Meridian Energy
Meridian Energy reduces unplanned downtime with AVEVA PI System
Meridian Energy, New Zealand's largest energy producer, supplies about 30% of the country's electricity, all of it from renewable sources. The operator lacked visibility into its generation assets and had to schedule planned outages to assess asset degradation, an approach that was becoming less and less viable in the face of growing demand. Deploying AVEVA PI System and AVEVA PI Vision made it possible to build a data infrastructure able to visualize asset performance in real time and move from routine-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance. Asset Framework and event frame templates now give engineers detailed analysis of shutdown sequences and operating ranges, as demonstrated at the Manapouri hydroelectric power station (875 MW). Meridian Energy is optimizing its plant outages, identifying root causes before they become operational incidents, and laying the groundwork for even more complex analytics to support New Zealand's decarbonization.
FAQ
How does AVEVA PI System help a hydroelectric operator move to condition-based maintenance?
Meridian Energy, New Zealand's largest renewable energy producer, deployed AVEVA PI System to move from routine-based maintenance to condition-based maintenance. The platform continuously collects vibration, temperature, pressure and performance data from hydroelectric turbines, contextualized through the Asset Framework. Engineers detect deviations well before they become critical, schedule interventions at the right time and avoid costly shutdowns. It is a major transformation for a 100% renewable operator.
What role does AVEVA PI Vision play in analyzing a power plant's shutdown sequences?
At the Manapouri hydroelectric power station (875 MW), AVEVA PI Vision gives Meridian Energy engineers a detailed view of shutdown sequences and asset operating ranges. Event Frames automatically group similar episodes, enabling rigorous comparisons and statistical analyses. This analytical capability turns every shutdown into a learning opportunity, feeding continuous improvement of procedures and the operational reliability of a power station that is strategic for New Zealand's supply.
Why is optimizing plant outages strategic for a renewable energy producer?
Meridian Energy supplies 30% of New Zealand's electricity and 100% of it from renewable sources. Every non-optimized outage directly affects the national supply. AVEVA PI System makes it possible to optimize plant outages by grouping interventions, scheduling them during periods of low demand and minimizing their duration through condition-based maintenance. For New Zealand's decarbonization, where every renewable megawatt counts, this optimization is a major lever of industrial and environmental performance.
How can root causes be identified before they turn into incidents?
AVEVA PI System gives Meridian Energy a centralized platform to present data at different levels of depth: an overall view for management, technical details for engineers and targeted alarms for operators. This granularity makes it possible to identify root causes by tracing symptoms back to fundamental variables. Early detection, sometimes several weeks before a potential incident, turns maintenance from an unavoidable cost into a controlled investment. It is the essence of modern predictive maintenance.
How does AVEVA lay the groundwork for future complex analyses?
For Meridian Energy, AVEVA PI System does more than address current challenges: it lays the foundations for even more complex analyses and future data-driven decisions. Structuring data via Asset Framework, high-resolution archiving and rich context will make it possible to apply advanced AI, machine learning or prescriptive modeling in the future. For a 100% renewable operator committed to New Zealand's decarbonization, this ability to evolve is a long-term strategic investment.