E-Distribuție Banat put into function investment projects of approximately 20.7 million lei (around 4.5 million euros) in 2017, announced the company in a press release. These consisted of modernization works at the high voltage networks and equipment in the area where the company operates, improving the quality of the electricity distribution services for more than 46,000 consumers.
In 2017, the distribution operator has carried out works for the modernization of two overhead power lines and a 110/20kV primary station, as well as for replacing the high voltage equipment within three primary stations. Within the local investment program, E-Distribuţie Banat invested 7.5 million lei for modernization works at Teba 110/20 kV primary station. The company also carried out refurbishment works for the 110 kV Hasdat – Haţeg and Jimbolia – Cărpiniş aerial power lines, which hold strategic importance for the national energy system, as they ensure the power evacuation for the hydro power plants in Haţeg area, as well as the cross-border interconnection with Serbia. The route of the line was difficult to access during extreme weather conditions, making it harder for the field teams to intervene in case of emergency. E-Distribuţie Banat has also completed this year a number of works in order to reduce the frequency and the duration of electricity supply interruptions affecting consumers, as well as to increase the level of tension and to ensure the necessary power level for over 10,00 consumers. In this respect, the high voltage transformers in Freidorf and Decebal primary stations have been replaced, the investment reaching 6 million lei.
The works contributed also to the increase of the energy efficiency, as well as the reduction of own technological consumption within the stations. Moreover, the modernization also minimizes the negative environmental impact, while significantly contributing to the improvement of the security and protection measures in the installations.
As a result of grid modernization, the three E-Distribuție companies in Muntenia, Banat and Dobrogea are the top performing electricity distribution operators in Romania in terms of quality of service in the past years. According to National Regulatory Authority for Energy (ANRE) data, in 2016, the System Average Interruption Duration Index (SAIDI) for E-Distribuţie Muntenia was 172 minutes, the best in the country, while the national average was 290 minutes. E-Distribuţie Dobrogea and E-Distribuţie Banat have also improved their performance, and have remained among the top performers in Romania with a reported SAIDI of 217 minutes and 245 minutes respectively.
Active on the Romanian market since 2005, Enel is a leading private investor in energy, with operations in power distribution and supply as well as renewable energy production.