Executive Summary: A Standardized Automation Foundation for Long‑Term Hydropower Performance
A large U.S.-based utility is executing a multi-year modernization of its hydroelectric fleet to address aging infrastructure, fragmented legacy controls, and growing operational complexity. With more than 100 generating units - some in service for over a century - the utility required a scalable automation strategy that could improve reliability, support workforce transitions, and enable long-term asset viability without compromising site-specific requirements.
By standardizing on Emerson’s Ovation™ Automation Platform, the utility established a unified control and data architecture that supports consistent operations, improved equipment visibility, and enhanced cybersecurity across its hydro fleet. This modernization project enables remote operations, interplant coordination, predictive maintenance, and advanced simulation while simplifying training and maintenance. Completed deployments to date demonstrate how a standardized automation foundation can improve unit availability, accelerate troubleshooting, and position legacy hydropower assets to meet future grid and operational demands.
Results: Measurable Operational Improvements Enabled by Fleet‑Wide Standardization
- Establishes a standardized automation foundation supporting river management optimization, remote operation automation and unified condition monitoring
- Reduces design costs, simplifies training, and enables consistent equipment tagging across sites
- Standardized automation foundation supports workforce transition by simplifying training and enhancing workforce mobility
- Increases unit availability through improved equipment reliability and accelerated troubleshooting response time
- Supports cybersecurity compliance now and into the future
- Simulation tools proactively identify and resolve potential issues before they impact operations
- Completed 13 units to date, applying lessons learned to future deployments
Application
Fleet-wide hydroelectric automation modernization
Customer
Large U.S.-based electric utility
The Challenge: Aging Infrastructure and Fragmented Controls Across a Large Hydro Fleet
A large U.S. energy provider faced the challenge of modernizing its aging hydroelectric fleet, which includes over 100 generating units - some more than a century old. Past upgrades were done piecemeal, resulting in a fragmented system with limited automation and inconsistent data availability. The lack of standardization created operational inefficiencies, increased maintenance demands and reliability concerns. To achieve 80 additional years of reliable operation, the power producer needed a scalable, standardized automation strategy that could bring consistency, improve data access, strengthen its cybersecurity posture and enhance overall fleet performance.
The Solution: Unified Ovation Automation Supporting Scalable Fleet Modernization
The energy provider partnered with Emerson to implement an automation strategy as part of a multi-billion-dollar, multiyear comprehensive modernization program, which included turbine replacements, generator rewinds, excitation updates and new hydraulic power units across its hydroelectric fleet.
The backbone of the automation solution was Emerson’s unified Ovation Automation Platform, which replaced fragmented legacy systems. This standardized control architecture is adaptable to each site’s unique requirements, while maintaining consistency across all units.
The Ovation platform controls and monitors:
- Unit operations including the governor, lube oil, high lift, aeration, cooling water, and braking
- Balance of plant operations for service air/water, switchgear, sump, unwatering, lake level/pond, spillway gate, headgate and inlet valve systems
- Integration of excitation, electrical protection, energy management, weather station and enterprise data historian systems
- Interplant coordination of remote operations, river management and optimization
Implementing an integrated advanced automation solution enables real-time monitoring, predictive maintenance, and centralized data collection. This approach not only streamlines plant management and enables remote operations and interplant coordination, but also lays the foundation for scalable upgrades, reduced maintenance costs, improved asset reliability, and enhanced decision-making through better data visibility.
Key components of Emerson’s solution included:
- Standardized Automation Platform: Emerson’s Ovation control system provides consistent control logic, high-performance HMI, and integration with third-party systems.
- Data-Driven Operations: Emerson’s Ovation solution enables centralized monitoring via a 24/7 Monitoring & Diagnostics Center, leveraging data from new Emerson Rosemount instrumentation (level, pressure, flow, position, temperature).
- Integrated Vibration Monitoring and Protection: The Ovation Machinery Health Monitor enables early detection of mechanical issues and prevents costly equipment failures.
- Cybersecurity Suite: Emerson’s DHS-certified Ovation control system provides antivirus, patch management, and compliance automation.
- Program Management Approach: A dedicated team coordinated execution across all sites, ensuring alignment, stakeholder engagement, and adaptability to site-specific constraints.
Beyond these core components, Emerson also addressed the complex hydraulic power unit (HPU) modernization with a tailored approach that balanced standardization and site-specific needs.
Faced with nearly 30 different configurations, Emerson used a configure-to-order design approach, selecting common families of components, such as sumps, motors, pumps, valves and accumulators, that can be mixed and matched in a way that ensures each site is right-sized while maintaining a consistent hydraulic schematic. Additional instrumentation was added to monitor wicket gate opening and closing pressures, sump temperature and level, and accumulator level.
Emerson’s comprehensive solution also addressed challenges and strategic priorities identified in the power producer’s long-term plan, including schedule flexibility, workforce transitions, and component obsolescence. The integrated Ovation platform enables the utility to balance innovation with standardization, leveraging advanced applications and simulation to support training and long-term workforce development. Importantly, the standardized automation foundation positions the utility to adopt future innovations such as AI-driven analytics and predictive optimization, ensuring long-term adaptability and performance gains.
Why It Matters: Future‑Proofing Legacy Hydropower Through Standardized Automation
For hydroelectric operators managing large, long-lived fleets, modernization strategies must balance standardization with flexibility while ensuring reliability, maintainability, and long-term adaptability. This project demonstrates how a unified automation platform can transform fragmented legacy systems into a cohesive, data-driven foundation that supports consistent operations across diverse sites.
By improving equipment visibility, enabling remote and coordinated operations, and embedding cybersecurity and simulation into the control architecture, the utility strengthened unit availability while reducing operational complexity. The standardized automation approach also supports workforce transitions and ongoing modernization by simplifying training and enabling scalable upgrades. Together, these capabilities position legacy hydropower assets to remain resilient, efficient, and responsive as grid demands and operational requirements continue to evolve.
“The decision to move to a distributed control system (rather than using PLCs) was based on data visibility and analytics. Ovation technology is an all-encompassing solution - graphics, logic, alarms, historian - everything is built into one platform. We’re just beginning to unlock the opportunities within the Ovation™ Automation Platform.”
- Principal Engineer, US Utility
Learn More About Emerson Hydro Automation Solutions
Modernize and optimize your hydroelectric plant with Emerson’s portfolio of hydro specific automation solutions:
- Ovation Automation Platform
A unified automation platform for hydro power plant controls, SCADA and integration with third-party systems for improved performance and reliability. - Remote Operations Center
Secure 24/7 monitoring and diagnostics from geographically dispersed plants with remote capabilities enabled by Ovation automation software. - Ovation Machinery Health Monitor
Fully integrated vibration monitoring and protection for early detection of problems long before equipment fails. - Power and Water Cybersecurity Suite
An ICS cybersecurity suite for hydroelectric and other power generation users to secure critical assets without process disruption.
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