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Services for Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS)

In the field of flexible AC transmission systems,

600 systems

are serviced by Siemens Energy Transmission Service

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Enable your FACTS installation to keep up with the future

Increase the reliability of AC networks and reduce power delivery costs with your flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) not just today, but also in many years to come. Even if your FACTS devices have performed well so far, various services are required to keep up their high performance, efficiency, and reliability of the years.

Safety, reliability, and availability for FACTS throughout the entire lifecycle

In times with growing bottlenecks, uncontrolled load flows, and instabilities due to the liberalization of the energy market and the increasing share of volatile renewable energies, TSOs have to make sure that their FACTS installations are working at their best to enhance grid stability and power quality. Regular maintenance, health and security checks, modernization, and retrofit as well as many other services are needed to ensure the safety, reliability, and availability of your FACTS installation throughout the entire lifecycle. That's what Siemens Energy is committed to.
 

At Siemens Energy, we provide you with all kinds of comprehensive services for FACTS solutions and contribute professionals with many years of experience and qualifications in the utility and infrastructure industries. You benefit from a maximized lifetime of your FACTS station, minimized downtimes, and unpredictable expenses during offline maintenance activities. You also secure the highest availability and reliability with a safe investment. Furthermore, having your FACTS managed, operated, and maintained by our experts allows you to focus on your core businessactivities. You also secure the highest availability and reliability with a safe investment. Furthermore, having your FACTS managed, operated, and maintained by our experts allows you to focus on your core business.

Benefit from our services for the following FACTS solutions

Parallel compensation

  • Hybrid SVC (combination of SVC and STATCOM)
  • STATCOM (Static Synchronous Compensator) – SVC PLUS
  • SVC (Static Var Compensator)
  • MSC/MSR (Mechanically Switched Capacitor/Reactor)
  • Synchronous Condenser
     

Series compensation 

  • FSC (Fixed Series Capacitors)
  • TCSC (Thyristor Controlled Series Capacitor)
  • TPSC (Thyristor Protected Series Capacitor)

Highlight services for even more reliable FACTS

With Siemens Energy, you can count on an experienced service partner with a comprehensive spectrum of customized services for your FACTS equipment. This also includes state-of-the-art offerings and highlights such as our cyber security services that protect your FACTS installation against all kinds of digital threats.

Is your FACTS installation ready to tackle the security challenges of digitalization?

Digitalization changes our energy systems. It offers great prospects and new business opportunities, but also harbors challenges in terms of cyber security. Cyber threats that endanger a stable operation can include attacks on communication between FACTS devices, on time- and synchronization-based control algorithms, and malicious sending of incorrect operational data. All these attacks can and should be prevented in advance. Even without a direct Internet connection, manipulated IT devices and the engineers’ and maintainers’ laptop also pose risks. To protect FACTS, we offer comprehensive cyber security support and services based on an in-depth defense concept. We identify your technical vulnerabilities, recommend appropriate security measures, and carry out their implementation. Our services for cyber security include:

  1. Consulting regarding e.g. requirements, evaluating the own status quo and recommending the resulting security measures
  2. Patch management (three service levels)
  3. Security reviews, penetration tests and incident handling.

Cyber Security Services for FACTS you can count on

Cyber threats are increasing with serious consequences for companies and communities worldwide. Critical infrastructure, such as power transmission systems, is increasingly becoming the main focus.
 

Today, IT systems are the foundation of critical processes for most companies. This leads to significantly increased risks of being attacked by hackers or viruses, and patching software weaknesses is not a onetime task but an ongoing endeavor throughout the system’s lifetime. For these reasons, Siemens Energy has developed a comprehensive cyber security service portfolio for FACTS to support you.

We check up on your system and help to prevent failures

Health Check on-site condition assessment

Knowing the condition of your FACTS installation is a prerequisite to running them in a reliable and optimized way and to wisely spend your maintenance budget on the components that need the most attention. Siemens Energy Health Checks for FACTS provides you with a sound basis for a targeted maintenance strategy. It extends from reviewing existing documents and carrying out the on-site assessment to fixing minor defects and failures, compiling reports, and presenting findings and recommendations.

Supervision for off-line maintenance

Preventing failures is less costly than fixing them. That’s why we recommend scheduled off-line maintenance activities for the entire system. The FACTS station will normally be shut down for a period of one to three consecutive working days. To support and advise your maintenance personnel, Siemens Energy provides you with a FACTS specialist as on-site supervisor. The FACTS specialist will also support you in case of any difficulties including failure analysis if needed.

Every service you need for your FACTS

It’s our mission to keep flexible AC transmission systems in perfect shape for efficient, reliable, and highly available operation as well as for the changing demands of the future. That’s why our comprehensive service portfolio for FACTS covers the whole range of proactive and reactive services.

