Mongolia has first smart grid management system installed–from the UK

The travel restrictions imposed on Mongolia during the Covid-19 pandemic led the developers behind the nation’s first ‘active network management’ (ANM) system to install it entirely remotely, from the U.K.

The system installed by Spanish business ZIV Automation–to free up enough grid capacity to connect a 30 MW solar plant–was developed, tested and commissioned by the U.K. unit of the company. The solar generation capacity added as a result, accounts for a third of the 90 MW of connected photovoltaic capacity hosted by the Central Energy System, the most expansive of Mongolia’s five electricity network sections.

ZIV–which is owned by Saudi electricals parent Alfanar–was commissioned to enable connection of the Desert Solar Power One solar farm. The network management system has now been handed over to state authorities the National Power Transmission Grid and National Dispatching Centre.

The solar project–built by engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) services business Monhorus LLC in Sainshand, Dornogobi province–was enabled to connect to the network ahead of a planned €65 million expansion of the Central Energy System grid with 220km of new transmission lines. The smart grid ANM system developed by ZIV Automation manages the network in such a way the 30 MW solar farm can generate at full output other than when the grid nears capacity during demand peaks, when solar production can be curtailed.

EPC company Monhorus is a joint venture established by local diesel-generator installer Monhorus International and Polish peer Horus Energia.

ZIV Automation says Mongolia’s Central Energy System has peak demand of 1.2 GW and 155 MW of wind farm capacity in addition to its solar assets.

English company UB Grid Consultancy Ltd acted as consultant on the ZIV Automation project.

This copy was amended on 11/03/21 to add the facts the ANM system is now owned by state authorities, the planned transmission lines will cost an estimated €65 million, and the 30 MW capacity of the Desert Solar Power One project is among the 90 MW of solar capacity connected to the Central Energy System.