A new centre for national control-an evolutionary transition

Control of the National Grid Company (NGC) power system, and of generators of dispatchable size, is effected currently through a National Control Centre (NCC) in London, and 6 Area Control Centres (ACCs), at Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, St. Albans, East Grinstead and Bristol. This arrangement is hierarchical, NCC occupying the tier responsible for overall control of the NGC system and for co-ordination of ACC activities, and ACCs the tier responsible for detailed control implementation. These control functions are discharged by Grid System Management (GSM). In December 1988, the Central Electricity Generating Board, placed a contract with Control Data Corporation of Minneapolis, to supply energy management systems (EMS) for one NCC and four ACCs. This enterprise is known as the Five Centre Grid Control Project, now vested with NGC and is due for commissioning in 1993 at all five Control Centres. Upon commissioning, merging of Manchester with Leeds, and East Grinstead with St. Albans ACCs will take place. The authors discuss evolution of the EMS user specification and design, in terms of facilities to be provided at the new NCC