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The control center – keeping an eye on the pulse of the city
In the morning, the alarm clock rings. We turn on the light, make ourselves a coffee, take a shower and our smartphone shows us the latest news. Electricity, water, gas and heat are our constant companions in everyday life. We use energy and water without thinking about it too much. However, we cannot take it for granted that we will have a continuous supply. The employees at our control center are therefore there for you around the clock.
The entire supply networks in Chur and the rest of the supply area are around 1,100 kilometers long – which is roughly the distance from Chur to Copenhagen. We are continuously renewing and expanding the complex supply network. Old lines are being replaced or renovated, and new networks are being built. In addition, there are facilities such as substations, water reservoirs, power plants and around 180 transformer stations. All of these facilities and the entire supply network are monitored and controlled by the control center employees. All of the information comes together here to ensure the supply.
Smooth processes thanks to modern technology
A modern and secure control system visualizes all important process information such as the water levels in the reservoirs, the pressure in the gas lines or the energy flows and the voltage quality in the power grid. It also triggers alarm messages in the event of faults and logs all process steps.
The lights go out and suddenly it is dark night. Has the fuse blown? Or is there a power outage? It is rare in our supply area, but it does happen from time to time. It is quiet at home during this time, but we are very busy in the control center. The digital control system displays fault messages, network status and measured values in real time on the screens. As soon as a message comes in, the control center has to react quickly and correctly. The cause of most network faults is construction work or storms, such as damaged overhead lines caused by fallen trees or fluctuations in the flow of water at the water sources.
Our employees are there for you 24 hours a day – day and night – 365 days a year. The well-coordinated on-call team consists of specialists from the areas of electricity, water, gas and heat. The team also accepts reports by telephone; in the event of major incidents, an automatic telephone message is set up so that our employees can concentrate fully on troubleshooting.
Daily tasks
But it is not just the unplanned incidents, but also the diverse tasks of the planned daily business that demand a lot from the employees. The team must always keep an overview when preparing, carrying out and documenting switching operations. The responsible employee knows, for example, exactly when a voltage-free work area is needed on the construction site because a gas pipeline is being laid. Before the colleagues on the construction site start their work, he disconnects this area from the network and issues a permit to use it – without this, the construction workers on site are not allowed to start their work. This disconnected area must then be connected again later. This work often takes place without interruptions to the supply, but if this does happen, the affected residents are informed at an early stage.
The employees have to intervene, for example, if a drinking water turbine switches off or if water consumption increases sharply within a very short time and the pressure drops, then they check whether there is a water pipe burst and, if necessary, organize an on-call operation.
Our highest priority is security of supply. To this end, we act actively, energetically and responsibly so that the affected customers are supplied again as quickly as possible.
Hint!
It is not always a power outage when it suddenly gets dark. If you look out the window and see the street lights on or your neighbor’s TV is on, then it could be a local problem in your home (check the fuse).
If the whole neighborhood, including the street lights, is dark, then it is probably a major power outage. If the IBC on-call service makes an automatic announcement, then we are already working on fixing the problem for you.