High-Tech Security in Brazilian Substations

Eletrobras Chesf and Avantia have collaborated to implement an advanced perimeter security solution comprising radars and cameras. This collaboration is strengthening the protection of hundreds of substations and ensuring the reliability of electricity supply in several Brazilian cities.

By Fernanda Ferreira

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The Challenge

S?o Francisco Hydroelectric Company (Eletrobras Chesf), a subsidiary of Eletrobras, is a significant player in Brazil's generation, transmission, and distribution of high-voltage energy. It ranks among the country's largest electricity generators, with an installed capacity exceeding 10,000 megawatts (MW). Its network comprises over 160 facilities, including 124 large substations spanning Brazil's Northeast region. These substations are pivotal in supplying electricity to hundreds of cities across multiple Brazilian states.

Operating at this scale necessitates a robust security infrastructure to safeguard its assets. The potential impact of any operational failure or external threat could be immense, posing risks to both society and the organization itself.

The Solution

In the past, Eletrobras Chesf relied primarily on human resources, including armed guards, for its security system. However, internal studies and company records revealed that this approach proved inadequate given the increasing demands and the critical importance of electronic equipment.

?"It's evident that our previous security strategy was far from ideal, even with only a few intrusion incidents. In our sector, any breach is unacceptable. Energy is a fundamental commodity that drives all sectors of society; any disruption is highly detrimental," stated Itamar dos Santos Braga, Security Coordinator of Eletrobras Chesf's Substation Video Monitoring Project.

The motive to enhance security was not solely driven by concerns over intrusions but also by a regulation from the National Electric Energy Agency (ANEEL), requiring remotely operated facilities to have visual access to operational assets such as switches responsible for energizing transmission lines and transformers.

Electrabras Chesf selected Avantia, a leading security company in Brazil, to develop and implement a robust security framework for its facilities. Magos cutting-edge radars, distributed exclusively in Brazil by ?guen, were integrated into the new system for substations' perimeter protection, alongside cameras and sirens.

The Magos solution was chosen because it can monitor vast areas. The radars cover up to 600,000 sqm and can detect potential threats early, up to a kilometer from the designated point of interest. Magos offers complete perimeter protection technology coupled with AI capabilities and is proficient in classifying targets such as humans, animals, vehicles, and boats. "The Magos radars provide extensive coverage with minimal equipment, which reduces the risk of failure. To date, we have not encountered any errors; every attempt to intrusion has been detected quickly," explained Itamar.

The Results

The Magos solution automatically auto-cues the PTZ cameras without human intervention and ensures the detection of any movement in an unauthorized area. "With the current system, there is greater control and supervision in the operation of the facilities, also monitoring the entry of unauthorized persons, approach of unauthorized vehicles, monitoring of equipment, assisting in emergency response, collaborating with the company's security assets and operation, contributing to the improvement of performance and capacity of services," said Bruno Carvalho, commercial director of Avantia.

So far, the project has been implemented in more than 90 of the 124 planned substations. 310 radars, 2,991 cameras, sirens, 245 km of optical fiber, and approximately 1,700 servers have been installed, forming a robust and comprehensive security system.

The supervision is centralized in just two control centers in Recife and Paulo Afonso in Bahia allowing monitoring of all substations more effectively and ensuring a quick response to any detected intrusion. “Unlike a CCTV system, in which a human professional must continually look at the images transmitted by the cameras, with Magos perimeter protection solution, there is no such need; all 124 substations are always monitored and tracked. The moment there is an intrusion, the radar detects it, and the camera starts to follow automatically without human intervention. An alarm is generated at the security center so that they can evaluate the best action to take. This was the biggest benefit of the project," explained Itamar.

The Future

The next step in consideration is the implementation of drones to monitor areas of difficult access, such as rugged terrain near hydroelectric plants, and for actions against sabotage. This presents an opportunity to strengthen further the security and surveillance of Eletrobras Chesf's facilities.

“This project represents a significant advance in the Brazilian electricity sector, ensuring not only the protection of Eletrobras Chesf facilities but also safer and more efficient management of electrical operations, maintaining the continuity and reliability of energy supply to several cities in Brazil”, concluded Bruno Carvalho.

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*Originally published in Revista Seguran?a Eletr?nica