AES El Salvador, recognized for building the first smart grid in Central America

The energy company implements technology and automation in its operations to drive the transformation and modernization of El Salvador's electricity grid.

Recently, AES El Salvador was recognized by the Australian company NOJA Power and its local representative REIMSA, for being a pioneer in building and operating the first 100% intelligent electrical distribution network in Central America.

This recognition evidences AES's commitment to promote innovation in the Salvadoran electricity sector, for the benefit of its customers.

"We congratulate AES El Salvador for successfully implementing its new Smart Grid project, which is very important for the reliability of electricity in El Salvador" said Neil O'Sullivan, Director of NOJA Power. AES invested US$300,000 in the construction of the SmartGrid, which is located in the San Salvador metropolitan area.

The energy company highlighted that during the next years, through its distributors AES CAESS, AES CLESA, AES EEO and AES DEUSEM, it will allocate 3.3 million dollars in the development and operation of 12 new smart grid projects in different parts of the country.

"We are applying state-of-the-art technology in the energy distribution network to provide our customers with a reliable electric service and allow them to make better use of energy. We hope to continue expanding coverage with this type of technology in more areas of the country and continue accelerating the future of energy in El Salvador" said Daniel Bernárdez, Vice President of Operations of AES El Salvador.

The director of RAIMSA, Carlos Herrera, highlighted: "The construction and operation of the first smart grid in Central America by AES El Salvador, as part of a larger plan of modernization and automation of its networks, clearly shows a strategic conception of advanced and remarkable excellence in the quality of its engineering, which will produce a great benefit to its customers and a greater prestige than this thriving company already has".

Benefits of the smart grid

According to the company, these are some of the benefits that can be achieved thanks to the improvement of the smart grid: Fault prevention: it contributes to the predictive detection of faults in the distribution network equipment, allowing timely maintenance.

Agility in service: it automatically locates the source of faults, allowing them to be isolated and attended remotely, thus guaranteeing continuity of service.

24/7 service optimization: the connected equipment sends real-time information on its status and operation to ensure optimal and safe energy delivery.

Increased safety: if a hazardous condition occurs, it is automatically isolated from the rest of the system, thus preventing electrical accidents.

Visual harmony: SmartGrid technologies have a simple, compact and modern design, thus reducing visual pollution.

With the implementation of the first 100% smart grid and the follow-up of its medium and long-term modernization plan, AES El Salvador is betting on the future of electricity distribution to bring world-class service to its 1.5 million customers.