Supporting PEA in delivering reliable power to Thailand by maximizing their existing assets
Customer Story | 4 min read
The Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) is a Thai state enterprise that is responsible for the transmission and distribution of electricity in Thailand. The PEA needs to consistently rise to the challenges involved in delivering reliable electrical power across such a large territory. To stay true to its mission and stay ahead of the game, the PEA needs services and new solutions to maintain its installed base of transformers and refurbish or repair wherever necessary.
Challenges
Delivering reliable power while managing aging infrastructure
The PEA's main operations are to provide and distribute electricity to users in 74 provinces of Thailand, approximately 99% of Thailand’s area. As of December 31, 2024, the PEA had an installed base of over 250 transformer units of various ages and, therefore, at different stages of their lives.
Power transformers are essential components of the electrical grid, and their aging presents operational risks, including unplanned outages and reduced efficiency. Simultaneously, global demand for transformers has surged due to renewable energy integration and expanding electrification, thereby straining manufacturing capacities and raw material supplies.
Therefore, aging transformers, rising energy demand, and the need to deliver without unplanned outages are some of the challenges PEA encounters all year round.
Meeting these challenges means that new solutions are required to service and maintain the installed base of transformers, along with refurbishment or repair where considered necessary. This is especially true because replacing aged transformers with new ones is not always the optimal solution.
Project data
Customer: Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA)
Location: Thailand
Application: Transformer Service
Solutions: Transformers Upgrade, Repair, and Extend
- Transformers Condition Assessment: 14 critical transformer units
- Power Transformer life extension: Major refurbishments that includes bushing replacement, rubber bag replacement, re-gasketing, leakage fixing and oil services
Solution
Hitachi Energy's tailored approach to transformer assessment
Regular service and extending the life of transformers allow operators to keep existing infrastructure functional without the environmental and financial burden of new manufacturing. Additionally, they can meet modern operational demands, preserve the carbon embedded in existing assets, and move towards circularity.
Accurate assessments of each transformer’s condition are critical to determining whether life extension is feasible and cost-effective. From this rationale and perspective, the PEA has targeted the transformers in its fleet that are aged over 25 years and partnered with Hitachi Energy for their condition assessment and refurbishment to determine the “health status” of the critical transformers. A quick scan of a large population zeroed in on 14 such critical units.
The condition assessment methodology is built upon the Mature Transformer Management Program (MTMP), incorporating algorithms that leverage OEM expertise and decades of experience. Hitachi Energy’s service team will conduct advanced diagnostic tests on the transformers that showed a critical condition as part of the TXLife Condition Assessment protocol. The purpose of this deeper analysis is to assess each of the principal properties of the transformers (general, mechanical, thermal, electrical, and accessories). Proceeding in a structured manner over the critical units, Hitachi Energy will be able to assess the operational condition of the transformers, provide a probability of failure, and help the customer defining recommendations to mitigate risks and improve the reliability of each transformer.
Different strategies might be proposed for renewing the transformer fleet. Major refurbishment would include bushing replacement, rubber bag replacement, re-gasketing, leakages fixing, oil services, and supporting transformer life extension.
Benefits
Ensuring high reliability, lowering costs and carbon footprint
The first units have already been successfully assessed and refurbished. It is estimated that the operational life of the assessed and refurbished transformers can be extended by about 20-25 years.
Effective project management, alongside technical expertise, is key to successfully managing the PEA fleet, ensuring smooth execution and timely completion of refurbishment plans.
A full TXLife Condition Assessment service will be conducted on the remaining 14 critical transformers, progressing at a rate of 4 units per year and targeted for completion in 2027. This will be a significant milestone in optimizing the transformer fleet, given that PEA operates its transformers at an average of 60% of their capacity load.
Under the “sustainable transformer services” umbrella, the servicing will create huge environmental and economic benefits for the PEA. The cost of a refurbishment project is significantly lower than a new transformer, typically less than 50%, along with the associated reduction of downtime costs and losses. Simultaneously, the reuse of several components like transformer oil, tank, and core steel promotes circularity, supporting PEA sustainability goals and reduction of carbon footprint.
Hitachi Energy is proud to be a trusted partner of choice throughout the transformer life cycle. Cocreation between Hitachi Energy and PEA showcases that TXLife Condition Assessment methodologies and transformer life extension are not only proven technical solutions but also forward-looking strategies aligned with the goals of reliability, sustainability, and resource efficiency.
Transformers Condition Assessment by Hitachi Energy supports us in accurately identifying the health and readiness of the transformers and also helps us prioritize the refurbishment plans according to our needs.
