Low cost operations centre for eight small hydro plants in Canada

As part of a recent upgrade scheme, the operation of eight geographically distributed hydro plants has been consolidated in a Remote Operations Centre located in Oshawa, Ontario, Canada. From this location, it is possible to monitor and control a total of 48 Francis, Kaplan, and Propeller type units, and three high-voltage substations. This project has resulted in significant cost savings for the customer, and has eliminated the need for local operations staff. The initial investment has been recovered in less than five years, and the addition of a joint control algorithm is now being explored for further enhanced control.