unplanned operational events. The new multi-million dollar EMS will be installed and tested by next spring and fully operational by September 2010. The new EMS will be operated in parallel with the existing system during the summer peak period of 2010.
Scott Boyer, PECO manager, IT Solutions, and project lead, said PECO selected GE after a “very detailed analysis” of various suppliers, their users, system capabilities and demonstrations. “We were looking for a best-in-breed system,” he said. “The XA/21(TM) will provide the solid backbone needed for reliable transmission and future smart grid applications.”
Each dispatcher in Transmission System Operations (TSO) will have four display monitors, rather than the current three. In a Windows friendly environment, the GE system is expected to provide the operators with more information in a filtered, better-organized manner, enhancing their level of situational awareness. Additionally, the system will ensure compliance with federally mandated reliability and cyber infrastructure protection standards, established by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (NERC), and will provide a reliable interface with operators at PJM Interconnection, the regional transmission grid operator.
The current SCADA system requires data updates on a monthly basis. The new system will provide a more robust test environment for future system upgrades and can accommodate frequent changes to reflect any operating changes with PECO’s transmission substations or transmission lines across the region.
