Automated systems for monitoring and accounting of electricity
The Automated System for Monitoring and Accounting of Electricity (ASMAE) was created to promptly obtain data on the transit of electricity through the electrical networks of JSC "Astana-REC", to establish automated measurement of electricity consumption parameters, improve the accuracy of electricity and power measurements with time synchronisation, enhance the quality of electricity consumption management, and provide informational support for financial settlements in the wholesale electricity market.
Data collection on electricity transit occurs at the connection points of JSC "Astana-REC" networks to the electrical networks of energy-generating and energy-transmitting organisations, as well as to industrial, small-scale, and residential sector networks.
The ASMAE of the City Ring 220/110/35/10/6 kV is based on the software and hardware complex (SHC) "ECOM" and includes 1,848 commercial and technical metering points located across 32 substations. A three-tier system has been applied to construct the system. The first level consists of electricity metering complexes (EMCs), while the second level comprises information and computing complexes of electrical installations (ICCEIs). The first and second levels of the ASMAE are installed at each substation of the City Ring 220/110 kV. The EMC consists of electricity meters, current and voltage transformers, and the ICCEI consists of data collection and transmission devices (DCTDs) and telecommunication equipment.
The data from the ASMAE of the City Ring 220/110 kV (27 substations of 220/110/35/10/6 kV where 1,848 commercial and technical metering devices are located) are provided to the commercial dispatcher and mode engineer of the Central Dispatch Service (CDS) of JSC "Astana-REC", the balance and contracts service engineer for determining electricity transit modes and calculating imbalances at connections within the electrical installations of the City Ring 220/110 kV, and the electricity billing and calculation service for determining the volume of electricity transit at the connections of the City Ring 220/110 kV substations and issuing invoices to TOO "Astanaenergosbyt". Additionally, the data obtained by the ASMAE regarding the volume of electricity transit at the boundary of ownership between JSC "Astana-REC" and other energy transmission organisations are transmitted to the system operator of JSC "KEGOC".
The implementation of the ASMAE of the City Ring 220/110 kV began at the end of 2010. The ASMAE of the City Ring 220/110 kV consists of commercial and technical components. The commercial component includes metering points located at the ownership boundary between the networks of wholesale electricity market participants (energy-generating, energy-transmitting, and energy-supply organisations), retail electricity market participants (industrial sector), and JSC "Astana-REC". The technical component includes technical metering points necessary for monitoring electricity transit within the networks of JSC "Astana-REC". The commercial metering points participating in the flow balance between wholesale electricity market participants are certified by the system operator of JSC "KEGOC", and the data on electricity transit through these points are transmitted to the software complex of the system operator. During the implementation of the ASMAE project for the City Ring 110 kV, induction electricity meters were replaced, and existing microprocessor-based meters were utilised. The use of the SHC "ECOM" allowed for avoiding the replacement of existing microprocessor-based meters, as it supports the operation of meters from virtually any manufacturer.
As part of Kazakhstan's digitalisation efforts in the field of energy conservation and efficiency improvement, JSC "Astana-REC" implemented an automated commercial electricity accounting system for 0.4 kV. The implementation of the ASMAE system, according to investment programmes, has been carried out since 2010. A total of 29,456 metering devices have been installed.
Under the "ASMAE of Electrical Networks" project, metering devices for private sector consumers in the "South-East" and "Koktal" districts were replaced between 2010 and 2012, as the meters used during those years were the first to be employed in the automated commercial electricity accounting system, transmitting information over the power network using PLC-1 technology and installed on 0.4 kV overhead line poles according to ownership boundaries. Due to equipment wear and tear and increasing consumer complaints about the lack of polling in the private sector of the South-East and Koktal districts, a major overhaul of the existing ASMAE system was planned for 2021 under the Investment Programme of JSC "Astana-REC".
The operation of the ASMAE has demonstrated that new technologies can effectively combat issues such as electricity theft. Despite the city's growth and the increase in the number of legal and individual consumers, the implementation of ASMAE allows JSC "Astana-REC" to manage the increased workload with the same number of employees.