Valmet's turbine automation successfully commissioned at Tenom Pangi hydroelectric power plant in Malaysia

Valmet Corporation's trade press release on October 26, 2015 at 10:00 a.m. EET

Valmet's turbine automation has been successfully commissioned at the Tenom Pangi hydroelectric power plant owned by Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB) in Tenom, Sabah, Malaysia. The goal of the project was to replace the outdated automation system in Unit 1 with modern technology to increase both turbine reliability and availability. Valmet is currently retrofitting turbine automation in Units 2 and 3, too. They will be commissioned later this year.

Located on the Padas River, Tenom Pangi is a run-of-river hydroelectric power plant and the biggest hydroelectric dam in Sabah. It has three 22 MW turbines with a total installed capacity of 66 MW and an average annual energy output of 400 GWh. The automation retrofits are part of a major plant modernization project that will increase the plant capacity to 25 MW per unit.

Better visibility into the process

Valmet's delivery scope for Unit 1 included Valmet DNA turbine automation with redundant Valmet MR controllers, a local user interface and a centralized control room, as well as engineering and commissioning support.

"Valmet has vast experience in hydropower plant turbine governor control systems and a proven track record from similar installations around the world. The installed system in Unit 1 runs reliably and is easy to use. It has helped us to improve our machine operation efficiency by automating the load and frequency control. The turbine governor control system modernization provides our operators with better visibility into the process and machine operating data in the forms of process graphical displays, trending displays, alarm/event display and an alarm buzzer. The system diagnostics information is shown on the graphical displays for easy troubleshooting," says Cik Wan Zaizarenah Zaman, acting Station Manager, Tenom Pangi Power Station, SESB.

Image: Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB) is upgrading turbine automation at its Tenom Pangi hydroelectric power plant in Tenom, Sabah, Malaysia, with Valmet's modern technology to increase both turbine reliability and availability.

Added value from a local partner

All three automation retrofits are being carried out in cooperation with Valmet's local VAR partner Pestech Technology Sdn. Bhd., who is in charge of field cabling, mechanical hydraulic system modification and installation supervision.

"This is the first project in which we retrofitted a hydro turbine governor control system using a Valmet system. The delivery time was short, and we managed to complete the project within a record time of four months," says Yang Kuang Meng, Operations Manager, Pestech Technology Sdn. Bhd.

"We highly value the cooperation of our local well-trained, value-added partner in project execution and after-sales support," states Tom Bäckman, Product Manager, Power Automation Solutions, Valmet.

Information about the customer Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB)

Sabah Electricity Sdn. Bhd. (SESB) is an 80% owned subsidiary of Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) and 20% by the State Government of Sabah. It is a vertically integrated utility providing reliable generation, transmission and distribution services in the state of Sabah and the Federal Territory Labuan. SESB generates, transmits and distributes electricity.

VALMET
Corporate Communications

For further information, please contact:
Tom Bäckman, Product Manager, Power Automation Solutions, Finland, Valmet, Tel. +358 50 317 4355

Yang Kuang Meng, Operations Manager, Pestech Technology Sdn. Bhd, Tel. +60 12 681 9606

Valmet is the leading global developer and supplier of technologies, automation and services for the pulp, paper and energy industries. Valmet's vision is to become the global champion in serving its customers.

Valmet's services cover everything from maintenance outsourcing to mill and plant improvements and spare parts. The strong technology offering includes pulp mills, tissue, board and paper production lines, as well as power plants for bio-energy production. Valmet's advanced automation solutions range from single measurements to mill wide turnkey automation projects.

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