Case Study: Milestone – Electricity Generating Authority EGAT – Thailand

Safety and Quality Control for Thailand’s Power Utility with Milestone Solutions
“We needed an efficient video management software (VMS) that provided a flexible and
future-proof solution for the various power generation sites that we are monitoring.
The flexibility and scalability of Milestone’s solutions allowed us to integrateour cameras
seamlessly for quality round-the-clock surveillance.”
– Mr. Kriangsak Chinwong, System Analyst, and Head of ControlEquipment,
Northeastern Region, EGAT
Safety challenges:
As Thailand’s leading, state-owned enterprise managed by the Ministry of Energy,
EGAT is responsible for electric power generation and transmission as well as bulk
electric energy sales in Thailand. With power generation sites and hydropower
plants located over an hour’s drive away from the city, EGAT had previously
incurred high labor costs as staff had to manually visit each site to observe the
water level, and sound the alarm when it was either too high, or too low.
Without a substantial amount of manpower to monitor and survey the water level
of the reservoirs, safety has been compromised. Fishermen have lost their lives
due to their boats capsizing because of the large rush of water when the dams are
opened.
In addition, hydropower plants are highly classified and sensitive areas, and off
limits to the general population, with employees only granted limited access – with
some plants requiring more than 200 cameras. With the large amount of areas
and number of plants that require surveillance, EGAT required a scalable and cost-
efficient video surveillance system to enhance security, while monitoring the level
of the water reservoirs, which are used for agriculture and power generation.
An integrated solution:
Milestone performed a needs analysis evaluation process through 8-Bit Solution,
Milestone’s trusted partner. They recommended the installation of the Milestone
XProtect® video management software to manage the large number of cameras
involved. This was a cost-effective solution for EGAT, as they could integrate
existing Axis cameras to survey these power generation sites offsite.
As a result, 8-Bit Solution replaced the previous analog recording software
with Milestone’s open platform solution at the sites of 6 hydropower plants
(Ubonratana Dam, Nampung Dam, Sirindhorn Dam, Chulabhorn Dam, Huai Kum
Dam, Pak Moon Dam), without causing any disruption to daily operations.
Safety and efficiency:
With Milestone solutions, EGAT is now able to use IP cameras to remotely monitor
the volume of water for agriculture and power generation, a huge time and
cost saver compared to their old system of having an employee driving a car or
motorcycle out to manually look at the water gate. In addition, EGAT is also able to
monitor water levels before opening the water gate, preventing the unnecessary
loss of lives.
The installation of Milestone XProtect® video management software was a great
success. With 35% reduction in manpower and labor costs, EGAT is now able
to distribute its resources more efficiently to focus on its development of clean
technology. With over 120 camera licenses required, the scalability, flexibility and
reliability of Milestone’s open platform also provided the perfect fit, as it supports
the most number of cameras that can be installed on one platform.
In the long term, EGAT is looking to upgrade its existing version as more cameras
are installed on the sites. There are plans to further integrate the system with
Milestone’s XProtect 1 License Plate Recognition and Milestone XProtect 2 Access, a
module that helps customers integrate third-party access control systems to fully
maximize the potential of its full suite of video surveillance solutions.
Additionally, with plans for thermal cameras to be installed, EGAT wants to
incorporate additional Milestone stability features which can be scaled to upgrade
their existing software and solutions.
Duty of care for employees
The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT) is responsible for electric
power generation and transmission as well as bulk electric energy sales in Thailand.
Established on May 1,1969, EGAT is a state enterprise, and managed by the
Ministry of Energy. They are the largest power producer in Thailand, owning and
operating power plants at 45 sites across the country with a total installed capacity
of 15,548 MW. EGAT’s power generation plants consist of three thermal power
plants, six combined cycle power plants, 24 hydropower plants, eight renewable
energy plants, and four diesel power plants . As of June 2016, EGAT’s power plants
provided 37 percent of Thailand’s electricity .Managing power plants that were located
far from the city was a big challenge.
