Western Power
Western Power strengthens the monitoring of its power grid with AVEVA PI System
Western Power, an Australian electricity utility serving more than 1.1 million customers, builds, maintains and operates transmission and distribution assets on the South West Interconnected Network (SWIN). Each year, the operator delivers seventeen thousand gigawatts of electricity through more than 100,000 kilometers of circuits to communities in southwestern Australia. However, the growing number of customer solar installations made it harder to maintain stable voltage, amid particularly fluctuating and sometimes low load levels. Deploying AVEVA PI System, complemented by AVEVA PI Vision, enabled Western Power to significantly improve its situational awareness to forecast and meet its customers' energy needs. The operator now has a unified, accurate view of network conditions, securing voltage quality and frequency and durably supporting the integration of renewables in a region undergoing a major energy transition.
Testimonials
FAQ
How does AVEVA PI System improve situational awareness of a power grid?
AVEVA PI System collects high-resolution real-time data from Western Power's assets, providing unified visibility across the 100,000 km of circuits in the SWIN network. Combined with AVEVA PI Vision, the platform gives operators a contextualized view of the network, trends and critical alarms. This improved situational awareness makes it possible to anticipate voltage and frequency issues and make informed decisions in an environment of increasing load fluctuation.
How can frequency and voltage be managed as residential solar multiplies?
The growing number of solar installations among Western Power's customers makes maintaining stable voltage more complex, with fluctuating and sometimes very low load levels. AVEVA PI System and PI Vision give operators an accurate, real-time view of grid behavior, including bidirectional flows. This visibility makes it possible to continuously adjust regulation, anticipate imbalances and secure power quality for 1.1 million customers in southwestern Australia.
Why does a power utility need PI Vision in its control room?
AVEVA PI Vision gives Western Power operators an intuitive web interface to explore the data collected by PI System. Dashboards, trend charts and contextualized alarms are instantly accessible, both in the control room and on the move. This accessibility speeds up incident diagnosis and facilitates collaboration between field crews and the operations center. For an operator handling 17,000 GWh a year, PI Vision has become the essential real-time visualization standard for industrial performance.
How does AVEVA support the integration of renewable energy into a distribution grid?
The growing integration of renewable energy is changing the nature of power grids, which must absorb intermittent, decentralized generation. AVEVA PI System allows Western Power to manage this complexity by consolidating real-time data from a variety of sources. The platform informs operational and strategic decisions, supporting the energy transition while ensuring voltage and frequency stability on the interconnected grid of southwestern Australia.
What business benefits does a power distributor gain from unified visibility?
By significantly improving its situational awareness with AVEVA PI System, Western Power optimizes its operations across 100,000 km of network and 1.1 million customers. The platform reduces undetected incidents, speeds up fault diagnosis and supports targeted investment planning in at-risk areas. Beyond the operational gains, unified visibility prepares the operator for future use cases (smart grid, AI, digital twin), ensuring the long-term value of the platform investment.