GE Power has signed its first contract with Botswana Power Corporation (BPC) to develop a SCADA/energy management system at the principal grid control centres in BPC headquarters in Gaborone and the backup control centre in Francistown
Dr Stefan Schwarzfischer, CEO of BPC, said, “The functionalities of this platform will improve customer services by leveraging our existing customer call system, reduce downtime, improve revenue collection as well as overall customer satisfaction. Once the project is completed, BPC will benefit from a single platform for both Gaborone and Francistown.”
With about 70 per cent of the country’s population having access to electricity, Botswana is currently focused on the digital transformation of its grid network to enhance reliable access for its people.
“GE technology will bring reliable, efficient and sustainable electricity, using cutting-edge digital solutions while powering the country forward,” said Lazarus Angbazo, CEO at GE Grid Solutions for Sub-Saharan Africa.
This project is set to further expand GE’s leadership on the energy management systems market in southern Africa where more than 50 per cent of the transmission utilities are relying on GE’s advanced energy management system (EMS) solution platform to operate their networks.
With the extended IT/OT integration, more interconnected networks and further regional integration, there is a need for the renewal of many existing Energy Management Systems to achieve better monitoring and asset management across the various power pools in Africa.
Steven Martin, chief digital officer at GE Power, added, “GE Power’s Digital Energy software portfolio -- including advanced EMS – enables us to support new customers like BPC in parts of the world where portions of the population still need access to electricity. We are inspired by the digital strategies that BPC has created to ensure its communities grow and thrive in a time of intensive change and opportunity within the energy sector.”
GE Power’s grid solutions business aims to provide complete, engineered solutions for high voltage (HV) substations to power generation companies, utilities and industries, bringing together the right mix of high-voltage products through expert engineering and full project management.
