AES Eletropaulo: June cyclone showed our agility and efficiency

After the June cyclone, electricity to 96% of customers was restored within 24 hours, showing the agility and efficiency of AES Eletropaulo in extreme emergency situations, says Paulo Cesar Pranskevicius, Automation Manager, AES Eletropaulo. The Brazilian mega utility is taking part in the annual Metering Latin America conference and expo which is taking place in Sao Paulo from 25-27 October.

Now in its ninth year, the annual Metering Latin America conference and exhibition has been at the forefront of the discussions, sharing of experiences and exchange of information of the smart metering and smart grids industry in the region.

Cyclone due to lack of investments?
The extratropical cyclone in Sao Paulo caused power failures in various parts of the state and has been attributed to AES Eletropaulo’s lack of investments in distribution infrastructure. In an interview published on metering.com, Paulo Cesar Pranskevicius respons: “AES Eletropaulo is making increased investments every year. In 2010, R$682 million (US$384 million) was invested and we anticipate an investment of R$784 million (US$441 million) in 2011, of which 51% will be for maintenance and 34% for expansion of the present system. We highlight the investments made in automation, such as the installation of digital relays in 100 stations in 2011 and the installation of 3,000 reconnecting keys by the end of 2012.”

He continues: “regarding the event that took place on June 7, it was marked by winds of over 100 km/h, and the SCADA system supported all remote controlled operations, assisted by the high communication backbone availability and the reliability of onsite equipment. After this event, electricity to 96% of customers was restored within 24 hours, showing the agility and efficiency of AES Eletropaulo in extreme emergency situations. A similar event had occurred in September 1999.”

Smart meter rollout in Brazil
During October, Brazil’s energy regulator Aneel will announce the first of two regulations regarding the implementation of smart meters nationwide, which will officially launch a billion dollar smart meter installation rollout in Brazil – for 2012 only this amount has been estimated at 5-billion dollars.

AES Eletropaulo’s Paulo Cesar Pranskevicius explains how customers will benefit from these technologies: “customers will benefit from the increased network information that we have, enabling us to locate a fault quicker, be it through the relays, fault sensors or the electronic meters. As an example, the electromechanical relay protects the network and sends a signal to disconnect a specific piece of equipment and with the digital relay we know, in real and remote time, which phase was operated and the respective intensity of the current, leading the teams to the site and, therefore, reducing the time it takes to locate the problem. In future, when all clients have an electronic meter, it will no longer be necessary to contact the call center as we will know who is without current. The customer will also be able to control energy consumption through the web or via a monitor installed at the consumption point.”

More speaker highlights at Metering Latin America include:
• André Pepitone de Nóbrega, Director, Aneel, Brazil
• Sidney Simonaggio, Operations Director, AES Eletropaulo, Brazil
• Manlio Coviello, Chief Natural Reserouces and Energy Unit, ECLAC, United Nations
• Glenn Steiger, General Manager, Glendale Water and Power, USA
• Valerio Vadacchino, Smart Grid Project Manager, ENEL, Italy
• Fabio Toledo, Distribution Board Advisor, LIGHT, Brazil
• Humberto Muñoz, General Director, SEAPAL, Mexico
• Marcelo Salles,Technology and Enviroinment Director, SABESP, Brazil
• Oscar Armijos,General Manager, Electrica de Guayaquil, Equador
• Miguel Setas, VP Distribution, EDP Group, Portugal
• Ricardo Van Erven Technology Director, AES Eletropaulo, Brazil

Event dates and location:
25-27 October 2011
Frei Caneca Convention Center, São Paulo, Brazil

Metering Latin America is part of Clarion Events, the UK's largest independent events company with annual turnover of over £150m, drawing upon over 80 years of experience of hosting strategic conferences conferences and seated events across Britain, Europe, North and South America, Africa, Middle East and Asia. Our events, business-to-business and business-to-consumer, serve 15 different market sectors from leisure and entertainment to finance, from retail to gaming and from fine art to energy.

Communications Manager: Annemarie Roodbol
Tel. +27 21 700 3558
Fax. +27 21 700 3501
Mobile: +27 82 562 7844
Email: annemarie.roodbol@clarionevents.com
Postal address: PO Box 321, Steenberg, 7947, South Africa
Event website: www.meteringlatinamerica.com

This release was published on openPR.