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System Control 

Prior to 1990, LUCELEC operated two power stations. Union Power Station supplied the north of the island while Vieux Fort Power station provided power to the south of the island. Completion of the first phase of LUCELEC’s power expansion project in 1990 resulted in an interconnected power system which included three power stations at Cul De Sac, Union, and Vieux Fort, three 66000/11000 Volt substations and over 100km of 66000 Volt lines. A new entity was required to oversee the operation of the interconnected system and this resulted in the formation of the System Control Department in 1989. Operations commenced from Union Substation in 1990 but the System Control Centre was subsequently relocated to its present location in the Cul De Sac facility December 1991. Over the years, the staffing structure, layout and technology used by the System Control Department has been upgraded so as to allow it to function effectively in an ever changing environment.

Responsibilities

  • To ensure that LUCELEC’s Power System is operated within approved limits of current, voltage and frequency.
  • To ensure that adequate levels of generation are available to supply electricity demand at all times.
  • To utilize generation as economically as possible to meet system requirements.
  • To ensure that any work to be performed on the Transmission and Distribution network is conducted according to LUCELEC’s safety regulations in order to assure the safety of LUCELEC personnel and the public. 
  • To operate the system in such a manner as to maximize the reliability of supply to LUCELEC’s customers.
  • To ensure that if disruptions in supply occur, customers are restored as speedily as possible.

Operations

System Control is the nerve center of Company technical operations and serves as a vital link between the company’s generation and transmission and distribution functions. System Control Operators (SCOs) coordinate the production of power with the demand for electricity on an island-wide basis in addition to a number of important duties.

Monitoring of LUCELEC’s power system is performed in real time by use of some of the most sophisticated equipment available. SCOs utilize a SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition) system to allow them to oversee power system parameters and to effect changes in the status of power system within approved limits.

The SCADA system makes it possible to monitor and control equipment in real time at any LUCELEC’s seven (7) substations located at Cul De Sac, Castries, Union, Reduit, Praslin, Vieux Fort and Soufriere from the Control Center with a few clicks of a computer mouse button.

Because of the importance of the System Control function to LUCELEC’s operations, the System Control Centre is manned by the SCOs on a round-the-clock basis.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS)

The role of GIS technicians:

  • Mapping the company’s entire external infrastructure. Data editing and analysis for ongoing GIS software. 
  • Coordinates with other departments to assist with geographic and mapping needs.
  • Responsible for updating and maintaining various feature classes.
  • Provide technical support to both internal and external customers, to find and solve GIS problems as well as creating maps.