EDP Engages ABB to Upgrade the Control, Efficiency and Cybersecurity of Two Plants in Spain
ABB contracts with Energias de Portugal (EDP) to prepare two key generating assets for a future of compliance and operating efficiency.
Headquartered in Lisbon, Energias de Portugal (EDP) is a prominent centralized electric utility serving Spain and Portugal. According to the World Economic Forum, the utility was formed in 1976 through the merger of 14 nationalized electricity companies and the first Iberian company to own significant generating and distribution assets on both sides of the border.
Like most advanced European utilities, EDP operates several electricity-generating power plants as well as the infrastructure to deliver electricity and gas to a broad range of commercial and consumer power users. Many of its generating assets rely on alternative fuels, as well as solar and wind power to create electricity.
In a bid to upgrade the control and efficiency of two of its advanced power plants in Spain, EDP engaged energy technology and control engineering leader ABB to provide comprehensive digital solutions to automate, modernize, and secure the control of EDP's Soto 5 and Aboño 2 power generation plants.
Regulatory Compliance and Security Key Goals
The project’s ultimate objective is to improve plant control systems to increase efficiency, output, and reliability, and step up the security of energy plant controls, an increasing target of cyberterrorists, as well as ensuring the facilities comply with the NIS2 European regulations.
Aboño 2 power generation plant in Spain owned by EDP. Image used courtesy of ABB
Aboño 2 Thermal Power plant is located in the valley of the same name. Generating power from 342 MW and 537 MW net capacity units, the plants are fueled by domestic and imported coal, as well as the surplus gas from steel blast furnaces and coke oven batteries from a factory near the site. EDP explains the power of its units and the variety of fuels that make Aboño Thermal Power Plant one of the more unique electricity-generating assets in the world.
Located in the municipality of Ribera de Arriba, the Soto de Ribera Combined Cycle Gas Turbine (CCGT) power plant consists of two combined cycle natural-gas fueled power generating units, Soto 4 and Soto 5, offering a net capacity of 426 and 428 MW respectively. Combined cycle gas turbines are among the most fuel-efficient and clean means of generating energy because the heat from the gas turbine is used to create steam to power a steam turbine.
Soto 5 EDP’s combined cycle gas turbine plant. Image used courtesy of ABB
Sustaining Operating Efficiency and Plant Life
EDP’s power plant upgrade programs highlight a familiar pattern for power engineers and plant operators. Generating assets age and even the best control systems will eventually wear out or become outdated. With power plants extending their utility well beyond their designed lives, plant engineers may see this cycle repeat itself more than once. Aspects such as automation and upgrade of operational systems, improvement to cybersecurity, and ensuring compliance with regulatory bodies all greatly impact how long the plant will eventually operate.
To meet these pressing demands, EDP looked to ABB's advanced control system technology to ensure its plant's technology was up-to-date and capable of delivering both the plant performance and compliance goals of the investment.
ABB Power Plant Controls for Optimal Results
According to ABB’s power generation manager, Jose Alfonso Almansa, control upgrades will be based on the company’s Ability System 800x platform. The Ability System enables operators to make informed operating and control decisions with faster access to better data from more points. Among other things immediate access to richer plant operating data allows operators and safety systems to be more responsive to any process deviation.
Controlling plant operating efficiency, safety, and reliability are primary goals. ABB's project is focused on digitizing the distributed control systems (DCS) and other control technologies in the plants. However, along with digital control upgrades come new vulnerabilities to cyber-attacks.
Upgrading Cyber Security
To support the ongoing success of the project and to mitigate threats, EDP also signed a Care Service Contract, providing cybersecurity solutions for the two plants. Again ABB offers a solution: the Ability Cybersecurity Workplace. According to ABB the platform is designed to seamlessly integrate and interoperate with existing plant systems and provides formidable defenses against potential threats.
Backup and recovery management, malware protection management, and security update management modules prepare ABB’s AbilityCybersecurity Workplace to proactively block and respond to cyber threats by identifying risks faster.
Pick Technology Partners Carefully for Project Success
According to ABB, the upgrades at both plants will be completed by the end of 2023. With many plants and engineers looking to find efficient ways to handle upcoming challenges in the power generation sector, many are opting for advanced digital solutions including those offered by technology leaders like ABB. Purchasing the technology is one thing but implementing it successfully is another thing entirely. Considering the magnitude of the investment, the importance of choosing technology partners to implement extensive and expensive upgrades carefully is hard to understate.
