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Press release as pdf-file
Five years ago E.ON Elnät Sverige AB, Sweden took the decision to convert to a new network information system, Facilplus Spatial, from electrical contractor ABB and Swedish GIS developers Digpro. The system, which is closely integrated with the SCADA and ERP systems, uses Oracle Spatial for storing and processing of data and thin web clients for all data access and editing, in principle making the complete data available to all authorized users.
During 2006 E.ON Sweden initiated a project, called Eldorado 2, to make significant extensions to the system, both geographically and in functionality.
E.ON Sweden is one of the major utilities in Sweden. Over the past decade the company has acquired distribution networks and production plants from several other utilities in different regions of the country. This did present the operation with a number of different support and management platforms, which tended to cement a fragmented organization and cumbersome routines.
The decision was taken to install a completely new, integrated network operations and geographic information system that would cover the total assets and territories of the company in Sweden. E.ON Sweden selected Network Manager from ABB and Facilplus Spatial from Digpro AB and ABB as the main components for this system. The project was started in 2001 and the first areas could be managed in an integrated way the following year.
There was also a new ERP-system (SAP) being installed at E.ON, which required accurate network asset data from the complete distribution area. E.ON then decided, that instead of duplicating the data and feeding it to the separate systems, they would let Facilplus deliver this information to SAP and an integration was made between SAP and Facilpus.
Today the originally conceived system is in operation since 2003 and E.ON Sweden have already seen significant benefits from the new system.
With the implementation of Facilplus, E.ON achieved single point of entry for all distribution network data. This gave a vast improvement in the accuracy of data. An improved quality of information also meant better productivity and more confidence in all decisions based on the material. Already the fact that all data in SAP is directly derived from Facilplus has proven very useful by practically providing an enterprise-wide data management. Maintenance of the data is much simplified.
The Facilplus system offers the possibility of global access to all network data for all connected users. In practice the access is managed through a number of definable roles with appropriate custom tailored content.
In January of 2005, a powerful storm swept southern Sweden, inflicting heavy damage on the local power network. In the course of the rebuilding, the information from Facilplus proved very valuable and accurate in planning the works required to restore the network and to put a significant portion of these networks underground.
At the time of this writing E.ON Sweden have over 1000 staff connected to the Facilplus system, making it the largest installation of this system and a key tool for E.ON.
During the course of the project E.ON have acquired more networks. There has also been a step-up in the rate of investments in the distribution network. These factors led to the start in the summer of 2006 of a follow-up project, Eldorado 2, to bring the new areas into the system and to control and optimize the roll-out of new equipment in the network. The last remaining regions are to be converted to Facilplus in the next few months. The project will also deliver extended functionality for project management tools and operations support.
"We are very happy we embarked on this path", says Mr Bengt Abrahamsson, System Manager of Facilplus at E.ON Sweden. "The use of Facilplus has grown beyond expectations. At the time when the system was first planned, we envisaged 50 users for the SCADA system and a somewhat larger number for the Facilplus system. A real test of the system came recently when E.ON decided to triple the rate of investment in the network in a project called Krafttag, Facilplus withstood the challenge and we are now more than 1000 Facilplus users. Today we see further opportunities to expand the use and work in a streamlined way by making the data available directly to the people in the field."
Contact Person
Digpro AB
Bo Lundgren
+46(0)8 5063 26 00
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