Snowy Hydro Provides Peak Demand Power Using $12 Million Control Systems Solution from Rockwell Automation

MILWAUKEE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As part of a $12 million order from an electric power company, Rockwell Automation has supplied 15 of 33 new control systems planned for Snowy Hydro Limited, owner and operator of the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme in Australia. The new control systems, to be located at seven different sites in the Snowy Mountains on the east coast of Australia, help Snowy Hydro improve revenues and control costs.

“Establishing greater connectivity between different systems provides us with the controls and plant reliability that are essential to customer satisfaction and our continued success. Using its integrated architecture driven by ControlLogix, Rockwell Automation’s solution provides unrivaled connectivity via a wide range of communications protocols.”

“The enhanced monitoring and control is a key factor in delivering efficiencies and high service availability in the highly competitive national electricity market in which we operate,” said Darryl Eager, Snowy Hydro manager of controls technology. “Establishing greater connectivity between different systems provides us with the controls and plant reliability that are essential to customer satisfaction and our continued success. Using its integrated architecture driven by ControlLogix, Rockwell Automation’s solution provides unrivaled connectivity via a wide range of communications protocols.”

“We developed a value engineering process based on Snowy’s project objectives, and designed an innovative team and solution to meet the project’s requirements,” said Terry Gebert, vice president and general manager, Rockwell Automation systems and solutions business. “As the emphasis moved to cost-reduction and efficiencies, our team adapted to help Snowy meet its revised objectives.”

Gebert said the first five of the 15 systems have been successfully installed and returned to service, and system manufacturing is well ahead of the site installations.

“Rockwell Automation went to great lengths to establish and maintain a close working relationship with Snowy, using an integrated project management approach,” said Eager. “The system design tools were carefully selected to provide ongoing efficiency improvements over the duration of the project.”

The controls upgrade work is expected to be completed in 2012. The Scheme consists of a network of seven power stations, 31 generating units, a pumping station, two pump units, 16 dams and 130 miles of tunnels and aqueducts in New South Wales, Australia.

About Systems and Solutions

The 2,500 engineering professionals in Rockwell Automation’s Systems and Solutions business design, build and upgrade control, safety and information solutions for manufacturing clients. Working in tandem with a scalable partner network, it can address $100K projects or quickly increase to tackle challenging, multi-million dollar enterprise projects in the 80 countries where Rockwell Automation operates. Clients include oil and gas, petrochemicals, consumer industries, life sciences, automotive, tire and other heavy industries such as cement, metals, mining, pulp and paper, and power utilities.

About Rockwell Automation

Rockwell Automation, Inc. (NYSE: ROK), the world’s largest company dedicated to industrial automation and information, makes its customers more productive and the world more sustainable. Rockwell Automation employs about 20,000 people serving customers in more than 80 countries.

About Snowy-Hydro

Snowy Hydro owns, manages and maintains the Snowy Mountains Hydroelectric Scheme, comprised of seven power stations and sixteen large dams in New South Wales. Snowy Hydro’s operations consist of the generation and marketing of flexible and renewable electrical energy, ancillary services and related electricity products.