Challenge

In November 2011, PJM went live with its new Advanced Control Center (AC2) based on Siemens’ Spectrum technology and Alstom’s e-terramarkets suite of applications.

The $M215 AC2 Program resulted in two fully redundant control centers that operate the grid individually or in parallel with each other – with standard operation being both sites running in dual-primary mode for core energy management system (EMS) functions and selected market pricing functions. The EMS, market management systems (MMS), innovation and legacy applications also utilize an enterprise services bus based on the PJM/Siemens developed Shared Architecture Platform that provides common, reusable business service processes and messaging formats.

Solution

PSC played key roles in the EMS and market pricing deliverables under the AC2 Program from the beginning of 2010 through until go-live in November 2011. PSC provided program management support to PJM’s AC2 leadership team and to PJM’s EMS manager. PSC actively managed the workflows for software releases, testing and defect management between PJM and Siemens, and was also a member of the PJM Business Integration Leadership Team providing daily management direction to the PJM EMS team members, who were building and testing the incrementally delivered software.

The principal services provided by the PSC team included:

• Program management
• EMS interface to the software vendors
• Testing coordination for EMS
• Market pricing and system synchronization functions
• Management reporting
• Scheduling and work planning
• Technical support of core system testing
• Complex problem investigation and management of defect resolution processes

Results

Fran Barrett, PJM’s AC2 program director, noted that “both PJM and Siemens were pushing schedule and technology boundaries, which could cause tension at times, and John O’Hehir [PSC] did an outstanding job of focusing the teams toward the resolution of challenges, dynamic priorities and helping the teams put emotions aside to enable achievement of overall program objectives.”

By mid 2011, final system-wide checkout was underway, which included functional tests, performance and reliability tests, and disaster recovery readiness. On November 8, the EMS, MMS, innovation and legacy applications went live. According to Barrett, the system had the lowest level of post go-live issues of any project he has been involved in – a testament to the hard work of all involved, including the PSC team.