Transelectrica Becomes the Core of Professional Performance in the Field of Electricity

Transelectrica has inaugurated in Sibiu the Research and Development Centre for Live-Line Working and Rapid Intervention Technologies in the National Energy System, the last component of a large investment initiated in 2017 and carried out in two stages. Thus, the second phase completes the development of the ‘Stelian Alexandru Gal’ Centre of Excellence in Sibiu, which includes both the Live-Line Working Polygon, completed in 2021, and the new infrastructure dedicated to research, testing and training. It is the only facility of its kind in Romania and is becoming a training space for specialists from the entire National Energy System.

Work on this stage began in 2020, cost RON 6.3 million, and was carried out by the Total NSA AG Construct and Pro Hart Group consortium.

The investment aims to become in a short time a reference in the field to increase the professional performance and skills of energy specialists. Thus, the new facility provides the necessary conditions for practical training in a controlled, voltage-free environment, where real operating situations can be simulated. The infrastructure has been designed for the regular training of Transelectrica’s technical staff and for the training of other specialists from the country or from abroad. The design and use of these facilities aim to improve operational safety, extend the life of equipment, and reduce downtime, which are essential objectives for the national power transmission grid and are integrated into the Company’s asset modernization and development strategy. At the same time, one of the main objectives of the Centre is, besides professional training, also specialized consultancy in the field of Live-Line Working (LLW).

The centre supports Transelectrica’s current activities in professional training, promotion and implementation of new technologies in the network, development of technical standards, reports, and working methodologies. As part of this professional development facility, operators from the Power Transmission Grid and their trainers receive regular training to keep them up to date with the new technologies introduced in National Energy System facilities.

The material base of the ‘Stelian Alexandru Gal’ Centre of Excellence in Sibiu brings together training grounds for overhead power lines of different voltage levels, station and transformer grounds, as well as a training building equipped with workshops and laboratories for multispectral inspections and pilot project testing. This infrastructure allows the replication of real operating situations and the development of the necessary skills for safe and efficient interventions.

Ensuring the maintenance of the Power Transmission Grid and adopting the most efficient techniques for achieving it represent a strategic concern of Transelectrica. The current requirements on the quality and continuity of electricity supply, the economic implications and the European obligations impose the use of new technologies with increased efficiency for the transmission and distribution activities in the energy field. Thus, the Company is focusing on strengthening its Live-Line Working (LLW) capabilities, utilizing the facilities of the LLW Centre of Excellence and lines at Sibiu, and the National Energy System rapid intervention teams.

The first phase of the project, finalized in 2021, concerned the LLW Polygon, a RON 5.7 million investment of own funds, which provides facilities for practicing work in substations and on overhead lines. By pursuing and completing this approach, the Sibiu centre consolidates its role as a centre of competence in the field of LLW. The vision of the centre is to strengthen its role as a reference point in the field of LLW, able to provide training tailored to the needs of operators, at high quality standards. Under the coordination of Transelectrica’s Department of Excellence in Energy, the Centre’s team of specialists has carried out training and improvement programs, demonstrated new technologies, provided consultancy, participated in maintenance projects, coordinated the introduction of LLW technologies in the Power Transmission Grid, updated internal regulations and contributed to technical solutions for repairing faults, applying LLW methods.

By completing the Research and Development Centre for Live-Line Working and Rapid Intervention Technologies in the National Energy System, Transelectrica strengthens the professional training structure in the National Energy System and supports the development of essential skills for the safe operation of the national energy infrastructure.