Maintenance contracts

  • Preventive/scheduled maintenance work according to OEM recommendations
  • Qualified local expert personnel
  • Increase of asset reliability and lifetime expectancy
     

Computerized maintenance management system

  • Software/hardware package for maintenance planning and controlling
  • Specific work orders with detailed work procedures
  • Detailed resource planning and expert selection
     

Field service and repair

  • Fast response of qualified local service experts
  • Access to the Siemens Energy global network of experts for additional support
  • Minimized outage time
     

Spares consulting

  • Individual consulting solutions for new strategic & operational spares as well as for already existing customer spares
     

Spare parts management

  • Provision of high-quality spares across all applied technologies and asset generations 
  • Reliable global supply of single parts, parts kits and complete spare modules for planned and unplanned maintenance measures
  • Managed spares service models
     

Obsolescence management

  • Provision of detailed information (internal/external) on obsolete parts and products in our globally installed base
  • Recommendations for remedial action, including retrofits, modernizations, last calls for replacement spares or disposal
     

Modernization and retrofit

  • Software/hardware exchange to extend the lifetime, support, and spare parts availability of your FACTS assets
  • Minimized downtime and greater availability
  • Handling new technology requirements
     

Refurbishment

  • Overhaul of FACTS equipment for lifetime extension and availability increase
  • High quality work compliant with OEM standards
  • Dedicated functional testing according to industrial standards before re-installation
     

Upgrade and update

  • Update of your FACTS installation with state-of-the-art solutions to improve asset efficiency and performance
  • Implementation of new features and functionality
  • Complete functional testing of new systems
     

Extensions

  • Extension of your existing FACTS installation according to growing demand and needs
  • Proven adapter solutions if required
  • Bypass solutions and more to reduce outage time during installation of extension
     

Condition monitoring and diagnostics

  • Monitoring of your most critical FACTS assets
  • Analysis of dynamic asset conditions allowing operation of your FACTS assets up to real-time rating (asset performance management)
     

Remote services

  • Our dedicated Customer Support Center automatically identifies critical situations
  • Experts conduct remote analysis and give recommendations
  • Reliable and secure data connection
     

Cyber security

  • Security concepts and patch management
  • Compliance with NERC CIP and BDEW white paper standards
  • Cyber Security Services
     

Qualification and training

  • Tailored trainings and continuous qualification of your service personnel in terms of FACTS
  • Classroom, test field, and on-site trainings
  • Experienced engineers as trainers
     

Technical support/hotline

  • Immediate 2nd and 3rd level technical support by senior experts via telephone (24/7h or 8/5h)
  • Utilization of internal engineering department
  • Coordination with key sub- suppliers
     

Technical support via remote access

  • Online failure analysis via Common Remote Service Platform (cRSP)
  • Access to experts regardless of location
  • Secured remote access to your FACTS installation
     

On-site condition assessment (“Health Check”)

  • On-site FACTS asset evaluation and testing 
  • Detailed condition report and early warning indication 
  • Recommendation plan for availability improvement and lifetime extension
     

Asset management and advisory services

  • Vendor independent consulting and forecasting of FACTS asset health and risk
  • Software and consulting services enabling you to optimize asset management (OPEX, CAPEX)
     

Operations

  • Carefree, complete FACTS operations by qualified Siemens Energy employees
  • Utilization of operational best practices gained through many of our systems around the globe
  • High performance and availability through on-site experts
     

Warranty and availability guarantee extensions

  • Extended asset warranty
  • Individually fixed availability ratings
  • Customized agreement on bonus/malus system
  • Reduced risk for return on investment
     

Service programs

  • Operation and maintenance services and individualized “care-free packages” 
  • Guaranteed performance by defined KPI’s
  • Operation, maintenance, and management services, special service projects, customer as well as support services

Information

Transmission Service Portfolio
PDF (224 KB)
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Services for FACTS in practice

We successfully deliver fast, competent,and reliable product support for flexible AC transmission systems wherever it’s needed.

“Health Check” on FACTS devices for MOTRACO

  • The Mozambique Transmission Company MOTRACO awarded Siemens with an on-site condition assessment of its series compensation FACTS FSC devices in Barberton (South Africa) and Maputo (Mozambique).
  • Siemens conducted a status check, fixed minor problems on-site, and drew up a site conditioning report with recommendations for the system.
  • The benefits for the FACTS operators include a clear status overview of the devices, immediate repair of minor problems, and a clear recommendation plan for maintenance and retrofitting.

Upgrade for Kayenta substation

  • Western Area Power Administration, an agency of the US Department of Energy, was facing a communication failure with a single analogue logic controller in a 10 year old control system.
  • Siemens replaced the PLC with current PLC hardware through an engineered code conversion, conducted a prototype lab testing, and engineered two communication channels.
  • The system was back in operation ahead of schedule with upgraded technology, increased functionality, and reduced risk of prolonged outages.

Training on SVC PLUS for GRIDCo

  • GRIDCo, the national interconnected transmission system operator of Ghana, needed staff training on performing operation and maintaining the SVC PLUS system.
  • Siemens performed a classroom training course as well as an on-site maintenance and operation training, including a visual inspection of all equipment.
  • The benefits for all participants were high training effectiveness due to a customized training solution.

Get in contact with our Customer Support

Do you need help on a concrete project? Do you need a quote for any of our products or solutions? Do you need support for your installed equipment? Do you have a technical question? Do you need something totally different? You can contact us 24/7. We are looking forward to your request.