DTEK Dnipro Grids to equip the regional power grid with advance devices to improve the power supply to customers
Most overhead line failures occur when tree branches touch the lines during strong gusts of wind, lightning, etc. If the lines are not equipped with reclosers, then such events entail automatic de-energization. Therefore, customers can lose power for some time until the repair crews check and reconnect the line to the network.
Reclosers are installed on the most essential long-distance air lines (10-30 km), which supply entire settlements with many customers. They are mounted next to the poles on the most vulnerable and difficult sections, for instance, above forests and other hard-to-reach areas. In the event of an accident, they localize the damaged area, while maintaining the functionality of the main line and the power supply of most of the customers connected to it. They immediately send a signal to a dispatcher. And the dispatcher, in turn, informs the company about the need to do repair work. In this way, emergency crews save time searching for damage and significantly reduce outage duration.
“DTEK invests in digital transformation, new technologies and innovations. We are confident that modern and reliable networks are the basis for the development of the country's economy. This year we will install 50 reclosers on 6-10 kV overhead lines, which supply 77 settlements and are the most crucial for the electricity distribution across Dnipropetrovsk Region. If a failure occurs, we can promptly turn off this section and put the line back into operation quickly,” says Andrii Tereschiuk, CEO of DTEK Dnipro Grids.
Thus, the company will reduce the time for troubleshooting because of failures, and customers will still have their lights on.
As previously reported, in total, the energy company will invest more than 1 billion hryvnia in the electrical infrastructure of Dnipropetrovsk Region in 2021. DTEK Dnipro Grids will reconstruct two large substations of 150 and 35 kV in Dnipro and Manganets and implement 14 projects that will enhance the power supply reliability for residents of the region and the efficiency of emergency response.