Employees had to be sent down to the premises to manually monitor the volume
of water for agriculture and power generation. As a result, this incurred high
manpower and labor costs, which highlighted the need to put in place a more
optimal distribution of resources. In addition, they had to keep an eye out for any
fishermen downstream, as there have been instances where the opening of the
water gates led to the boats of fishermen downstream capsizing.
Surveillance of power plants requires a huge investment of manpower and
resources, and security is a constant issue. In addition to keeping unauthorized
personnel out of the premises, EGAT has to ensure that the footage of certain
premises was only accessible to higher-level authorities. At the same time, with
over 200 cameras in an area, there are large numbers of cameras spanning across
massive restricted areas near hydropower plants. With multiple plant locations
around the country and a high level of danger involved, the responsibility had to
be entrusted to a reliable surveillance system.
“We remain committed to the safety of our employees as we continue pushing for
sustainable environmental developments. Implementing a comprehensive video
surveillance system with Milestone solutions allows us the ability to mitigate any
potential dangers our staff may face, especially in highly sensitive zones such as
hydropower plants and water dams,” comments Chinwong.
The goal for EGAT was to achieve an all-rounded surveillance system that ironed
out issues with security and safety, as it actively cultivates an environment that
reduces the possibilities of accidents. This helps us keep occupational health and
safety to the highest standards.
Reliability and safety made possible
8-Bit Solution was engaged to implement EGAT’s video management software,
and installed Milestone XProtect® as the essential system to provide simultaneous
viewing of footage across its various power generation sites. Milestone XProtect®
enabled EGAT to easily integrate their previous system, due to Milestone’s open-
platform supporting the most number of cameras in the market.
“Not only has Milestone brought about enhanced security and protected our staff
from potential workplace hazards, the XProtect® VMS is the most cost-effective
solution for round-the-clock surveillance. Withstanding high performance and
powerful IP, the software has been effective to enable efficient viewing of all our
power plants,” explains Chinwong.
Surveillance of water dams and power plants requires supreme situational
awareness and precise responses to incidents. Featuring advanced video recording
capabilities, Milestone ensures minimal interruptions and video loss in case of
network problems or loss of power.
Customization with Milestone’s open platform
Built on an open platform, Milestone’s application allows EGAT to alter and adjust
the functionality of XProtect. EGAT is able to seamlessly integrate its circuit cameras
to a centralized monitoring station. XProtect’s ease-of-use makes it simple and
fuss-free to add video functionality to security, also supporting a wide network of
hardware devices for the substantial amount of cameras installed by EGAT.
The standardized interface gives its staff the ability to monitor its water level,
ensuring downstream safety and minimizing any potential risks. With Milestone’s
endless integration possibilities, EGAT has the freedom to add on new technologies
as they are developed to continuously pursue the best security and safety system
for its power plants.
“EGAT has witnessed a 35% reduction in manpower and labor costs with the
installation of Milestone XProtect® video management software. We are confident
in Milestone solutions to deliver the best security platform for us to effectively
enhance the security of our premises and ensure the safety of our employees,”
Endless possibilities
In the long term, EGAT plans to upgrade its existing Milestone solution to include
additional features, such as additional cameras for its six power plants. As EGAT
installs more cameras in its power generation sites, Milestone’s future-proof
capabilities provide EGAT with endless integration possibilities. EGAT will be able to
integrate and embed a wide range third-party applications and business systems
directly, through the Milestone Integration Platform (MIP), allowing them to add
on more surveillance hardware while integrating it seamlessly with its centralized
system.
“Milestone’s open platform makes it easy to integrate with other systems. EGAT is
looking to integrate XProtect with other software such as Milestone License Plate
Recognition and XProtect® Control to fully maximize the potential that Milestone
offers,” comments Chinwong, “As the safety of our staff remains our top priority,
we will continue to ensure a high quality security system with Milestone solutions,
relying on its stable, scalable and flexible features.”
APPLICATIONS build nvr custom nvr INDUSTRY SOLUTIONS LEARNING CENTER Milestone XProtect RESOURCES SERVICES TECHNOLOGY Video Surveillance