Information Technology

In the field of information technology, IDGC of Centre, JSC implemented the following measures in 2011.

With regard to the automation of business processes in 2011 the key measures were as follows:

1. A control and network reporting system for IDGC of Centre, JSC was implemented.
2. An automated network reporting system — a system for managing the Company’s information exchange process using the platform of the corporate portal MS Sharepoint – was developed.
3. The primary document registration system (PDRS) was modernised, and, as a result, the operational efficiency of the accounting document workflow process improved.
4. The business processes modelling system ARIS was modernised, resulting in the enhancement of the system’s flexibility, a decrease in system maintenance costs, and provision for the vertical scaling of decisions.
5. The ATOM service maintenance management system was modernised so as to expand functional capabilities and improve the interface and operational speed; the process of accounting and elimination of technological breakdowns was automated.

In the field of IT infrastructure development in 2011 the Company carried out the integrated implementation of a Cisco IP telephony system known as Cisco CallManager. This solution with its centralised component of an IP telephony system is scalable and allows effective management of the phone-numbering plan and routing of telephone connections. It also supports statistics gathering, conference-call organising, the recording of conversations, and integration with a large number of user applications.

In December 2011, the Company concluded a service agreement with ZAO I-Teco for the provision of computational capabilities supporting an enterprise resource management information system based on IDGC of Centre, JSC’s SAP ERP system. The system was transferred to a new data processing center (6,000 business applications users, 41 systems covering all basic business processes of the Company). As a result of concluding this agreement, the system became more robustly fail-safe.

With regard to telecommunications and process management automation, IDGC of Centre, JSC continued in 2011 to realise its long-term development programme for electric power metering systems. Through the development of automated systems of technological management for the teleautomation of substationsSubstation, electric installation designed to convert and distribute electric power and technological fitting-out at dispatching stations of Grid Control Centres (GCC) and distribution zones, the Company focused its activities on the execution of programmes for increased observability and manageability of the power distribution networks (via an information acquisition and transmission system, reliability enhancement, and a switch to a two-level control model), and on the execution of a programme for long-term innovation development.

Company-wide at IDGC of Centre, JSC in 2011:

• 66 110 kV substations, 16 35 kV substations and 5 10(6) kV distribution substations were equipped with remote control;
• An Automated Process Control System was installed at 1 substation;
• 3 GCCGrid Control Centre dispatching stations ones were retrofitted (in 2012 there are plans to complete the modernisation of four more dispatching stations);
• 3 dispatching stations of distribution zones were retrofitted; 37,074 units of metering devices (such as Neuron, KNUM, SEB, PSCh) and 278 information acquisition and transmission devices (such as Neuron, USD, DC-1000SL) were installed.

Modernisation of automated dispatch control systems at IDGC of Centre, JSC facilities in 2011:

In 2011 six branches of the Company completed the construction of 18 sections of fiber-optic communication line (FOCL) with a total length of 254.5 km. Seven of these FOCL sections were built using the Company’s own funds, and the remaining eleven were funded by joint investments.

The Company continued to equip substations with satellite communications. These satellite channels are mainly used to provide 35 and 110 kV substations with communication channels. By the end of 2011 126 facilities were equipped with satellite communication channels.

A set of technical arrangements was performed for the redirection of customer calls from the branches’ telephone numbers to the centralised call centre of IDGC of Centre, JSC . Overall for 2011 30 distribution zones were transferred.. A software and hardware complex, the Mototelecom IP call center, came into operation.

IDGC of Centre, JSC’s plans for the upcoming year 2012 in this field are:

• under the programme for the long-term development of electric metering systems, financing is foreseen for an automated system for commercial electricity metering in the amount of about RUB 878 mn (net of VAT);
• the modernisation of four GCC dispatcher station and four distribution-zone dispatcher stations, and the installation of remote control at 71 110 kV substations;
• the implementation of purpose-oriented programmes, and the creation of communication channels at up to 108 facilities, totalling more than 220 communication channels;
• the construction of about 580 km of FOCL financed by the Company’s own funds;
• to equip more than 60 facilities with satellite communication. In line with the development of the fibre-optic communication line-based communication network develops, the pace at which facilities are equipped with satellite communication will decrease further;
• to continue the redirection of customer calls from telephone numbers in the Company’s branches to the centralised call centre of IDGC of Centre, JSC in other 175 distribution zones.

With regard to the support of IT services in 2011, a service monitoring system was implemented and regulations for the interaction of IDGC of Centre, JSC with System Operator (SO) UES JSC were developed. In order to ensure continuous round-the-clock monitoring of the condition of equipment, special measures were implemented in 2011 focussing on expanding and updating the facilities under observation. Thus, in the period, the number of substations under supervision increased by 21%, from 2010, and amounted to 719. The total number of facilities placed under round-the-clock observation in 2011 reached 3,045.

For automation of process of organisation of accident recovery works

To automate the organisation process for accident recovery works, measures were implemented for a transfer to the automated service support management system “ATOM”, which simplifies the work of the shift engineer with regard to the registration of equipment failures, which reduced the level of human error in giving reasons for failures, and provided an opportunity for analysis both of the effectiveness of the work of duty staff at the Services Monitoring Department (SMD) and of the reliability of the equipment being observed.

For the purposes of reducing the time taken for restoring the operation of communication channels and automated dispatch control system equipment, SMD specialists carried out work on extending the list of power industry facilities for which there is remote-control restarting equipment available to the SMD shift engineer. As part of the specified works the capacity for remotely restarting control stations was implemented in 353 substations, which allowed SMD duty personnel to independently carry out part of the accident recovery work needed without bringing in maintenance staff and to reduce equipment downtime.

From August 15, 2011 the SMD began to interact with branches of SO UES JSC of the operational zone of the Operational Dispatching Office (ODO) of Centre in operating the supervisory control system.

The SMD took on monitoring the condition of telemetry flows from substations under the administration and supervision of branches of SO UES JSC of the operational zone of the ODO of Centre, while at the same time having ensured control of the IDGC of Centre, JSC facilities under SMD observation by the system operator.

Six joint telephone conferences were held between IT units of IDGC of Centre, JSC and the SO UES JSC branch ODO of Centre. These discussed the elimination of breakdowns and accidents that had affected the whole of service area of IDGC of Centre, JSC and had an impact on the Operational Dispatching Office of Centre with regard to the supervisory control system.

Changes were made to the joint regulations for interaction between the Services Monitoring Department (SMD) of IDGC of Centre, JSC, the branches of SO UES JSC and the branches of IDGC of Centre, JSC as to the operation of the supervisory control system, and a procedure and responsibility for organising accident recovery works through the supervisory control system were defined.

In 2011, IT audits were conducted in a number of branches of IDGC of Centre, JSC. Their aim was to assess the conformity of the information resources and technologies management process in the Company with the requirements of the ISO 9001 international standard, internal requirements and other planning measures, as well as to identify possibilities for improvement. In 2012, it is planned to conduct IT audits in the remaining branches of the Company and repeated auding of the previously inspected branches.

In the reporting year IDGC of Centre, JSC established a unified corporate system of reference data for the centralised management of its reference data, which consists of an automated information system providing storage, processing, standardisation and provision of reference information Company-wide.

In the reporting year a decision was also adopted to establish a system of centralised management of reference data (SCMRD). The first part of the project of this reference data management system project is expected to be the automation of processes for keeping reference data on inventory and contracting parties. The development and implementation of the second part of the project will result in improvements to the process of managing technical servicing and repairs for coordinated activity on optimising expenses for the repair of equipment at the required level of reliability, while keeping outlays on repairs and replacement of equipment at reasonable levels.