Alstom Grid online stability solutions chosen for North Americas largest synchrophasor Smart Grid project

Alstom Grid, the global expert in electrical grid management systems, has been selected by the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), to supply smart grid synchrophasor software applications for its Western Interconnection SynchroPhasor Program (WISP). Synchrophasor technology provides unprecedented, sub-second, real-time grid performance data to operators, thus strongly enhancing the capability for increased grid reliability and efficiency.

Mark Maher, WECC CEO stated: Having received the largest Smart Grid Investment Grant (SGIG) under the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act (ARRA), we selected Alstom Grids wide area situational awareness applications for our reliability coordination centers. When complete, the WISP project will involve 18 utility participants deploying over 340 Phasor Measurement Units (PMUs) in a footprint covering all or part of 14 western US states, 2 Canadian provinces, and a portion of the Baja Peninsula in Mexico. We look forward to the successful deployment and integration of the applications of this transformational technology within WECCs control rooms.

Alstom Grid will be supplying key components in the application area of the WISP project, including e-terravision (for wide area situational monitoring display) and PhasorPoint (by Psymetrix, global experts for phasor-based wide area monitoring system) for phasor display and historical archiving.

Jean-Michel Cornille, Senior Vice-President, Alstom Grid Power Electronics and Automation said, "We are honored to be selected for such an important project. This illustrates our combined capabilities with Psymetrix in wide area situation awareness (WASA) projects, allowing utility System Operators to efficiently visualize, monitor and control grid security and stability, including real-time, pertinent information and the impact of renewable energy.

The WISP efforts are already underway and the project is scheduled to be completed March 31, 2013.

About Alstom

Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world. It provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids.

The Group employs 92,700 people in 100 countries and had sales of 20.9 billion in 2010/11.

Alstom Grid has over 100 years of expertise in electrical grids. Whether for utilities or electro-intensive industries or facilitating the trading of energy, Alstom Grid brings power to its customers projects. Alstom Grid ranks among the top 3 in electrical transmission sector with an annual sales turnover of more than 4 billion. It has 20,000 employees and over 90 manufacturing and engineering sites worldwide.

At the heart of the development of Smart Grid, Alstom Grid offers products, services and integrated energy management solutions across the full energy value chainfrom power generation, through transmission and distribution grids and to the large end user.

Psymetrix, an Alstom company, is an industry leader in phasor-based wide-area monitoring and control solutions for the improvement of power system dynamic performance and integration of renewables. Psymetrix solutions are used by power system operators and planners worldwide for improving power system security, securely increasing power transfer levels and tracking power system performance, including dynamics, model validation, tuning of power system stabilisers and more.

Press contacts

Emmanuelle Helleux: emmanuelle.helleux@alstom.com / Tel: +33 1 49 01 70 87

Aline Besselièvre: aline.besselievre@alstom.com / Tel: + 33 1 49 01 69 04

Gayle Wooster (Alstom Grid USA): gayle.wooster@alstom.com / Tel: +1 425 250 2723

Website www.alstom.com - www.alstom.com/grid