Automation and information management for a large urban power distribution network

Rapid economic growth mounts immense pressure on the electric power generation, transmission and distribution infrastructure. Matching the rapid growth in a large metropolis poses several techno-economic challenges on utilities in order to operate the power supply distribution network efficiently and reliably. Utilities need to look at innovative ways to utilize the latest developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) to meet the new demands being placed on them. This paper discusses the experiences of Reliance Energy Limited, Indiapsilas largest integrated private sector power utility company, in deploying a large scale integrated SCADA/DMS system which utilizes a state-of-the art SDH communication network, a mobile phone network for secondary network automation and the use of latest technologies for data warehousing and data mining apart from the cutting edge SCADA technology.