Our people love to discover new and better ways of doing things.

In some cases, these innovations can benefit both us and our client. In the case of our electricity team in New Zealand, the success of a new commissioning technology for a series of recent substation and transmission line upgrades could benefit the entire industry.  

The technology, known as RelaySimTest, is a software solution from Omicron Energy that can reduce the duration of outages during transmission or substation upgrades by as much as 40% This is achieved by simulating power system fault conditions and completing testing ahead of time, before physical upgrade work begins.  

The technology also enables a single user to conduct testing at multiple sites, across a wide geographic area by utilising cloud-based services. Our team recently used the technology on a project in Wellington, New Zealand with great success.  

 _{Power technician Nathan Yanez keeps an eye on the data during the Judgeford Tee protection project in Wellington}

Using this technology for future projects

"This testing methodology will likely become the default commissioning methodology for similar substation and transmission upgrades in future," says Ventia Electricity and Gas Technical Manager Tyrel Bishop. 

"We first used it during the Judgeford Tee protection project in Wellington and it was the first time anyone had used this testing methodology on a live transmission system in New Zealand. It has demonstrated to our clients that we are technical experts in this field and can bring a lot of this knowledge to projects." 

Tyrel and Matt Leask, Commissioning Manager for the Wellington area, oversaw that first use of RelaySimTest for the Judgeford Tee project, ensuring the new technology and overall project ran smoothly. Tyrel was in charge of researching and facilitating the deployment of technology, while Matt oversaw the use of the technology on the ground. 

_{The testing methodology trialled on this project will likely become the default commissioning methodology for similar substation and transmission upgrades in future}

"We've also just completed a 14-month project replacing 11 kV and 33 kV cables at Wellington Electricity's Frederick Street Substation, where we solely used RelaySimTest for the commissioning. We completed the last outage in October, and essentially, we could not have delivered the work in the way we did without using this new technology." 

Innovation recognised by our client

The Judgeford Tee project innovation was also recognised as a finalist in Transpower's Engineering and Excellence awards.

Tyrel says the Frederick Street and Judgeford Tee projects were well supported by our clients and ran smoothly. He says RelaySimTest technology requires expertise and substantial up-front training and investment, but the reduction in outage time provides a significant point of difference for Ventia, setting us apart from the competition. 

There are clear benefits for both Ventia and our clients, which benefit from a new technology that streamlines the testing process and provides a step change in our project delivery.

_{The team led by Tyrel Bishop and Matt Leask oversee the first use of RelaySimTest for the Judgeford Tee project}