23 May 2016

Western Power Distribution begins Midlands roll-out of Simoco Pulse

Western Power Distribution (WPD) is set to roll out Simoco Pulse, a DMR telemetry solution, across three sites in its Midlands region during June to manage assets at 100 locations.

The technology was developed following consultation with Surf Telecoms, a wholly owned subsidiary of WPD, which is responsible for monitoring and maintaining the utility network. The Midlands roll-out follows successful trials of Simoco Pulse in the company’s South-East region. The 8,000 data modem installment across the Midlands is part of the three-year programme to upgrade WPD's network, which will expand into the South West and Wales regions after the completion of the Midland's stage.

The move is aimed at improving grid management capabilities and control networks across vast operational areas by ensuring the reliable communication of low band telemetry data. This data can be used to indicate outages, network performance and and operate assets remotely, giving greater insight and control to utilities providers.

“By moving our telemetry data communications to DMR we have a secure and reliable picture of our network and the ability to react quickly when issues occur,” said Kevan Scott, Surf Telecoms manager at WPD. “In the trial areas where the solution has already been installed, WPD’s restoration time has significantly improved and we are looking forward to similar results in the Midlands region.