News & Events

PacifiCorp Teams with Serveron to Provide Remote 24/7 Monitoring of Critical Assets

Serveron Response Center (SRC) Now Monitoring Four PacifiCorp Generating Plants, More to Follow

Hillsboro, OR ÷ February 27, 2002 ö Serveron Corporation announced today that the company has commissioned the 24/7 remote monitoring of four Generation Step Up Transformers (GSUs) at four PacifiCorp generating plants. PacifiCorp, which contracted earlier this year with Serveron to provide both TrueGasú on-site dissolved gas analyzers and remote on-line monitoring services, has now activated this service at plants in Utah and Wyoming. ãBy coupling Serveronâs TrueGas monitors with our remote monitoring service, we can help ensure that PacifiCorp has the highest level of system performance and reliability under safe operating conditions,ä said Jim Moon, Serveron CEO.

Whenever appropriate, the Serveron Response Center (SRC) will promptly communicate alarms and events of potential developing problems to subscribers with information that helps the utility make better preventative operational and maintenance decisions. Additionally, the SRC will help them avoid costly equipment failures as well as optimize maintenance scheduling. ãBy teaming with Serveron, we have the peace of mind that our critical assets are being monitored 24/7,ä said Darrell Gerrard, vice president of Transmission Systems at PacifiCorp. ãBy using proven technology that gives us accurate, viable data, we now have actionable information in which to make timely decisions on our critical assets.ä

With electrical utility industry restructuring, some companies are looking to outsourcing some specialty functions to improve customer service, improve reliability and remain competitive. ãPacifiCorpâs core business is in the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity. Having Serveron provide a specialty service such as critical asset surveillance allows us to focus on our core business to sustain a reliable and efficient electrical supply system,ä said Mr. Gerrard. To date, PacifiCorp has purchased nine additional TrueGas units to be installed in major transmission and generation substations. Each of these units will be monitored by the SRC staff 24/7.

Launched in February 2001, Serveron is the electric power industryâs first dedicated provider of turnkey equipment and services to monitor the health of electric generation, transmission and distribution substation equipment. Powered at 17 nationwide Network Operation Centers by Inflow Inc., the Serveron Response Center will promptly communicate alarms and information on developing problems to subscribers to help them make better preventative operational and maintenance decisions. Additionally, the SRC will help them avoid costly equipment failures as well as optimize maintenance scheduling. Inflowâs technically trained Network Operations Center (NOC) staff will provide around the clock monitoring of Serveronâs equipment installed at the customerâs substation. This equipment can be interrogated regularly via modem to monitor changes in the operating condition and performance of critical transmission and distribution equipment. Any parameter that exceeds user-defined levels will generate an alarm both onsite and at the SRC, and will alert Serveronâs Event Response Team (ERT) to immediately examine the anomaly. Once alerted, the ERT will verify the problem condition and notify the customer. The Inflow operations team will provide data for trend analysis for each installation to allow Serveron to anticipate situations that have not yet reached alarm condition. Serveronâs onsite manager works with the Inflow NOC staff to provide a seamless interface between the two companies.

ãThis is an ideal solution for Serveron and our customers,ä added Moon. ãInflowâs operations staff is already trained and equipped to provide round-the-clock monitoring through established procedures for critical events. By teaming with Inflow, weâre able to bring this service to our customers quickly and cost-effectively. We expect to benefit from Inflowâs established processes on which to build our SRC. Weâll be able to better define and document operational procedures, enforce staff discipline for these procedures and more quickly automate recurring operational procedures.ä

About Serveron

Serveron Corporation was founded to help electric power utilities worldwide deliver reliable power at the lowest cost. Serveronâs innovative instrumentation, continuous monitoring services, and Web-accessible data analysis promise to improve reliability and maintenance efficiency across the grid. Serveron offers battery condition monitors, TrueGas on-site dissolved gas analyzers, and remote, on-line monitoring services for power utilities. More information can be found at http://www.serveron.com.

About PacifiCorp

Headquartered in Portland, Ore., PacifiCorp operates as Pacific Power in Oregon, Wyoming, Washington and California; and as Utah Power in Utah and Idaho. In 1999, PacifiCorp merged with UK-based ScottishPower. Today, the company is one of the Westâs largest electric utilities. It serves 1.5 million residential and commercial customers throughout the six western states. PacifiCorp has over 8200 megawatts (mw) of generation capacity, 15,000 miles of transmission lines, and 54,000 miles of distribution lines. More information can be found at http://www.pacificorp.com.

About Inflow

Companies with critical Internet applications trust Inflowâs Internet Data Centers (IDCs) and managed hosting services, which enhance Web performance, ensure Internet uptime and deliver the highest customer satisfaction. Inflow guarantees 100 percent Internet availability through multiple Tier-1 ISP networks, offering a highly scalable, reliable service. Inflowâs cost-effective services, backed by certified engineers and first-rate customer service, allow companies to focus on their core businesses. For additional information and IDC locations, please visit www.inflow.com or call 877-321-2464.