Using Indigovision’s distributed IP video solution, Eon has extended the use of surveillance at two of their electricity generating stations to process control, health & safety and logistics, as well as site-wide security. The flexibility, scalability and resilience of Indigovision’s system has enabled Eon to innovate its surveillance capability through 3 separate projects installed over the last 3 years.

In 2008, the original analogue CCTV equipment was replaced with an Indigovision IP video system as part of a project to refurbish the central process control room that monitors the existing two coal fired plants MPP1 and MPP2. Three PC workstations running ‘Control Center’, Indigovision’s video management software, monitor the process around both plants including oil-burners, coal grinders, gypsum silos, fly-ash waste containers and coal storage fields. High-quality, guaranteed full-framerate video is recorded continuously on Indigovision’s standalone fault-tolerant network video recorders (NVRs) for post process analysis if required. Four of the security cameras have Indigovision’s real time analytics enabled to automatically detect problems at the fly-ash shoots.

This creates a much more efficient monitoring environment as Piet van Vliet of QCAT, Indigovision’s Authorised Partner and System Integrator for the project, explains, “Using the original analogue surveillance equipment Eon required 14 people to monitor and control the plant. After integrating Indigovision’s IP video technology into the new central control room they can now achieve the same with only 2 operators - a significant cost saving.”

Having realised the potential of Indigovision’s IP video, in 2008, Eon expanded the system to encompass the perimeter security surveillance around the construction site of MMP3, the new generating station being built alongside the existing two plants. The distributed nature of the system allows the PTZ security cameras, which are strategically located around the site, to be connected into the existing system. The cameras can be controlled and viewed from the central control room if necessary, but are primarily monitored on an additional ‘Control Center’ workstation located in the construction site’s security office. A separate standalone NVR located in the site office records video from the construction site only for evidential purposes.

In 2009 QCAT and Indigovision were awarded a third project for a new video system to monitor and secure the entire logistics process across the complex. This encompasses the movement of personnel, visitors and supply vehicles as well as delivery of coal and biomass. Video from high-performance analogue fixed and PTZ cameras is transmitted over a hybrid wireless and fibre network using Indigovision’s transmitter modules. The footage is accessible on the existing process control network and recorded by additional NVRs. Live and recorded video of the logistics operation can be viewed in the central control room and at another ‘Control Center’ workstation located in the Harbour building. Being able to quickly locate evidential quality video clips of a logistics incident is fundamentally important for auditing purposes and to resolve any potential disputes.

The ability to continually expand and deploy a surveillance system for different applications requires a scalable and flexible architecture. Utility companies also demand resilience to ensure plant downtime caused by an incident is eliminated or reduced. Indigovision’s open distributed architecture and fault-tolerant video recording solution provides the necessary resilience and flexibility. In the event of a major incident where the central control room is inoperative; operators can monitor the plant process from any ‘Control Center’ workstation, whether it is on the construction site or in the Harbour office.