ELES and Hitachi Energy are launching the “Next Generation Control System” project by signing a strategic
cooperation agreement. The collaboration will enable the development of advanced digital solutions for
transmission grid control centers.
Mag. Aleksander Mervar, CEO of ELES, and Lars Wiklander, Business Operations Strategy & Planning Executive at Hitachi Energy, today signed a strategic cooperation agreement aimed at developing advanced functionalities for transmission grid control centers. The “Next Generation Control System” project represents a continuation of the cooperation based on the good experience of the NEDO project, which established the foundations of cooperation between ELES and Hitachi, and represents a key step in the development of advanced functionalities for transmission grid control centers.
From improved system connectivity to more transparent data exchange
As part of the project, ELES and Hitachi Energy will develop three key new control system functionalities:
- Enterprise Service Bus is a software solution that connects different applications so that they can communicate and exchange data with each other - even if they use different languages, protocols or formats. In practice, this solution will be implemented on the example of the system for determining operating limits (SUMO).
- Voltage Var Control represents an upgrade of the existing voltage regulation system by introducing complex functions and advanced regulation methods.
- The Common Information Model improves the efficiency of network model data exchanged between different systems and organizations, especially transmission system operators.
The "Next Generation Control System" project will be completed in two years, and the organizations are developing and financing it together. ELES will invest in the improvements, while Hitachi Energy will develop the agreed functionalities and verify them together with ELES. Hitachi Energy will later include the new functionalities in its standard Network Manager EMS offering.
Upon signing the contract, the signatories emphasized that their cooperation is based on combining expertise, experience and a vision of the future of power systems.
Mag. Aleksander Mervar emphasized: “Today’s event is an important step in the digital transformation of our electricity sector and at the same time strengthens the role of ELES, as well as the state of Slovenia, as an innovative environment for the development of advanced energy solutions. New digital solutions will thus enable better integration of different systems, smarter management of voltage in the network and more efficient and transparent exchange of data. This is a technologically advanced project that will significantly contribute to a safer, more efficient and more sustainable operation of the Slovenian electricity system.”
Although Lars Wiklander was unable to attend the press conference due to unforeseen circumstances, he took the opportunity to highlight: “The grid management software and systems ecosystem of the future must be built on flexible, modular architecture to give TSOs and utilities the scale they need to manage a changing and dynamic grid, the flexibility to integrate proprietary and third-party applications, and the control and visibility necessary to manage and deliver a reliable, resilient power supply. This collaboration with ELES is an important proof point in in our strategy to deliver the leading grid management ecosystem with Network Manager.”