Southern California Edison (SCE) has selected GE Energy's XA/21 Energy Management System (EMS) suite to monitor and control its transmission and distribution systems.

SCE will use GE Energy's advanced XA/21 EMS to monitor and control its transmission and distribution systems from the 500 kV down to the 12 kV network. The new system will replace SCE's existing XA/21 EMS/SCADA system, which was installed in the mid-1990s.

The SCE project features an architecture consisting of a primary control system, a backup control system with a new redundant WAN configuration, a quality assurance system, a product development system, seven dispatcher-training systems and a support system at a GE site.

GE Energy's advanced EMS suite was chosen in a competitive bidding process. In addition to providing the new XA/21 system, which includes advanced applications and training, GE also will provide eight years of support services following the implementation of the system.

GE Energy's XA/21 system provides EMS and SCADA capabilities. It controls generation and the high-voltage transmission network for optimal generation and transmission of power. One of the industry's leading EMS/SCADA systems, GE's XA/21 combines advanced open systems architecture with full graphics, power system application, historical information storage and retrieval and relational database technology.

"After a thorough and rigorous competitive selection process, we chose GE's new, integrated system because of the additional features and architecture," said Tom Botello, grid control manager at SCE. "The XA/21 system has a proven track record of performance and reliability and was the most cost effective way to meet our requirements."

"GE Energy's XA/21 system is one of the most reliable systems on the market today," said Dan Heintzelman, president of GE Energy's services business. "By choosing our XA/21 system, SCE has shown its commitment to proactively keeping its EMS up-to-date with technology changes and regulatory directives."

The new XA/21 system will assist SCE in meeting the requirements outlined by the North American Electric Reliability Council (NERC) and Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC). GE Energy will replace SCE's existing SCADA capabilities and backup control center in 2007 and will add the advanced power applications and dispatch and operator training simulators in 2008.