ANDRITZ pioneers in hydropower with cutting-edge predictive maintenance tool, Metris DioMera

The company is currently the only technology provider to be supplying equipment to the world’s first fully integrated RE project, namely the Pinnapuram PSP (1680 MW) in Andhra Pradesh and the Gandhisagar PSP (1440 MW) in Madhya Pradesh.

In pursuing sustainable energy solutions, the government is increasingly focusing on developing renewable sources, with hydropower emerging as a crucial component. As the nation strives to balance intermittent renewables like solar and wind, the role of hydropower, especially with innovations from industry leaders like ANDRITZ Hydro, becomes paramount. With a spotlight on public-private collaborations and a vision for future hydropower prospects, Neelav Samrat shares insights about the present hydropower scenario with EPR Magazine.

How is the government supporting the development of the hydro-energy sector as part of its broader sustainability initiatives?

With the massive push to develop and implement renewable energy (RE) like solar and wind in the country, it becomes necessary to maintain base load reactive power in the grid. Hydropower is one of the most sustainable and reliable sources for such a requirement. The government has been pushing hydropower development to a great extent. Currently, the focus is on adding pump storage projects (PSP), and the Ministry of Power has already issued guidelines on developing PSPs.

Can you elaborate on the role of innovative technologies by ANDRITZ Hydro in enhancing the efficiency of hydro energy production?

ANDRITZ has developed numerous tools for efficient power plant operations, including tools for predictive maintenance, namely the Metris DioMera. This takes ANDRITZ one step ahead in the digitisation of hydropower projects. Remote operations through VoIP are already on the cards. ANDRITZ has also developed a cyber security tool called HYSEC Patterns & Patches for Cybersecurity and has already implemented this in an existing project in India.

Could you provide insights into public-private collaborations in the sector for widespread electrification?

Due to bureaucratic constraints, PPPs have yet to show promising results. It is a convenient process when the state governments want to offload all responsibilities to the private sector to develop specific projects while having a stake in it. Instead, privatisation has shown very promising results in the generation, transmission, and distribution sectors in the past.

Speaking about the prospects of hydropower, where do you see ANDRITZ Hydro contribution to the power sector in the coming years?

ANDRITZ Hydro is undoubtedly in a leading position today in India. It is the only company in this niche sector that provides complete “water to wire” solutions since it has expertise in hydromechanical works (penstocks and gates), electromechanical works (turbines and generators) and operation and maintenance of hydro plants.

Additionally, ANDRITZ is currently the only technology provider to be supplying equipment to the world’s first fully integrated RE project, namely the Pinnapuram PSP (1680 MW) in Andhra Pradesh and the Gandhisagar PSP (1440 MW) in Madhya Pradesh currently.

How is digitisation leveraged in hydro-energy to optimise operations and promote energy conservation?

Digitisation is the key to present-day plant operations. It also enables better preventive maintenance tools to prevent project downtime and loss of revenue to the developers. Digitisation also assists in optimal plant operations that lead to achieving and surpassing the annual generation targets. Further, digitisation also enhances cybersecurity and secure plant functioning. With sophisticated software embedded with modern hardware, it provides an optimal plant operation where even remote plant operations become easy for the plant operator. ANDRITZ provides all these technologies to its esteemed clients today.

Spokesperson: Neelav Samrat De, General Manager- Market Management, ANDRITZ Hydro

Note: The opinions and views mentioned in the article are those of the author only and do not reflect, in any way, those of the organisation.