At the end of last year, ENERGY Distribution, a member of the ENGIE Group in Slovakia, purchased the assets and technologies of the local distribution system (LDS) at the Nová Hodvábka site in Senica with the aim of developing its energy distribution activities in Slovakia. This year, it is planning its extensive modernisation, which will result in the construction of an unmanned transformer station and more efficient operation.
The local distribution system is located on the former site of Slovenský hodváb, which is gradually being transformed into Nová Hodvábka after the revitalisation in early 2012. The total area of the site, which will include, in addition to the industrial part, a residential and retail part, is approximately 110,000 m². ENERGY Distribution, as the new owner of MDS, started supplying electricity to companies located in Nová Hodvábka on 1 December 2018, and since 1 January this year, ENGIE Group has also been providing gas distribution for clients in the complex.
The total technical capacity of MDS is 25 MW, with 4.6 MW currently in use, mainly for clients in the industrial part of the park. ENERGY Distribution is ready, after the completion of the site by the investor, to extend the electricity supply also for the residential and retail part. The MDS consists of a 110/6 kV main transformer station, 6/0.4 kV sub-stations, a control room and a compressor room. “Currently, our team of technical engineers is preparing an analysis and alternatives for an investment solution aimed at upgrading the station and changing the operation of the MDS from served to unattended,” says Martin Žigo, Director of Regions West and Central, ENGIE Services. The modernisation of the MDS will be completed by the end of this year. ENERGY Distribution, as part of the MDS operation, already provides services related to legislative administration, certification guarantee, creation of billing documents, control of energy consumption and analysis of loss balance, operation of metering and data equipment, daily reporting of measured data, holding emergency standby and monitoring of electricity supply via central dispatching (24/7). The Nová Hodvábka site is located directly adjacent to the wood chip boiler house operated by Službyt, a member of the ENGIE Group.
“The advantageous neighbouring location of the MDS and the municipal heating plant will allow us to exploit all available synergies between the two projects. This is not only in terms of expanding the range of heat and DHW supply services, but also in terms of efficient use of human resources, when one team will provide not only the operation of the heating plant, but also the entire distribution network,” explains Martin Žigo. The ENGIE Group’s plans for the purchase, modernisation and operation of the MDS in Senica do not end with the purchase, modernisation and operation of the MDS. On the contrary
. “Our intention is to offer our clients based in the industrial part of Nová Hodvábka other services from ENGIE’s broad portfolio, specifically in the area of complex property management. However, our primary goal at the moment is to make the operation of MDS more efficient and to ensure a stable and uninterrupted supply of energy for our customers,” concludes Martin Žigo.