Transelectrica launches digitalization pilot project worth 476 millions euros for Alba Iulia substation

 Transelectrica launched on Wednesday a pilot project to retool the Alba Iulia 220/110/20 kV substation into a digital substation. The investment amounts to 476.07 million lei (excluding VAT) and benefits from non-repayable funding of 228.47 million lei from the Modernisation Fund.According to a company release, the design and execution contract has a duration of 44 months, with completion scheduled for May 2030.The project is part of the DigiTEL programme for the digitalisation of the Electricity Transmission Network and is designed as a model for developing and expanding the digital substation concept across Transelectrica's network. This involves integrating energy infrastructure with digital infrastructure, communications, data, cybersecurity, and tools for monitoring and analysing asset condition.Project components include modern automation and monitoring systems, telecommunications and private cloud infrastructure, GIS (Geospatial Information System) and satellite data, Digital Twin and augmented reality technologies, an Asset Health Center and technical condition monitoring solutions, integrated cybersecurity, photovoltaic power generation and electric mobility solutions, as well as a training platform for specialists."The goal is for these components to function in an integrated manner, rather than as standalone technological solutions," Transelectrica stated.Depending on the specific components and interfaces, the project architecture will encompass 21 Transmission Grid substations, two Hidroelectrica sites, four DEER substations, and five Transelectrica offices or centers, linking energy infrastructure with communication, data, and analysis systems, as well as Transelectrica's operational structures.A distinct component is the Digital Laboratory, developed with the involvement of the National University of Science and Technology POLITEHNICA Bucharest.The project's kick-off meeting took place on Wednesday, attended by Transelectrica's management and team, the Vodafone Romania - Electromontaj consortium, and representatives of suppliers and subcontractors, following the signing of the design and execution contract."In the immediate next phase, the teams will finalize the design, the integrated implementation schedule, technical interfaces, equipment manufacturing, test planning, and the conditions required to begin the execution stages in accordance with the contractual timeline," the release reads.Through the DigiTEL Alba Iulia pilot project, Transelectrica aims not only to complete a complex investment but also to transform the implementation experience into operational capabilities: validated technologies, data specialists can trust, strengthened competencies, and reusable models.