ABB’s DCS Freelance ensures clean energy in the Italian Alpine region of Valtellina

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The cutting-edge distributed control system by ABB supervises power production of the cogeneration plants of Morbegno and Cosio Valtellino, owned by the power supplier SEM and situated in the Alpine region of Sondrio, Italy.

Enabling power plant dimension and capacity increase

ABB will provide SEM (Società Elettrica in Morbegno) with ABB’s reliable and scalable distributed control system called Freelance .

SEM is a company founded in 1897, operating in power production and distribution field. With particular regard to the surrounding environment and local resources, SEM focuses on renewable energies, such as water use, and on the development of new high-efficient plants of co-generation and district heating.

Currently, SEM provides electricity for approximately 13 thousand users in the northern region and a total amount of 64 million kWh per year. The company produces power supply through the exploitation of 8 hydro-electric plants situated in Valtellina/Alto Lario, with 11 MW in power capacity.

In 2006, when the first co-generation plant was built in Morbegno, ABB supplied the first Freelance DCS. In 2013, the district heating expanded in Talamona, keeping the supervision and control in one control center with new remote process controllers at a distance of 5 km.

In 2015, the new biomass plant in Cosio was equipped with Freelance (new CPU AC902F) and connected with the Morbegno plant.

Main facts

Industry Energy and utilities
Customer SEM (Società Elettrica in Morbegno)
Country Italy
Solutions

 Freelance Control System

Autonomously engineered supervision and control

Freelance is the extremely simple system in installation, understanding and ease of use. It is the ideal DCS for many different applications, from few I/O to a maximum of 25.000.

Commissioning and engineering, as well as maintenance and expansion, are easily managed by the on-site personnel, which gives SEM the possibility of engineering autonomously without the need for further external interventions.

The extreme usability and scalability of Freelance provides the customer with the most compact and reliable system available on the market, benefiting in terms of investment and management of the facility, ensuring total management control.

Commissioning and engineering, as well as maintenance and expansion, are easily managed by the on-site personnel, which gives SEM the possibility of engineering autonomously without the need for further external interventions.

Renewable energy expansion

By increasing the plant dimension and capacity, the district heating of SEM in the south of the Valtellina region can expand the green power being offered to the surrounding communities. 

ABB is a pioneering technology leader in electrification products, robotics and motion, industrial automation and power grids, serving customers in utilities, industry and transport & infrastructure globally. Continuing more than a 125-year history of innovation, ABB today is writing the future of industrial digitalization and driving the Energy and Fourth Industrial Revolutions. ABB operates in more than 100 countries with about 135,000 employees.  


By increasing the plant dimension and capacity, the district heating of SEM in the south of the Valtellina region can expand the green power being offered to the surrounding communities.

More information

Freelance - compact, scalable and reliable DCS

Combines small footprint of a PLC together with the full functionality of a DCS
Freelance DCS online tutorial

Follow a free online tutorial and learn how easy you can create an application program with Freelance engineering tool
More Freelance DCS references

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