By Horst Köhler, Head of Power Utilities Solutions, Siemens Building Technologies Coal, gas, nuclear or hydro-power, solar power, geothermal, renewable energy, combined cycle or biomass – every power plant is different. From the way in which it produces energy, its location, its design, age and time of commissioning, national legislation and local regulations, to regional fire departmental regulations and even insurance stipulations – all need to be recognised as factors which influence the demands of each site for security, fire safety and building comfort. But they are all similar in that the commercial success of any power plant depends on its capability to manage operational risks and provide continuity of supply. Given that a power plant plays such a fundamental and critical role in a country’s infrastructure, supply disruption can have significant effect both economical and political with even short-term interruptions leading to inconvenience on a massive scale, price increases or rationing for the areas supplied. Power facilities carry many inherent operational, security and fire risks that threaten their daily operations, from fires and leakage of potentially hazardous materials to theft, vandalism and equipment failure. Fire has been quoted the largest cause of loss at fossil power plants, responsible for approximately 50 per cent of all losses, with some 30 million dollars lost at power plants where fire protection systems were absent or failed. Also various political situations around the world, along with the volatility of energy prices, are provoking a new wave of terrorist threat. Safeguarding power facilities against the diversity of internal and external threats calls for an integrated risk management strategy, with integrated solutions in fire safety, security, electrical installation and building automation. A multi-layered approach – from the outside inwards An effective safety and security system needs to be modular, scalable and adaptable in order to cope with changing requirements. The risks and threats facing any power plant can include major events resulting from terrorist attack, fire, industrial accident, arson, malicious damage, sabotage – to normal “everyday” problems such as trespassing or political activists, vandalism, internal theft, data theft or leaking of hazardous materials. Such a system needs to cater for large numbers of staff, visitors and contractors, as well as multiple buildings that, on a power plant, can often be far apart. Critical functionality includes the flexibility to set or unset alarms locally whilst allowing for central monitoring, the ease of identification of the origin of an alarm, and reliable alarm verification to ensure adequate and appropriate response. A multi-layered safety and security strategy, which involves a range of systems and capabilities both physical and electronic is the best way to keep the sites of our power plants safe and as secure as possible, from the perimeter fence to the turbine room. Protection of external fences and perimeters External fences or walls are the first line of defence against unauthorised intrusion. So the monitoring and surveillance of perimeters is vital for large and complex sites such as power plants. External motion detectors have an important role to play in the necessary, multiple-layered approach to plant security. Systems offer versatile alarm transmission methods, as well as the capability to integrate with danger management stations and video surveillance systems. When used in combination with video surveillance, external detectors can offer proven reliability and high effectiveness in pro-active surveillance, even in harsh, fast-changing environments. They can support remote maintenance and alarm status verification, for cost-effective monitoring and speed of intervention. They will normally trigger an alarm as soon as intruders set foot on restricted areas, allowing for real-time verification and response before access to critical areas has been gained. Intelligent alarm verification processes also ensure a high detection accuracy and unparalleled false alarm immunity. Patrolling and video surveillance of outer areas Power plant sites are usually large and complex with an extended perimeter. Ensuring their integrity can require a large number of security staff, either patrolling the site or watching images and data transmitted by a large number of surveillance cameras and other alarming or sensor devices. Research has shown that observers find it impossible to concentrate sufficiently or for long periods of time to monitor even a modest number of video screens efficiently, let alone the large number needed to cover the surveillance systems of extensive sites. Integrated intelligent video security solutions, based on a combination of risk-appropriate protective measures, can assist in the protection of life, assets and critical infrastructure with accuracy, reliability and short response times. Video sensory analysis, technology able to gather and filter available data to an extent that a single operator can handle and manage all available information without fatigue, allows security personnel to focus on critical situations. It supports their decision-making by providing the critical information required to detect, manage and prevent potential security breaches and fire threats in real time. Efficiency of the system can be further enhanced by policy-based alarming, object identification, automatic flagging and preventive risk indication. Open systems architectures again allow the surveillance systems to link to other electronic equipment such as access control, intruder and fire detection solutions. Secure and authorised access to site buildings and offices With the perimeter patrolled by guarding staff for out of hours or in high risk plants, fences electronically monitored and external areas filmed by surveillance cameras for attempted break-ins and other potential problems, outbuildings and storage areas are the next level needing protection. Provided these areas around the site are secured with strong defences and reliable locks, electronic systems can provide secure and authorised access. These access control systems ensure that only people with pre-arranged clearance are given physical access to controlled buildings, rooms and offices within the site. And, more importantly, that unauthorised people are kept out. ‘Prevention is better than cure’ is an old adage but nonetheless very true. If somebody intent on committing arson, for example, is unable to gain access, then the incident has been prevented. Fully integrated access control systems
