ASPA says power outages due to its failed monitoring system
Pago Pago, AMERICAN SAMOA — An ASPA employee completing the repairs to the underground connections in the Utulei area power outage. The heavy rains and wind as well as flooding in the vaults, added to the delays in getting the necessary repairs done safely.
ASPA CEO Wallon Young has explained that the cause of the power outage that was islandwide, and lasted the longest on the central and eastside of the island, last week, was due to the failure of the SCADA system at the Satala Plant which controls the plant operation and power distribution. He said the Satala Plant is now fully operating on manual mode, until the fault is corrected.
Linemen continued to work in inclement weather during the outage, which included an underground cable fault.
The SCADA system is a monitoring system — it’s used by power companies to monitor and control their electrical grid operations and infrastructure, according to a description of the system.
SCADA is a Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition system that integrates hardware and software to gather real-time data from field devices, enabling management of power generation, transmission, and distribution.
Key components of the system include Field Devices to collect the data from sensors and equipment at substations, power plants, and distribution points; Communication Infrastructure to help data transfer between field devices and the central control system, using technologies such as fiber optics, wireless or satellite communication; Central Control system which is a centralized server which processes and displays real-time data to operators allowing them to interact with the system including executing control commands; Human-Machine Interface — allowing operators to interact with the system; Data Storage for analysis, troubleshooting, and reporting; and Alarm and Notification System — alerting operators to anomalies, equipment failures, or operational inefficiencies.
The SCADA system is touted to be the backbone of a modern power company’s operations, providing the tools necessary to efficiently manage and maintain the electrical grid.
ASPA does have an underground system which is supposed to prevent outages due to bad weather conditions.
A source in the industry told Samoa News that preventive maintenance is the key which comprises regular inspections and testing, moisture management, soil and environment monitoring; mechanical protection, load management, etc. End-of-Life Management and Training and Awareness are important parts of this maintenance system and are noted to be integral elements of top management goals.