Chapter 3: MSDG Interconnection Requirements (Part 4)

3.13 Preventive and corrective maintenance

3.13.1 Generation Schedule

There is no need for promoters to facilitate forecast of their generation for MSDG of capacity lower than 1 MW.

MSDG of capacity equal to or greater than 1 MW shall facilitate a generation forecast to CEB. This forecast shall be with the schedule (day ahead, before certain limit hour) and granularity (by default, hourly values) required by CEB for its security studies and generation schedule. This requirement can be withdrawn/redefined if so agreed between the CEB and the MSDG owner in each particular case.

3.13.2 Generator Maintenance

MSDGs with capacities equal to or greater than 1 MW shall submit their preventive maintenance plans to CEB for its approval every year for the following year, in the dates required by CEB and any modification thereof, if needed, on a monthly basis.

CEB shall approve or require modifications to the annual preventive maintenance plan, which could be modified, if needed, at least with 15 days advance notice.

If a corrective maintenance action is to be performed, CEB shall be informed of the unavailability, its causes and its expected duration no later than 3 hours after the initiation of the incident. The information shall be kept permanently updated, communicating any relevant change to CEB or at any moment at CEB's request. Information will be by mail or any other agreed channel.

MSDGs with capacity lower than 1 MW will not need to communicate preventive and corrective maintenance plans or actions.

3.13.3 Network maintenance

Maintenance works or any faults occurring on the feeder to which the MSDG is connected may prevent the generator from exporting. No compensation will apply for any loss of generation due to preventive and corrective maintenance in CEB's network.

CEB shall communicate its maintenance plans to MSDGs of capacity equal to or greater than 200 kW and lower than 1 MW on the same terms that apply to general clients.

CEB shall communicate its maintenance plans by mail, or any other agreed channel, to MSDGs of capacity equal to or greater than 1 MW before the planned maintenance action takes place.

3.14 Safety, Isolation and Switching

3.14.1 Safety Procedures regarding the operation of High Voltage Switchgear

CEB personnel working on the network shall strictly abide by the procedures set out in the "CEB T&D Safety Rules".

The "CEB T&D Safety Rules" are in compliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2005 or any subsequent amendment(s) in connection with this present Act.

In order to ensure the safety of personnel while operating or working on High Voltage Switchgear installed for the purpose of supplying electricity to the customer's premises, the following requirements and procedures shall be adhered to:

  1. To comply with Section 7(2) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 2005 which states "Where the total power used or generated by the machinery installed at any place of work exceeds 750 kilowatts, the employer shall employ a Registered Professional Engineer to be in general charge of all such machinery and shall notify the Director, Occupational Safety and Health of any such employment".
  2. The Applicant shall appoint and train competent person/s who shall be responsible for the operation of the High Voltage Switchgear. He/they shall be fully conversant with the electrical set-up, including that of the Switchgear belonging to CEB. The list of such competent person/s shall be communicated to the CEB and shall be updated by the MSDG owner as warranted. The experience of each competent person in operating the electrical installation (from the MSDG side of the Interconnection Facility to the generator) shall be submitted with the list.
  3. An up-to-date schematic diagram of the switchgear set-up shall be displayed in the switchgear room (See Annex 8).
  4. All switchgear panels shall be clearly numbered and labelled.
  5. Before any work can be performed on either side of the switchgear panel appropriate switching operations shall be carried out by the respective competent person in the presence of his respective counterpart. The competent person performing the operations shall certify the operations carried out on the approved form ("Certificat de Consignation"- Annex 2) and shall remit the original to his counterpart, who may then proceed with the work in accordance with the procedures applicable.

    Note:
    The person receiving the above information shall ensure that the switchgear involved shall not be inadvertently operated by securing them by means of personal padlocks and by affixing proper warning signs.

  6. CEB may request for additional safety requirements.
  7. In case of private generation, the client shall ensure that his system is completely isolated from CEB system.

3.14.2 Safety Concerns

For any work or activity in the connection point between distributed generation and the CEB network, all agents involved will follow the "CEB T&D Safety Rules".

The "CEB T&D Safety Rules" are based on the Occupational Safety and Health Act 2005.

In addition to the requirements stipulated in the "CEB T&D Safety Rules", the MSDG owner shall observe the following safety concerns which include:

  1. Persons must be warned that the installation includes an MSDG so that precautions can be taken to avoid the risk of electric shock/electrocution. Both the mains supply and the electric generator must be securely isolated before electrical work is performed on any part of the installation. Adequate labelling must be placed to warn that the installation is connected to another source of energy.
  2. Photovoltaic (PV) cells will produce an output whenever they are exposed to light, and wind turbines are likely to produce an output whenever they are turning. Additional precautions shall be taken to prevent the generator from generating electric energy or even generating voltage, such as covering the PV cells or restraining the turbine from turning will be necessary when working on those parts of the circuit close to the source of energy and upstream of the means of isolation.

    To guarantee this isolation, the generation operator shall follow the supplier instructions.

  3. The manufacturer or supplier of the MSDG is required to certify compliance with the Electrical Equipment Safety Regulations and the Electromagnetic Compatibility Regulations. The MSDG will be CE marked or tested by equivalent accredited testing agencies to confirm this. This should ensure that the MSDG is satisfactory in a domestic installation in terms of the power factor, generation of harmonics and voltage disturbances arising from starting current and synchronisation.
  4. The maintenance works at the MSDG installation shall be carried out in such a way that all safety procedures recommended by the manufacturer or supplier are followed.
  5. CEB personnel must be warned of the safety procedures pertaining to switching operation applicable to the MSDG. These procedures must clearly be displayed and visible at the MSDG site.

3.14.3 Electromagnetic emission/Immunity

The MSDG shall comply with the requirements of the EMC Directive and in particular the product family emission standards.

3.14.4 Labels

⚡ CEB LOGO ⚡
MSDG
CEB REGISTERED

Figure 1: MSDG warning sign

To indicate the presence of the MSDG within the premises, a label as per Figure 1 will be fixed by the CEB at:

  1. The nearest 22 kV pole on which the switch fuses are installed (or the Ring Main Unit in case of underground networks)
  2. Switchgear Room
  3. the transformer cabin door and fence
  4. the metering cabin and box
  5. the CEB incoming feeder cubicle
  6. the voltage transformer cubicle
  7. the interconnection circuit breaker cubicle
  8. any other locations found necessary.

The installation operating instructions must contain the manufacturer's contact details e.g. name, telephone number and web address.

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