Hotline of power engineering specialists:
On 20 November 2018, at facilities of IDGC of Centre - Smolenskenergo division there was a grid-wide emergency response training held to work out interaction during emergency response, major technological disruptions associated with threat of a power failure in difficult weather conditions. The purpose of the exercise was to work out actions to eliminate mass outages of distribution grid facilities.
According to the introductory, an emergency occurred as a result of adverse meteorological phenomena: wind intensification up to 25 m/s, snow sticking to overhead lines and equipment icing, blizzard, ice formation, which led to massive power outages in the city of Smolensk and the Smolensk region. Such power grid facilities were de-energized: 110/6kV Substation Zapadnaya, 35/10kV Substation Odintsovo, 35/6kV Substation Pechersk, 35/10kV Substation Vachkovo, 292 transformer substations. 26,324 people were without access to electric power. The total power of the outages was 24.4 MW. And as a result of squally wind on the 35kV high-voltage line Kardymovo-Vachkovo, there was a fracture of high-voltage 35kV pole #81.
At the first stage of the exercise, operational headquarters were created at Smolenskenergo, and a special mode of operation was introduced. During the exercise, members of the headquarters, having a limited amount of time, assessed the situation, promptly discussed necessary organizational measures and developed joint technical solutions to mitigate the consequences of possible emergencies.
At the second stage, the grid-wide training was conducted, during which issues of restoring power supply to de-energized consumers through redundant circuits over the 35 and 10kV grid, repairing damaged power lines, and movement and organization of work of emergency recovery crews were worked out.
At the third stage of the exercise, participants resolved practical issues of cooperation in the restoration of electricity supply. Repair crews were immediately dispatched to areas where the failure occurred, including a crew of increased mobility of IDGC of Centre - Smolenskenergo division. After briefings and work clearances, the power engineers began to conditionally eliminate the consequences of disruptions in the operation of electric grids. Emergency power restoration work was carried out using modern equipment, appliances and specialized vehicles.
As a result of the training, by joint efforts, it was possible to promptly restore the power supply in the weather-affected districts. At 3:00 pm, the special mode of operation was cancelled.
“The conducted emergency response training to prevent situations associated with adverse weather conditions showed well-coordinated and clear actions of the personnel, readiness in the shortest possible time to eliminate emergency situations at power facilities and restore power supply to consumers using back-up power supply sources, redundant power supply circuits,” stressed the deputy chief engineer for operational-technological and situational management of Smolenskenergo Sergey Shumarov. “According to the results of the training additional organizational and technical measures will be developed and taken to improve the reliability of electricity supply to consumers in the region during the winter period.”
