Alstom Protection & Control (P&C) recently commenced assembly of the first of numerous rural feeder and distribution bus coupler protection schemes at the company’s Germiston plant. The schemes are covered by long-term contracts awarded by Eskom Distribution late last year. This followed the utility’s acceptance in mid-July 2007 of prototypes ahead of operational production and assembly.
The two four-year contracts, awarded to P&C in November 2006, form part of the utility’s extensive expansion and refurbishment of the national electricity distribution network currently underway. The contracts encompass the design, manufacture and supply of in excess of 700 rural feeder and distribution bus coupler protection schemes.
A third four-year contract was added to P&C’s Eskom Distribution contracts portfolio in August 2007, when it was successful in winning a R4m under-frequency load shedding protection contract.
The schemes for all three contracts incorporate latest generation protection relays, in which IEDs that support scada communications are integrated. They are manufactured by Areva T&D in Europe, for which P&C is the sole local distributor.
“The solution for the first two contracts is based on the Areva MiCOM feeder management system, while the solution in the under-frequency load shedding schemes contract is based on the MiCOM voltage and frequency management relay,” said Brian van Rensburg, P&C’s business development manager.
The balance of the equipment employed in the schemes is designed and manufactured locally by P&C, which is also responsible for all the testing, applications engineering and backup support.
From left: Edith Deysel, commercial manager, Alstom Protection & Control, Brian van Rensburg, business development manager, Alstom Protection & Control; Martin Kelly, general manager, Alstom Protection & Control; Brenda Changfoot, divisional business support manager, Eskom Distribution; Stuart van Zyl, protection discipline specialist of Eskom's Industry Association Resource Centre, and Clairee Sousa, national specialist buyer for Eskom
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