ABB, a leader in automation technology, is partnering with Enel Green Power, an Italian renewable energy corporation, to lower maintenance costs, transform performance, reliability & energy efficiency of its hydropower plants all over Italy, report sources. For the record, with operations in 5 continents, Enel’s renewable business, Enel Green Power, is a global leader in the green energy sector, with a managed capacity of more than 43 gigawatt. Partnering since 2018, the two companies have jointly developed & tested advanced solutions & predictive maintenance via a pilot on 5 Enel plants in Spain & Italy including Presenzano, a 1,000 MW plant near Naples. Reportedly, the 3-year contract will allow 33 hydroelectric plants of Enel Green Power, comprising of 100 units, to switch from hours-based maintenance to condition-based & predictive maintenance, utilizing ABB’s Ability Asset Performance Management solution. Kevin Kosisko, MD, Energy Industries, ABB, was reported to say that the company is better positioned to partner with Enel Green Power to switch from hours-based to predictive maintenance leveraging ABB Ability technologies for big data, ML & advanced analytics. Predictive maintenance & asset performance management must be made central component of strategies of plant operators to optimize maintenance operations, minimize risk, improve resilience and reduce costs. This will result in more competitive electricity rates, in a sustainable way, Kosisko added. As per sources close to the matter, the contract between the companies includes digital software solutions & services that will provide analysis of over 190,000 signals & the deployment of about 800 digital asset models, to reduce unplanned failures, improve operational performance of plants & enable more efficient, planned maintenance practices by predictive maintenance. This integration is expected to increase plant productivity and yield savings in fleet maintenance costs. ABB’s Ability Collaborative Operations Center for water and power generation is expected to help bring wider benefits of digitalization & engagement, supporting informed decision-making, cost savings and providing real-time solutions. Source credits: https://new.abb.com/news/detail/26822/digital-leader-abb-provides-enel-green-power-with-predictive-software-for-sustainable-hydro-operations