Kentucky Utility 'Fires Up' Its First SCADA System

摘要

A major substation fire underscored in dramatic fashion the need for a SCADA system at the Frankfort Electric and Water Plant Board (FEWPB). An internal failure in a single-phase regulator caused erratic voltage fluctuations and an eventual explosion that destroyed much of the substation and disrupted power to thousands of customers. FEWPB (Frankfort, Kentucky, U.S.) personnel were still inspecting the smoldering substation when a neighbor appeared on the scene and wondered aloud if the fire had anything to do with his lights acting funny in recent weeks. Though he had intended to notify the utility, he just never got around to it. Without his call, FEWPB was unaware of the fluctuations and contact breakdowns, which ultimately cost the utility an outage, two regulators and a substantial transformer repair.