Client
Vattenfall was founded in 1909 as a state-owned enterprise in Sweden. Today Vattenfall is still a Swedish power company headquartered in Solna, Stockholm, but has grown to become the fifth largest power producer in Europe, with generation plants in Sweden, Denmark, Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom. Vattenfall produces electricity from fossil fuels, nuclear power, waste and renewable energy sources such as hydropower, wind power and biomass.
Vattenfall's vision is to create a sustainable and diversified European energy portfolio with long-term increased profits and significant growth options. At the same time, Vattenfall will be among the leaders in developing environmentally sustainable energy production.
Challenge
When Vattenfall decided to move their Operation Control Center into a new office building in Solna, they thoroughly reviewed their requirements with an aim to implement improvements both in terms of enhanced working conditions and performance.
Originally, Vattenfall had a large number of computers and clients installed directly in the old control room, and each operator had to manage a multitude of keyboards and dedicated screens. The clients were and still are connected to a production planning system from Siemens, the corporate network, security cameras, and a host of other applications.
Goals
During the planning phase of the project, one of the main topics was the creation of a more efficient working environment. The goal was to design “cockpit-like” conditions for the operators, enhancing the ergonomics of the desks and the user interfaces. One conclusion was to decrease the number of keyboards for each workplace, thereby allowing for smaller desks.
Vattenfall’s aim was to reduce the number of energy consuming movements of the dispatchers and thereby increase their stamina and awareness during their shift.
Choosing WEYTEC
Vattenfall implemented a new control room and an energy trading floor at Vattenfall Trading Services in Hamburg, Germany about a year ahead of the Swedish move. A WEYTEC Solution was deployed there, and the Hamburg control room became a role model for the new facility in Solna. Therefore, it was a natural choice to select WEYTEC as one of the contending suppliers.