Romanian transmission operator Transelectrica has launched a €90.4 million, excluding VAT, upgrade of its Alba Iulia 220/110/20 kV substation, creating a pilot for wider digitalisation of the national grid.
A consortium of Vodafone Romania and Electromontaj has secured the design-and-build contract. Politehnica Bucharest is also involved.
The project will receive €43 million in non-repayable funding from the Modernisation Fund. Implementation is scheduled over 44 months, with completion planned for May 2030.
The upgrade will integrate power infrastructure with communications, automation, monitoring and equipment-condition analysis.
Planned systems include a private cloud, digital twins, satellite and geographic data, augmented reality and an Asset Health Center for continuous equipment assessment. Cybersecurity and staff training will form part of the programme.
Transelectrica intends to use Alba Iulia as a reference for subsequent network upgrades.
Its wider value will depend on whether the integrated systems improve maintenance decisions, equipment availability and operational visibility sufficiently to justify deployment across other substations.
