25 years ago (on 4 July 1994), HV Power was formed. While it is still business as usual, June/July saw some significant changes.

Geoff Vaughan officially retired at the end of June, selling his remaining shareholding to the two existing Directors, Mike Strong and Warwick Beech.

We have taken the first step in moving our Switchgear Division to Onehunga, with our Porters Ave ‘Technology Division’ to follow at the end of the year when our larger premises in Onehunga becomes available.

We have kicked off the implementation of a new business system to allow us to more efficiently handle the increased volume of orders and products our business now handles. This project will take about three months to complete.

We have introduced products that will have significant impact. In the Switchgear division that includes the full range of Siemens 11 kV and 33 kV switch boards, covering ring main unit, primary and secondary class boards. In the Technology Division it's the range of Siemens RUGGEDCOM communication/network products.

Mike, Warwick and the staff at HV Power would like to acknowledge Geoff's significant contribution to the New Zealand electrical utility industry. As the 'V' in HV Power, Geoff introduced some significant new products and technologies to the New Zealand market. The timeline we featured in our 20th birthday newsletter still holds true.

Geoff founded the company with a vision of creating a company where staff focused upon the needs of the customer, getting the job done without the overhead of large company politics. While the products have changed over the last 25 years and we are approaching 20 staff within the company, we believe the same culture exists, and the core philosophy has not changed.

DIGSI 5 version 7.9 and firmware 7.9 has been released for SIPROTEC 5. The main areas of advancement are:

• Enhanced security – such as role-based access
• SIPROTEC 4 Line Differential Relays can now communicate to SIPROTEC 5 relays at the other circuit end (e.g. 7SD610 <-> 7SD82 etc)
• New 1GB comms interface with merging unit/process bus/sampled measured values support
• Point-on-wave switching
• Web-browser functionality for remote engineering management (fault record extraction)

Contact us now for more details.

For some time, an improved performance microprocessor has been shipping in SIPROTEC 5 modular protection relay. This does however introduce some firmware compatibility limitations. The earlier CP200-based designs support firmware up to 7.5. Later CP300_1 designs support firmware 7.0 to 7.9 (and possibly later) while the newest CP300_2 designs support firmware 7.5 onwards. CP300_2 is needed to support some of the new security features in 7.5 onwards. Contact us for specific information

Siemens protection relay prices will be raising for all orders placed from 23 September 2019. This will be typically 2% for SIPROTEC 5 products and 5% for all other products.

Fusesaver will soon be shipping with a rechargeable communications module. While performance will vary depending upon site and environment, the battery provides backup and communications for up to 10 days, if the minimum line current parameters are not met. The battery can be recharged when current reaches minimum line current specification. With this being a little as 150 mA for the most sensitive of the Fusesaver units, it further supports its use on very lightly loaded rural spur lines, where there was prior concern of prematurely discharging the earlier non-rechargeable battery unit.

See the new Fusesaver brochure.

Siemens Fusesaver with communication module

By eliminating regular maintenance and using line voltage as power supply, the new modular auto-recloser addresses common problems of obsolete hydraulic reclosers. The compact recloser is fully rated for voltage systems up to 27 kV and features a complete insulated housing that covers all live parts. The lightweight device permits easy installation and fast commissioning, plus the ability for wireless firmware and configuration updates. The new auto-recloser is suitable for all sites, even those with inconsistent or no line current. Featuring fully configurable protection and four operations in a sequence, the unit presents the ideal solution for sectioning faults on long rural distribution lines. The system design facilitates an uninterrupted operation for most efficient service. Unlike hydraulic reclosers, the auto-recloser has no need of periodic inspection and maintenance. The initial release of the 3AD7 is a single-pole recloser, with support for ganged operation to follow in the future.

The 3AD7 is line voltage powered – requiring no minimum circuit line current and no auxiliary supply!

See the Siemens website for more details.