In the not-so-distant future, some of the electricity substations of the Tamil Nadu Generation and Distribution Corporation (Tangedco) would not require the deployment of humans. Tangedco is planning to follow in the footsteps of the Power Grid Corporation India Limited (PGCIL) that has gone for unmanned sub-stations.
A senior official of Tangedco said following the successful operation of unmanned sub-stations by PGCIL, the electricity department has identified substations in remote locations and where workers are also reluctant to go due to poor transport connectivity. These are proposed to be remotely operated. He said a few sub-stations like Thervoy Kandigai near Gummidipoondi and Ottiyambakkam located in such areas have been selected for being remotely ‘accessed’ this financial year. Tangedco is constructing 400/230/110-kilo volt (KV) sub-stations in these two locations.
With the entire electricity network in the city linked to the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) located at Tangedco’s headquarters, the modern sub-stations are already being remotely monitored and with a few modifications, these substations would be readied to be remotely operated.
Usually, sub-stations, particularly the big ones, require considerable manpower that is deployed in in shifts. The official said though the new sub-stations are technically advanced and automated, people are still posted, resulting in a wastage of man hours and these technical persons could be better used by posting them in places where they are needed.
The official said for a small 33-KV substation, a minimum of two technical staff members in three shifts have to be posted, and as the capacity of the sub-station goes up, more persons need to be deployed. This also involves a huge cost, he added.
A senior official of Tangedco said that in western countries, all substations, even the 33- and 11-KV ones, are unmanned. The official said that at present, most of the sub-stations which have been built in the past few years are technically ready to be remotely operated from SCADA. As far as old substations are concerned, by investing a few lakhs, they could also be modified to be remotely operated.
The PGCIL moved to remote controlling sub-stations in the year 2013.
