LONDON ELECTRICITY
      Case Study

LONDON

ELECTRICITY

“DINIS enables us to predict the effects of redesigns to test our electrical network with the minimum of effort and, as such, it is absolutely fundamental to London Electricity’s ability to deliver a cost-effective and efficient service.”

Cliff Walton

Network Strategy Manager

London Electricity

Case Study

Customer focused

London Electricity plc supplies electricity and energy related products and services to two million customers in the Greater London area and is responsible for one of the most complex electrical networks in the world. In early 1999 London Electricity became part of the EDF, based in Paris, France.

Understanding the business

London’s high population density, intricate transport infrastructure, many historical sites, and intersection by the River Thames all combine to produce a unique challenge for the utility companies who service the area.

As Cliff Walton, Network Strategy Manager, London Electricity, explains, “In supporting the needs of London we have had to develop what is probably one of the densest and most interconnected utility networks in the world. The ongoing challenge that we face is that any system modification or maintenance has to be undertaken with the minimum disruption and yet with the maximum the level of service to our customers”.

This challenge is being met through the implementation of an integrated systems strategy which will enable London Electricity to manage its network development and assets as well as provide real time network monitoring, control and optimisation.

Delivering benefits

A key element in London Electricity’s strategy is its continued use of DINIS (Distribution Network Information System) software. DINIS provides facilities for the capture, display, analysis and management of entire distribution networks and provides both high level summaries and fully detailed analysis results, which can be simultaneously displayed in geographic or schematic form.

We have worked closely with London Electricity over the past ten years to ensure that DINIS has evolved to meet the specific needs of London Electricity and the industry as a whole.

DINIS holds London Electricity’s key network data. This information is used extensively across the organisation in support of its work in managing the operation of the assets, ranging from real time management from a sophisticated control room to in-depth, long run analysis of network performance.

DINIS and its data is also routinely used in support of network planning, asset renewal and investment prioritisation. By appropriate modelling it allows existing assets and capacity to be fully utilised whilst optimising security and minimising losses.

London Electricity is continually assessing ways of extending the role of DINIS, particularly its integration with the  control room system. A new software module, which allows the company to examine the effect of the loads on its networks at various time periods, is also being developed. This will enable the company to make more accurate decisions on network performance by being able to analyse its networks under specific load conditions, rather than on aggregate maximum load demands.

Both these capabilities are enabled by the latest version of DINIS, which incorporates a relational database capability and applications programming interface. These provide London Electricity with greater levels of integration between DINIS and its other network management applications by allowing the sharing of the valuable network data held on the DINIS system.

Cliff Walton concludes, “DINIS enables us to predict the effects of redesigns to our electrical network with the minimum of effort and, as such, it is absolutely fundamental to London Electricity’s ability to deliver a cost-effective and efficient service.”

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