ELES, Hitachi Energy launch Next Generation Control System project

Slovenia’s transmission system operator ELES and Hitachi Energy have signed a strategic cooperation agreement for the implementation of their Next Generation Control System project.

ELES and Hitachi Energy plan to develop advanced digital solutions for transmission grid control centers, according to Slovenia’s TSO.

The Next Generation Control System project is a continuation of their cooperation within the internationally recognized and awarded NEDO project. The project has laid the foundation for collaboration between ELES and Hitachi, representing a key step in the said activities.

The companies will develop three key functionalities of the new generation

Within the project, the two companies intend to work on three core functionalities of the next generation.

An Enterprise Service Bus (ESB) is a software solution that connects various applications, enabling them to communicate and exchange data — even if they use different languages, protocols, or formats. In practice, it will be implemented for the system that determines operational limits.

Voltage Var Control is an upgrade to the existing voltage management system, introducing complex functions and advanced control methods.

The Common Information Model enhances the efficiency of network data models exchanged between different systems and organisations, particularly in the context of TSOs.

The project will last two years

The firms plan to implement and finance the two-year project by themselves. ELES would invest in improvements, while Hitachi Energy develops the agreed functions, to verify them together with the Slovenian state-owned company. Hitachi Energy intends to incorporate the new functionalities into its standard energy management system offering (Network Manager).

The agreement was signed by Aleksander Mervar, CEO of ELES, and Lars Wiklander, Business Operations Strategy & Planning Executive at Hitachi Energy. However, he was unable to attend the signing ceremony and conference.

The speakers at the event were Lazar Bizumić, Head of Product Management at Hitachi Energy; Jurij Klančnik, Transmission System Operation Director at ELES, and Janko Kosmač, Process Systems Manager at ELES, who is also the head of the technical part of the joint project.

Mervar: An important step in the digital transformation of the Slovenian electricity sector

Aleksander Mervar highlighted the agreement as a significant step in the digital transformation of Slovenia’s electricity sector. At the same time, in his words, it reinforces the role of ELES and Slovenia as an innovative environment for developing advanced energy solutions.

“New digital solutions will enable better integration of various systems, smarter voltage management in the grid, and more efficient and transparent data exchange. This is a technologically advanced project that will significantly contribute to the safer, more efficient, and sustainable operation of the Slovenian electricity system. It is an important step in Slovenia’s green transition,” Mervar added.

Wiklander: The grid management software and systems ecosystem of the future must be built on a flexible, modular architecture

The grid management software and systems ecosystem of the future must be built on flexible, modular architecture to give TSOs and utilities the scale they need to manage a changing and dynamic grid, the flexibility to integrate proprietary and third-party applications, and the control and visibility necessary to manage and deliver a reliable, resilient power supply, Lars Wiklander asserted.

“This collaboration with ELES is an important proof point in our strategy to deliver the leading grid management ecosystem with Network Manager,” he pointed out.