24/7 power with Turkey’s new mobile monitoring system

By Sibel Morrow

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey will now be able to remotely control its electricity grid in the event of major disasters, including terror attacks and earthquakes, with a new mobile Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) system developed by the Turkish energy company Enerjisa.

Murat Pinar, senior manager of Enerjisa Energy, told Anadolu Agency that the system aims at eliminating technological blindness in times of disaster.

"We have seen once again how vital sustainable energy supply is for critical infrastructure systems such as health, telecommunications, transportation and security during catastrophic periods," he said.

The automation software Mobile SCADA Emergency Command and Control Center will immediately start up and replace built-in SCADA centers, to provide more than 21 million Enerjisa customers with uninterrupted power.

The new system designed by Enerjisa Distribution Company was developed to prevent power outages during natural disasters such as earthquakes, floods, storms and catastrophes like epidemics, chemical, nuclear or terrorist attacks, during which access to built-in SCADA systems could be blocked.

The system is setting an example for other strategic infrastructure service providers, as the system incorporated in a bus can access and control one or all of the electricity grids of Turkey’s electricity distributors including Enerjisa, Baskent EDAS, AYEDAS and Toroslar EDAS.

The bus has control and operator rooms equipped with touch control panels, security cameras, as well as solar energy panels and a generator to generate the power required by the system.

It also has air conditioners that cool the integrated devices and provide safe ventilation in addition to a toilet, a rest area and a kitchen for long-term stays.

- 'Critical infrastructure security and uninterrupted energy'

Pinar said that being able to command and control electricity distribution remotely, regardless of location "is revolutionary for infrastructure systems and is testament to the intensive R&D studies that took place to ensure the security of the critical infrastructure."

Stressing evolving and diversifying risks for energy security, Pinar said it was difficult to predict the disasters but affirmed that "we should know what to do when it comes."

Enerjisa distributes electricity in three different regions in Turkey, including the Asian part of Istanbul, Ankara, Bartin, Cankiri, Karabuk, Kastamonu, Kirikkale, Zonguldak, Adana, Osmaniye, Gaziantep, Mersin, Kilis and Hatay.