Durban, one of South Africa’s busiest port cities and a major manufacturing hub, has asked ABB to help connect more substations and remote terminal units (RTUs) across an industrial area of around 16 square kilometers. Wireless communication will enhance the reliability of electricity supply.
To that end, eThekwini’s contracted ABB of Switzerland to strengthen the resilience of its existing back-haul network. 80 wireless mesh routers have been installed, connecting 30 substations across industrial complexes with more than 35 router nodes mounted on streetlights.
ABB Ability, a digital initiative of the Swiss company, and its partnership with Microsoft, is meant to leverage Azure as the cloud for its integrated connectivity platform. The new system has been designed to support Internet Protocol (IP) linked services such as Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA), metering and future video and Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) applications, which will improve efficiency and connectivity.
Monitoring power assets
Power assets can now be closely observed by the operator, with the higher visibility enhancing operational control and reliability of electricity supply, transmission and distribution across the city of Durban.
Large industrial complexes, in particular, benefit from better visibility and management of their decentralised power generation assets, which helps prevent electrical network outages and provides a platform for smart metering.
“This pioneering smart city solution is an important reference for the African continent where eThekwini will benefit from increased connectivity and real-time visibility of their power network, and have better control of their assets to deliver reliable power to consumers” commented Massimo Danieli, head of ABB’s Grid Automation business.