Managing and operating the power grid on a digital platform

As a unit that ensures electricity supply for a province with a strategic location and rapid economic growth, over the years, Quang Ninh Electricity Company has continuously promoted comprehensive digital transformation, especially in technical management, operation and investment in smart grid infrastructure on a digital platform. The digital transformation process has become an important driving force to help the Company improve production and business efficiency, increasingly better meeting the socio-economic development needs of the province.

All operations and switching of equipment of transformer stations are performed at the Remote Control Center.

Currently, Quang Ninh Electricity Company is managing and operating over 871km of 110kV lines, nearly 4,100km of medium voltage lines and more than 10,500km of low voltage lines, 33 110kV transformer stations and over 5,800 distribution transformer stations, ensuring stable power supply for more than 458,000 customers in the whole province. In the digital transformation journey of the Northern Power Corporation, the Company has pioneered in deploying the unmanned transformer station model, one of the important steps towards a smart grid. If in the past, a traditional 110kV transformer station required 10-15 workers to operate, now all operations are automated and remotely controlled through the Company's Remote Control Center, completely freeing up on-site staff, completely eliminating the need to manually record technical parameters.

The unmanned substation system allows for the automatic and comprehensive collection of large volumes of operational data from equipment in the substation. Through this data, it will provide complete, accurate and timely information to management levels, supporting operators to make more effective operational decisions. When an incident occurs, the automatic warning system helps to quickly detect the location and cause, allowing engineers to localize and restore power supply in just a few minutes. In bad weather conditions such as rain, wind, storms and floods, the use of automation systems to cut off power lines and substations, and restore power to customers is carried out faster, preventing the risk of incidents that cause unsafety to people and equipment. From the implementation practice, Quang Ninh Power Company determined that the unmanned transformer station model is not only a technical solution but also the core of the smart grid in the future, towards "digital transformer stations", where all information is connected, processed and decisions are made automatically based on Big Data. This is an important stepping stone for the Company to go further on the path of comprehensive modernization of the power system, in accordance with Resolution No. 57-NQ/TW dated April 21, 2024 of the Politburo on breakthroughs in science and technology development, innovation and national digital transformation.

In addition to the unmanned substation model, the Company also actively promotes data standardization for specialized grid management software such as: Grid management software on administrative maps (GIS) and power source and grid management software (PMIS). These software provide powerful tools to monitor and manage grid operating status, store operating history, analyze incidents and support effective decision making.

From the above applications, the Company's grid operation efficiency has increased significantly, labor and maintenance costs have been significantly reduced, and the reliability of power supply has been comprehensively improved. The power loss rate in 2024 will be only 2.58% (down 1.05% compared to 2020), while commercial electricity output will reach 6,551 million kWh (up 38% compared to 2020), and electricity sales revenue will reach VND 13,105 billion (up 55% compared to 2020).

The signing of electricity purchase contracts between customers and the Company is quickly implemented through the "EVNNPC CSKH" app of the Electricity industry.

Not only in technical operations, the Company has also strongly transformed in the business and customer service sectors towards "comprehensive digitalization". For many years now, all stages from registering for electricity supply, payment, to looking up bills, reporting incidents have been carried out quickly, transparently and safely through the following platforms: National Public Service Portal; website npc.com.vn, cskh.npc.com.vn; EVNNPC CSKH application; Zalo OA and Call Center 19006769. In the first 9 months of 2025 alone, the Company has received nearly 12,000 electricity service requests through the online environment, processing 100% on time as committed. At the same time, over 51,000 customers have installed and used the EVNNPC CSKH App or interacted via Zalo, helping to look up bills, make online payments, and register for electricity supply with just one "touch". The total number of online transaction requests reached nearly 32,000.

Along with infrastructure modernization, the unit pays special attention to training and improving the qualifications of technical staff, through organizing many training courses on the use of leakage current measuring devices, fiber optic cable measuring devices, and unmanned aerial vehicles (flycam) for the team of engineers and operating workers. These modern devices help to check power lines and transformer stations remotely, promptly detect damage, shorten maintenance time and improve safety at work.

Workers of the Dong Trieu Regional Power Management Team apply porcelain cleaning technology on medium voltage hotline lines.

Promoting the achieved results, in the period of 2025-2030, Quang Ninh Electricity Company aims to strongly apply artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT) and cloud computing in all activities to optimize the digital ecosystem. The Company will continue to promote data exploitation, improve telecommunications infrastructure, upgrade internal control and management systems in a more automated and intelligent direction. Thereby continuing to affirm its pioneering role in modernizing energy infrastructure, ensuring stable, safe and efficient electricity supply for the province's sustainable development in the digital age.

Hoang Nga

Source: https://baoquangninh.vn/quan-ly-van-hanh-luoi-dien-tren-nen-tang-so-3381012.html