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Press Release

GE Digital Remote Operations for Power Generators Enables Location Independence to “Operate from Anywhere”

September 30, 2020
  • Scalable solution provides secure remote / mobile plant controls for operations continuity and workforce flexibility in a NERC-CIP compliant environment
  • A scalable and secure solution for remote and mobile worker access to plant controls
  • Use cases: Worker Location Flexibility, Weather-proof Operations, On-site Staff Efficiency, Reliable Remote Startup, External Monitoring, Support for Contingency Operations, and  Multi-Plant Control Flexibility

 

SAN RAMON, Calif. – September 30, 2020 – GE Digital today introduced Remote Operations for Power Generation, a software and appliance solution that provides remote / mobile operator access to essential on-site monitoring and control functions. GE Digital began offering Remote Operations earlier in 2020 and already has seven leading global power generation customers using the solution.

“The pandemic and its economic impact have ignited and accelerated permanent operational changes across industries,” said Kevin Prouty, IDC, Group VP, Energy & Manufacturing Insights.  "A solution like GE Digital’s Remote Operations enables Power Generators and other industrial organizations to adopt remote staffing, flexible resourcing, centralized monitoring, and autonomous operations. Beyond security and compliance requirements, customers need to have granular access, permissioning, and safety controls that allow location-independent work without undue risk.”

Power generators in Latin America, the Middle East, and across North America, have chosen Remote Operations to provide weather-proof operations, on-site staff efficiency, reliable remote start-up, support for contingency operations, and multi-plant control flexibility.

AES, a global Fortune 500 energy provider, has chosen GE Digital’s Remote Operations software as an important enabler in its path toward digitization and autonomous operations. AES Alamitos and Huntington Beach, California plants will use Remote Operations to ensure continuity and leverage staffing. The solution will also be a part of the newly constructed U.S. fleet control center in early 2021, providing value at an even wider scale.

“AES has invested heavily in all things digitization as the foundation of our strategic plans,” said Ron Rodrique, Site Manager at AES. “GE Digital Remote Operations is an important technology pillar, enabling contingency operations, digital worker capabilities, and our continuing drive toward intelligent and efficient operations at every level.”

Maxim Power Corporation chose GE Digital Remote Operations to aid in reliable management of its GE 7FA.05 gas fired power generation facility, Milner 2, remotely located some 600km northwest of their headquarters in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. 

“A key objective of adding Remote Operations capability to the power plant is to empower our workforce and improve safety – not only with remote location flexibility, but also within the plant,” noted Bob Emmott, Executive Vice President and COO at Maxim Power Corporation. “Onsite operators and maintenance staff can use Remote Operations mobility features to work together efficiently, enhancing overall personnel safety at the plant, while ensuring continuity of remote visualization, command, and control of the power generation assets at the site.”

With remote and dedicated mobile device access to on-site HMI visualizations and controls, Remote Operations is serving many customer priorities, including:

  • Contingency operations - to handle COVID, weather conditions, and any unforeseen circumstances
  • Multi-plant operations – a centralized approach to monitor, augment or control normal operations across a fleet
  • Un-staffed operations – for complete remote controls of simple cycle plants
  • On-site mobility and collaboration – use of dedicated mobile features to improve the productivity and safety of onsite staff
  • Remote expert leverage – work from anywhere on anything freedom for key staff members

Remote Operations provides remote and mobile operators with secure and managed access to equivalent on-site HMI visualizations and essential controls regardless of HMI solutions in production. NERC-CIP compliant security, control room managed access rights, and operational safeguards enable secure and failsafe operational flexibility, and cooperation across all staff, on site and off site.

Remote Operations is available in three upwardly compatible packages, accommodating needs from urgent continuity to fault tolerant fleet-wide operations centers. All include the core end-to-end security and compliance features.

Remote Operations Response is a special packaged offer to rapidly enable remote monitoring and assistance.  It is compatible with existing systems and requires only the addition of a pre-configured secure network appliance and firewall. Upon equipment arrival, installation can be done in a single working day with remote support from GE Digital. No unit shutdown is required.

Remote Operations Standard delivers enhanced remote / mobile functions guarded by permitting and policy controls. Central operators can control remote / mobile worker access by time, equipment and more. An interactive interface ensures that remote, mobile and on-site staff can work independently or together in a secure and compliant environment.

Remote Operations Advanced provides full remote / mobile controls and additional optional operating capabilities in a high availability configuration with failover. Remote E-Stop and advanced communications options make RO Advanced the best choice for generators adopting remote and distributed controls as a standard, failsafe operating model for one or more plants.

“The Power Generation landscape will change more over the next 10 years than in the previous 100,” said Linda Rae, General Manager for GE Digital’s Power Generation and Oil & Gas business. “In this fast-changing world, our customers are on the front line of the world’s toughest industrial challenges and software is more mission critical than ever before. Remote Operations brings important flexibility and cost benefits to Power Generators today and will be a pillar of their evolution toward autonomous operations. We also see strong potential in markets such as Oil & Gas and other industrial markets.”

GE Digital’s Remote Operations for Power Generation is generally available. More information can be found here.

For media inquiries, please contact:

Ellie Holman
Product & Technology Communications
GE Digital
[email protected]
America/New_York

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