Tim Spearing

Product Marketing Manager

Lucy Electric

United Kingdom

Samuel Boakye-Appiah

Director, Network Projects

ECG

Ghana

How distribution automation

techniques improve quality of

service performance in Ghana

Tim Spearing

Product Marketing Manager

Lucy Electric

United Kingdom

Samuel Boakye-Appiah

Director Network Projects

Electricity Company of Ghana

Ghana

• Introduction to ECG

• ECG requirements for Distribution Automation

• DAS projects in Ghana

• Design, installation & commissioning of DAS

• Challenges and how they were overcome

• Distribution Automation Benefits

• Quality of Service & Automation

• Conclusions & Future Considerations

Presentation Content

Electricity Company of Ghana Introduction

• ECG – Owned by Government of Ghana

– Operates in six political regions

– Divided operational area into 9 divisions and a sub-transmission

division

• ECG’s vision – To be among the leading electricity companies in Africa

• ECG’s mission – To provide quality, safe and reliable electricity services to support the

economic growth and development of Ghana

Distribution Automation

System (DAS) Project

– Reduction in operational costs

– Reduction in system losses

– Improvement in reliability

• ECG’s requirements – Faster fault identification / location

– Faster restoration times

– Flexibility in network operations

• Improving operational efficiency – Monitoring & control of electrical distribution regions

– Remote control to provide fast restoration

– Redundancy and alternative sources of electrical supply

• Key findings – Communications is critical

– Effective maintenance and good practices

DAS Automation Project

Dwenase

Bogoso

Essiama Takoradi

Accra Tokuse

Saltponds Cape

Coast Winneba

Koforidua

Nkawkaw

Ada

Somanya

Tema

Ho

Kpando

Nkwanta

Kumasi

Development of ECG’s DAS

• Phase 1 – Pilot scheme in Accra and Bogoso

• Phase 2 – Accra and Kumasi upgrade

• Phases 3 & 4 – 15 SCADA District Control Centres

• 7 new control rooms

• 8 control room upgrades

– 176 secondary sites

Lucy Electric

Phases 3 & 4 of ECG’s DAS • System Design

– Radio Surveys

– Communication System

– SCADA System Design

• SCADA – 7x New SCADA dual redundant

systems

– 8x SCADA upgrades

• Switchgear and RTUs – 57 x 11kV Automated GIS

– 90 x 33kV Automated GIS

– 29 x 11kV Automated RMUs

– Repeater stations

• Installation &

commissioning

Key Success Factors

• Flexibility in approach – Dynamic nature of network expansion

• ECG SCADA Technical Team – Local District Engineering Staff

– Local support and knowledge

• ECG Project Office – Excellent support to Lucy Electric

• ECG Head Office – Excellent relationships

– Open debates

DAS District Control Control Room

• Remote Control – Dynamic nature of network expansion

• Access to data – Switch position

– Gas Pressure

– Line monitoring

DAS District Control Secondary Sites - Overview

District Control

Station

O

1O

1O

1O

1

O

1O

1O

1O

1

O

1O

1O

1O

1

O

1O

1O

1O

1

O

1O

1O

1O

1

UHF Radio

Secondary Sub

Secondary

Sub

Secondary

Sub

Secondary

Sub

Repeater

UHF Radio

Primary

Backup

Dual redundant SCADA UHF 450 – 462 MHz

DAS District Control Secondary Sites – Ground Mount

• Control – Local / remote

operation

– Programmable

schemes

• Measurement – Event recording

– FPI

– Temperature

– Line monitoring

• Reliability – Built-in UPS

– Voltage from LV

Supplies

– 24 VDC battery

backup

DAS District Control Secondary Sites - Overhead

• Control – Local / remote

operation

– Programmable

schemes

• Measurement – Event recording

– FPI

– Temperature

– Line monitoring

• Reliability – Built-in UPS

– Voltage from VT

– 24 VDC battery

backup

DAS District Control Secondary Sites - Challenges

• Location – Access

– Road structure

– Vegetation

– Buildings

• Weather

• Voltage

irregularities – Damage

– Earthing

• Desk top planning using radio path analysis software

• Survey of all sites to measure actual signal path attenuation

• UHF Radio System, 450 – 462 MHz frequencies

• Planning and construction of dedicated repeater sites

• Use of existing switch sites as repeaters to minimise cost

• Careful system design to minimise interference from adjacent regions

Communications System Design Detail

Communications System Radio Survey

Communications System Central – Saltpond

Flexibility Release of upstream capacity

S/S -A S/S -B

MV

A

Years

5

10

S/S -A

NOP

Faster restoration Improvement in time to restore services

Fault identification

Travel time to site

Fault isolation

Manual switching

Fault repair

Without automation

Tim

e Tim

e

Fault identification

Fault isolation

Travel to site

Fault repair

Travel time to site

Fault identification

Fault isolation

Travel to site

Fault repair

With automation

DAS Benefits Reliability & Availability • Improved Performance

– Improved operation decisions

– Improved engineering and planning decisions

– Pre-emptive approach

– Avoiding losses when equipment has failed

• Improved Response – Reduced period of interruptions

– Targeting “rogue circuits”

– Reduction in inspection visits

– Reduction in costs associated with operations

Quality of service & automation

Quality of Service Automation

Direct Indirect

CAPEX OPEX Service & maintenance

Fault location & isolation

Sectionalising

Service restoration

Voltage control

MV Monitoring

LV Monitoring

Key Performance Indicators

System design

Future considerations From data to intelligence

• Access to information

• Aging asset base

– Remove, Refurbish or Replace

– Extend the life of existing assets

with increased functionality

– Prioritisation

• Predictive Maintenance

providing an enhanced

understanding of the state of the distribution network

Future considerations Communications is key

• Variety and structure of

communications

• Management of vegetation

• Building developments /

planning

Future considerations Continue to be prepared

• Reinforce the working relationships

• Location of sites

• Equipment kits

• Outages

• Installation &

commissioning spares

• Electricity Company of Ghana

• Lucy Electric