E.ON gas storage plant adds ABB telecoms

London – ABB has won a contract to supply the integrated telecommunications systems including CCTV, security, access control and communications, for a gas storage facility being built for E.ON at Holford, UK. The deal follows a recent order with the same vendor for the integrated control and safety system at the facility.

The Cheshire facility will store gas in eight salt caverns deep underground.  The processing plant consists of several gas compressors which optimise the pressure of gas stored and withdrawn from the caverns into the National Grid Transmission System.

Designed to hold over 160 million cubic metres of gas, the plant will be controlled by ABB Extended Automation System 800xA and integrated with the telecoms systems providing a single point of access and control for operational personnel.

It includes multiple workstations and two 52-inch wall mounted monitors allowing operators to visualise the entire process. Incorporating CCTV images along with other plant process and asset management information increasing uptime, site security and reducing operational costs.

The integrated system is being supplied to Costain Energy & Process who are responsible for Engineering, Procurement and Construction Management of the facility.  ABB are a ‘preferred’ supplier as part of Costain’s top level supply chain initiative designed to preselect quality suppliers that can add benefit to Costain business.

According to an ABB presss statement, the telecoms scope of the project includes:

CCTV                      Perimeter surveillance and plant asset monitoring, including video recording

Site security              Access control and intrusion detection for site including perimeter fence, gates,   turnstiles and buildings

Communications      Fixed telephones and a site wide mobile radio system

Remote Operation   From a remote location both production and site security visibility is provided

Public Address        Zoned systems for alarms and broadcast messages

Fibre Optics            A dedicated fibre optic network for security voice and data communications

The System 800xA will also interface to fire and gas monitors around the plant and third party packages such as the compressor unit controls. 

“The combined solution will provide E.ON with an integrated process control, safety and security system that through the use of the System 800xA ‘Aspect object’ technology allows operators to call up process and telecoms aspects from relevant graphics,” said ABB.