Marble Bar Power Station Control System Upgrade

The Marble Bar power station control system upgrade addressed ageing equipment at Horizon Power’s site. The existing ABB-based flywheel energy storage system had reached the end of its life. Its programmable logic controller (PLC) no longer had support, and new replacement parts were unavailable.

Marble Bar upgrade scope

The project covered two linked areas of work:

• Upgrading the generator control system and replacing the energy storage system.
• Upgrading the existing remote terminal unit (RTU), IT network infrastructure and SCADA.

Controls and supporting infrastructure

The scope addressed both plant controls and the systems that support monitoring and communications. Together, these work areas covered the generator controls, storage equipment and supervisory network.

This case study outlines the upgrade requirements for an existing regional power station. The equipment’s end-of-life status drove the need for replacement and control system changes.

Explore ACE’s energy storage and renewable energy controls and SCADA engineering capabilities. For a similar upgrade, discuss your existing control system with ACE.