Case Study: Voice and Data Communications for an Energy Provider

Case Study: Australian Coal Fired Power Station

Confirming their suitability for communications in extensive industrial complexes, Sepura hand-portable walkie talkies and mobile radios have been chosen for wireless worker communications by the Power Station in New South Wales, Australia.

The coal-fired power station sources its coal from five mines in the local area, two of which currently benefit from Sepura TETRA radio products and solutions. These deployments gave their team the chance to see the technology in action and to assess its applicability as a communications platform at the power station.

During the selection process, an alternative technology had been  considered as a potential solution for resilient voice and data communications, but was found to lack the wide range of functions which TETRA can deliver; one of these, the man-down facility, being of central concern in an extensive industrial site. The power station and its proliferation of outbuildings, service-areas and directly related plant and machinery locations, covers 150 hectares of a sizeable 1147-hectare site. 

“When a site has widely dispersed areas of activity combined with the high noise volumes commonly produced by heavy industrial operations such as power plants, worker safety is a priority,” says Doug Bowden, Senior Business Development Manager, Sepura. “Sepura radios offer important security and safety features through motion sensing technology to generate man-down alerts.  Deployment of our STP8000 range together with SRG3900 mobile radios provides peace of mind to the operation as well as a wide range of other features proving invaluable within the world of heavy industry.”

Sepura’s STP8000 radios make it easy to keep track of lone workers and initiate a fast response in the event of an emergency. Inside the power station itself the clarity of audio was considered a critical factor; Sepura’s hand-portable TETRA radios deliver crystal-clear voice communications plus advanced GPS functionality. Their 1.8W RF power delivers extended coverage and reliable communications. Based on the robustness of the Sepura radios, the scalable communications system solution now in use at the power station incorporates IP connectivity of base stations via the DAMM  system and can be relied on to provide seamless communication whatever the operational scenario.  This power station solution was delivered as a joint project by Sepura in partnership with its Australian distributor, National Wireless Australia.

Bowden concludes: “Sepura is delighted to be working alongside National Wireless. In the last year we initiated nine new deployments in the Australian mining sector. Sepura TETRA radios are rapidly becoming the communications solution of choice as more and more industrial operators see the benefits of our reliable, robust and secure technology for critical communications needs.”   

If your business could benefit from Sepura technology and National Wireless’ expertise, call us on 1300 852 929 to discuss your options.