BHUTAN AUTOMATION organized and hosted its first-ever Customer Event on 23 June 2022 at its facility in Chukha. The event was attended by delegates from its various existing and prospective clients in Bhutan. Based on the theme “exceeding Customers’ expectations is our business”, the event provided an opportunity to the host to interact with the clients and understand more about their problems and expectations with respect to automation systems and digital transformation in general. The participants were able to share their experiences and views openly during the group discussion session. As part of BHUTAN AUTOMATION’s continual efforts to keep its clients informed about the latest developments in its products and services, the participants were introduced to a comprehensive portfolio of the latest automation solutions carried by BHUTAN AUTOMATION. That was followed by product demonstrations, where the attendees could see and fiddle some of the latest automation products and learn about how they worked.

The work order for retrofitting and automation of Changchey Mini Hydropower Plant in Tsirang Dzongkhag was received from BPC in June 2021. The scope of the work included replacement of the complete existing control panels and instrumentation systems of 2 (two) Nos. of 100 kW crossflow turbine units to make them fit for unmanned operation. Despite some delays in procurement of materials due to the COVID-19 pandemic and disruption in the global supply chain, especially the shortage of semiconductor chips, the project was successfully completed and handed over to BPC on 27 May 2022.

The state-of-the-art Substation Automation System (SAS) at the 220 kV Switchyard of Basochhu Hydropower Plant was successfully commissioned and handed over to the client on 16 November 2021. The scope of the Contract, which was awarded on 07 August 2019, included the replacement of the Control & Protection Panels and the SCADA System of the Switchyard and the numerical protection relays at the Upper-stage and Lower-stage powerhouses. The successful completion of this project places BHUTAN AUTOMATION amongst the few Companies in the region that have successfully implemented SAS on IEC 61850 PRP protocol.

BHUTAN AUTOMATION celebrated its 4th Foundation Day on 08 November 2021, which happens to be the day the Company was incorporated in 2017. During the event, there were sessions for the employees to allow them to reflect on how far they had come in the past four years and at the same time take stock of what lied ahead for them in the coming years. The half-day event ended with cake-cutting and fun activities with the family members of the employees.

Bjimthangkha, Wangdue Phodrang: Signing of the Contract Agreement for the Computerized Control System and Protection System of Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project Authority. The contract agreement for design, engineering, manufacture, supply, erection, testing, and commissioning of the complete Computerized Control System and Protection System of 1200 MW Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA-I) was signed between Bhutan Automation & Engineering Limited (BHUTAN AUTOMATION), a subsidiary company of Druk Green Power Corporation, and PHPA-I on 30 May 2021. The contract was awarded to BHUTAN AUTOMATION by PHPA-I at value of around Nu. 398 million. After the completion of the project, the control of the entire power plant comprised of various functional areas such as the Powerhouse, Dam, Butterfly valves, etc. can be controlled remotely from within the comforts of a modern control room. With a modern manufacturing facility in Chukha, BHUTAN AUTOMATION is also executing the contract package for the Computerized Control System and Protection System of Punatsangchhu-II Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA-II), which was awarded to BHUTAN AUTOMATION by PHPA-II in December 2018. Further, BHUTAN AUTOMATION successfully completed the implementation of state-of-the-art SCADA and Control systems at 60 MW Kurichu Hydropower Plant in 2020.

The last Unit of (4 x 15 MW) Kurichhu Hydropower Plant (KHP) was successfully commissioned on 30 December 2020 after replacement of the old and obsolete control and automation systems of the plant. The design, engineering, manufacturing, installation, and commissioning of the up-gradation works were carried out in-house by BHUTAN AUTOMATION. The Contract for replacement of the existing SCADA System including Unit, Dam, Common Auxiliary, & Switchyard Controls, and Governor & Excitation Systems of KHP was awarded to BHUTAN AUTOMATION by DGPC on 12 September 2018. The newly implemented systems were handed over to KHP on January 2021.

The obsolete numerical protection relays at the Upper (2 x 12 MW) and Lower (2 x 20 MW) stages of Basochhu Hydropower Plant (BHP) were successfully retrofitted with the latest HIPASE-P IEDs in December 2020. The HIPASE-P device has a full graphic color touch display for local unit operation. The touch display provides a means for simple parameterization and elementary process visualization. In addition, the protection relays for a 66 kV line and 11 kV busbar were also successfully replaced using MICOM devices.

The SCADA system at the 66 kV Olakha Substation under BPC was successfully commissioned on 15 December 2020. The SCADA system implemented at the substation is based on the state-of-the-art 250 SCALA. The work consisted of integration of the existing IEDs and energy meters from various manufacturers with the new SCADA system on the industry standard communication protocol for substations IEC 61850.

Certification in ISO 9001:2015, ISO 14001:2015 & ISO 45001:2018 in the following scope was obtained by BHUTAN AUTOMATION on 16 October 2020. Marketing, Sales, Design, Engineering, Procurement, Manufacturing, Installation, Commissioning, Project Management, and Service of Systems and Products for Control, Automation, and other Secondary Equipment. The certification was awarded after successful completion of two stages of ISO audits. The certification is expected to enable the company to operate with high levels of efficiency and productivity in serving its clients.

The management team of Punatsangchhu-I Hydroelectric Project Authority (PHPA-I) led by its Managing Director Mr. N.C Bansal visited the manufacturing facility of BHUTAN AUTOMATION on 07 August 2020. During the visit, the management team of PHPA-I was introduced to the latest control and automation products and services provided by BHUTAN AUTOMATION and the various automation projects currently being implemented by the competent team of BHUTAN AUTOMATION. Discussions on how to expedite the execution of the Computerized Control System (CCS) and Protection System Package of PHPA-I to enable back-charging of the transmission lines of PHPA-I, before the commissioning of the units, also took place.

The Transmission Department of Bhutan Power Corporation (BPC) awarded the contract for supply, installation, testing, and commissioning of SCADA systems at 132 kV Tintibi, Gelephu, Yurmoo, and 66 kV Olakha substations to BHUTAN AUTOMATION on 03 June 2020. This is the first project beyond the hydropower sector, and it was secured through a competitive bidding with some other OEMs in the region.

BHUTAN AUTOMATION successfully replaced and commissioned the Main-I protection system of the 420 kV Gas Insulated Switchgear (GIS) at Tala Hydropower Plant on 07 April 2020. The busbar protection system provided for the 12 bays of the 420 kV GIS was based on SIPROTEC 7SS52 Numerical Series.