ABB to Supply Canada's Brookfield Renewable Power with Network Management Control System

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Researched by Industrial Info Resources (Sugar Land, Texas)--Leading power and automation technology company ABB Limited (NYSE:ABB) (Zurich, Switzerland) will supply Brookfield Renewable Power Incorporated (Gatineau, Quebec), which is wholly owned by global asset management company Brookfield Asset Management Incorporated (NYSE:BAM) (Toronto, Ontario), with a network management control system that will enable Brookfield Renewable Power to manage, monitor and control all 134 of its renewable energy facilities in the United States and Canada. Brookfield operates 132 hydropower plants, a thermal power plant, and one of Canada's largest windfarms. With a combined generating capacity of more than 3,500 megawatts (MW), the facilities are spread across 10 states and provinces in the U.S. and Canada. Once installed, the system will manage and monitor all 134 facilities.

The solution is based on ABB's supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) network management system, the market-leading Network Manager, which has been installed in more than 400 locations worldwide. The system monitors and controls power transmission and distribution networks, smart grid networks, energy-trading systems and power-generation operations in real time. For Brookfield Renewable Power, ABB will set up a national system control center (NSCC) and three regional SCADA systems in each country to remotely manage and monitor the facilities. NSCCs will be able to exchange data through an inter-control center communications protocol link. The system will be set up so each SCADA will be able to serve as an NSCC backup center for its region, should the need arise. The system could be operated from the NSCC or the region's SCADA center.

The integrated multi-tier, hierarchical system would combine remote control, telemetry, and status-monitoring functionalities across all facilities owned by Brookfield Renewable Power. Situational awareness would be heightened, enabling operators to react to situations early and effectively, thus ensuring power-system stability. The generating assets would be managed more efficiently though the control centers. Support for distributed operation centers and flexible integration with third-party systems are other highlights of the solution. Data migration and system implementation services also would be supplied by ABB.

Brookfield Renewable Power now will be able to conform to all the stringent grid reliability standards laid out by the North American Electric Reliability Corporation (Princeton, New Jersey). The mandatory standards, referred to as critical infrastructure protection, are to protect power transmission systems from illegal cyber access and other forms of sabotage.

Brookfield Renewable Power is one of the largest producers of emission-free, clean energy in North America. The company also has facilities in Brazil. Brookfield's total portfolio includes more than 160 facilities with a combined generating capacity of more than 4,000 MW.

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