STELCO is gearing up to establish a system that combines electricity streams from all islands they service into a single network. This network, named the Central SCADA System was produced by local engineers to offer swift solutions to electrical problems.
State Electric Company Limited (STELCO) confers a substantial priority towards systematic improvements and fortification of their electricity services. The most frequent complaint lodged at the institution is over high electricity bills and recurrent power cuts.
Although each house is equipped with the means to view electricity usage, STELCO routinely advices their customers on methods to lessen electricity usage and reduce costs. However, the company has always been directed concerns due to unavailability of an easy method of addressing the issues.
The second most prominent challenge faced by STELCO in resolving electricity issues is the lengthy time required to restore electricity services during intervals of technical power cuts. The most difficult aspect of this is the time consumed to reconnect electricity following interruptions caused by a severed wire or engine failure in an island.
The company has been making efforts to swiftly resolve such problems and ensure easier methods of service provision. The Central SCADA System currently being established within the company headquarters among this, will prove to be a valuable asset that facilitates fast solutions to all such issues, revealed STELCO.
The Central SCADA System connects electricity streams from all 35 islands that utilizes the company's service into one single network.
Head of the Regional Administration Department at STELCO Mohamed Yasir told Mihaaru News that their current work to establish the Central SCADA System is proceeded as one of their primary priorities. With its inception, civilians will be allowed to economize electricity, and power interruptions can also be resolved swiftly within a short period of time, he assured.
"Right now, when an island is facing electricity issues, we have to call the island, clarify and monitor what happened to resolve the issue. There are very challenging aspects to it. It escalated to the point where services had to be discontinued during Covid-19," said Yasir.
The company's first step towards preparing for emergencies was identifying the work required for it.
The conclusion gathered from this work was, according to Yasir, the importance of creating a system which allows continuous monitoring of electricity from a single location.
The most prominent use of this system, now poised to display readings to the Regional Department is the instant collection of all data from islands utilizing the company's services alongside speedy monitoring of the obtained data, said Yasir.
"If we want, we can also do things like operating engines in local islands through the system. Instead of a STELCO employee travelling to the island once a problem occurs, the issue can be reviewed and resolved through the system," he explained.
"Our powerhouses can be operated even from Male'. With this system, we can give civilians the assurance that uninterrupted electricity will be provided even in cases of emergencies. We can check which problem had surfaced in an island, while in Male'. If the problem is not resolved after explaining to staff present in the island, then employees will be dispatched from here."
Work of the Central SCADA System is arranged to proceed in different stages, with the current phase of working focused on equipping the feeders placed in different islands with the ability to read the electricity load or usage in each island.
Moreover, work is also ongoing to facilitate instant collection and monitoring of each parameter in all engines currently in operation to the system as well, added Yasir.
"These feeders will instantly display which area in the island has the highest usage. It will also know that the usage levels are decreasing. Can forecast while here [in Male']. We don't have to travel there, we can check data [from here] in real time," he further elaborated.
"That way, we can, for example, begin operating the generator placed in Vilingili from Kaafu atoll Maafushi. The powerhouse in Vaavu atoll Rakeedhoo can also be operated from the powerhouse in Felidhoo, located in the same atoll - if STELCO wants to, that is."
The SCADA's most notable feature is resolving electricity interruptions in local islands without the need for employee transfers from headquarters even if a disaster such as Covid-19 strikes again. This is achieved through arranging the means for staff in Male' to resolve the issue or arranging for staff present in the island to address it after a thorough briefing.
STELCO is determined to devise plans for upcoming years among other things in review of this data.
The Central SCADA System of STELCO, which boasts a 100 percent local employee ratio, was tailored and produced by engineers trained at the company itself.
Nearly all information from islands that employ the company's services can be obtained through SCADA. The system is being modified to offer information on island population, size measurements and development prospectives and information on projects mapped out for the island alongside additional business information, revealed Yasir.
The company also believes that this system will allow them to save time, swiftly resolve an issue and reconnect electricity services for the people residing in an island at the possible earliest.
STELCO had also earlier announced plans to install smart meters in all households across islands they serve, aiming to complete this endeavor within three years. With the successful transition to smart meters, the SCADA's features will also be refined, facilitating eases for civilians in economizing electricity services, revealed the company, adding that STELCO itself would be offered substantial eases in providing the service as well.
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