Hotline of power engineering specialists:
The high degree of responsibility for their work and quality preparation for winter peak demand period allowed branches of IDGC of Centre in the autumn-winter operation period of 2014-2015 to provide quality and trouble-free power supply to consumers of eleven regions of the Central Federal District.
"For all the autumn-winter operation period of 2014-2015 there were no serious technological violations, the overall failure rate decreased significantly compared to previous years of the autumn-winter operation period. In addition, the company's specialists managed to reduce average time to restore power supply to consumers," stressed First Deputy General Director - Chief Engineer of IDGC of Centre Alexander Pilyugin.
The key to success during the autumn-winter operation period was the implementation of a set of measures on technical upgrading, modernization and reconstruction of equipment, the target program to improve the reliability and performance of the repair program.
A key factor in reliable energy supply to consumers was the quality planned and timely executed maintenance program. To finance the repair program in 2014 IDGC of Centre spent more than 1,858 million rubles. More than 7 thousand km of power lines of 35-110 kV and more than 15 thousand km of 0.4-10 kV were overhauled; major complex repair was performed for 166 feeding centres of 35-110 kV and 5,278 - 0.4-10 kV. Within the scope of repairs in 2014 227,000 power line insulators, 33,000 electric poles were replaced, and about 3 thousand 6-110 kV circuit breakers were repaired. In addition, relay protection and automation, supervisory process control, industrial and office buildings as well as means of mechanization and vehicles were repaired totalling 421 million rubles.
Among the feeding centres, which in 2014 were overhauled, there are such large and socially significant facilities in 11 regions of Central Russia as: the 35/10 kV Substation "Abramovka", and the 35/10 kV Substation "Trinity" in the Voronezh region; the 110/35/10 kV Substation Krasnaya Polyana and the 110/35/10 kV Substation Soligalich in the Kostroma region; the 35/10 kV Substation Korsakovo in the Orel region; the 110/35/10kV Substation "Russia" and the 110/35/6kV "Roslavl" in the Smolensk region.
IDGC of Centre for the past four years focuses on the program of clearing and extension of ROWs. In 2014, over 800 million rubles were spent on the program. The volume of clearing ROWs was increased by 2% compared with 2013 and totalled about 17 thousand hectares, and the ROW expansion volume was 4.6 thousand hectares. "Quality execution of the ROWs clearing program in preparation for the autumn-winter operation period allowed to minimize the number of power outages of consumers caused by falling trees on wires of overhead lines under the weight of snow and wind loads," stressed First Deputy General Director - Chief Engineer of IDGC of Centre Alexander Pilyugin.
To improve the skills of staff to act in emergency situations in preparation for work in the autumn-winter operation period of 2014-2015 the branches of IDGC of Centre conducted 175 emergency response trainings on power limitation and 101 educational drills on detection and elimination of glaze ice, snow build-up on wires and ground wire of overhead lines . All activities are conducted in strict accordance with the developed schedule and programs of their performance.
Before the autumn-winter operation period the company staffed emergency reserve. For rapid response to emergency situations IDGC of Centre has: 110-35 kV power transformers - 37 pcs., 10-6/0.4 kV - 1,300 pcs., 110-35 kV switches - 55 pcs., 6-10 kV - 159 pcs., 110-35 kV overhead line poles - 350 pcs., switchgear sections (outdoor) - 11 pcs., a total of about 300 items of materials and equipment for overhead lines and substations for more than 540 mln. rubles. In addition to the materials, which is staffed by 100% of the emergency reserve, IDGC of Centre has its own mobile crews - 90 crews composed of 522 people and 166 special purpose vehicles, and crews of contractors with whom there are 41 agreements on cooperation, able to quickly attract additional 118 crews composed of 984 people and 352 special purpose vehicles to participate in first responding and restoration work. Mobile crews of IDGC of Centre and crews of contractors are designed for rapid transfer of additional forces among the branches of IDGC of Centre as well as to participate in first responding and restoration work in the territory of other subsidiaries of JSC "Russian Grids". "During the past autumn and winter operation period emergency crews from the branches of IDGC of Centre repeatedly came to the aid of colleagues from neighbouring distribution companies in conducting first responding and restoration operations," stressed First Deputy General Director - Chief Engineer of IDGC of Centre Alexander Pilyugin.
The autumn-winter operation period of 2014-2015 proved once again that the key to trouble-free operation through winter peak demand is high-quality preparation, execution of all planned activities, strict compliance with current regulatory and technical documentation, availability for emergency situations and unity of power systems.
Currently, all branches of IDGC of Centre begin performing mass maintenance work, which is the basis for successful preparation for the autumn-winter operation period of 2015-2016.