e-News for power industry leaders

Issue 33 _ March _ 2023

Dear Reader,

Well,  March already - time flies and here we are in the third month of CIGRE's  70th year in Australia and only 183 Days out from the Cairns Symposium !

Interest in the Symposium has been strong with already over 350 delegate registrations and a very strong sponsor and exhibitor listing.

We have released stage2 of the exhibition space and it is filling fast!  Early bird rates are open to the end of April and if you are thinking of sponsoring or exhibiting, don't delay and contact us soon else you may miss out.

We are now anticipating 600-800 delegates and apart from the over 300 paper presentations, CIDER and SEAPAC events, we have some great social and networking opportunities planned and have just released a companion offering for those who may not be attending the technical sessions.

I encourage you to have a good look through the Cairns Symposium website, plan the date in your calendar, register and bring your companion/family and have a short break - Cairns and the hinterland is a great place for a break !   https://cigrecairns23.com.au/

In this, our 33rd edition of In The Loop we have another three technical articles contributed by CIGRE Australian members and sourced by Phil Southwell our Technical editor.

The first article has been contributed by Alex Cruickshank, long term Australian member and Chair of Global Study Committee C5.

It provides a brief history of CIGRE and how it is evolving to meet the needs of its members.  It is particularly timely considering Australia is celebrating its seventieth anniversary of membership.  

Second up we have an article on the work of WG B2.64- Inspection and testing of tools, equipment and training for live-line work on overhead lines.  This article summarises the work of the group which was established to increase the awareness of live-line working requirements for equipment certification and personnel training.

With the ever-increasing pressure to improve both technical and financial performance, there is a benefit in exploring practices across the world to both improve performance and to provide reassurance that risks are being managed consistent with global practices.  The Australian member of this WG was Alex Price.

The final article in this edition refers to a Working Group which was chaired by the Technical Editor of ITL - Phil Southwell supported by Terry Killen as Secretary and has produced Technical Brochure 882.

The Working Group was tasked with identifying means to bridge the gap in mutual understanding amongst the technical specialists and the various stakeholders that have a vested interest in the electricity product.  The Working Group had a wide international membership and drew on several international case studies and examples in producing recommendations and guidelines. 

Finally I remind readers that the CALL FOR PAPERS for the 2024 Paris Session is now open.  Information and the proforma can be downloaded HERE from THIS LINK.

Best Regards.

Terry Killen
CEO
CIGRE Australia

Phil Southwell
Chair Cairns Local Organising Committee, Technical Editor ITL

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A brief history of CIGRE from 1921 to 2021

As CIGRE moves into its second century of operation, it is continuing to evolve to meet the needs of its members and the requirements of the communities the industry serves.  It has always adapted to meet the needs of the time.  In fact, this is a core strength of the organisation.The current evolution of CIGRE is underway and has been widely consulted with the members and attendees at our recent Session.  This article, prepared by Alex Cruickshank, Chair of SC C5, provides a brief history of CIGRE and how it is evolving to meet the needs of its members.  It is particularly timely considering Australia is celebrating its seventieth anniversary of membership.


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WG B2.64 Inspection and testing of tools, equipment and training for live-line work on overhead linesticle

Working Group B2.64 was established to increase the awareness of live-line working requirements for equipment certification and personnel training. A previous ITL article in August 2019 provided a progress report on the WG.  The work is now complete and Technical Brochure (TB) 865 was published in February 2022.  The Australian member on the working group was Alex Price. 


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WG C1.41, “Closing the gap in understanding between stakeholders and electrical energy specialists”

Working Group (WG) C1.41 was tasked with identifying means to bridge the gap in mutual understanding amongst the technical specialists and the various stakeholders that have a vested interest in the electricity product.  The evolution of the power system is leading to variations in costs and potentially significant changes in jurisdictional policy and energy strategy, which impact not only the customers but also the broader industry environment and economy.  The number and diversity of stakeholders now actively involved in these issues is escalating rapidly.  The WG has produced Technical Brochure (TB) 882.  The TB will be useful for both technical and non-technical stakeholders to improve their mutual understanding. The WG Chair and Secretary were Australian members Phil Southwell and Terry Killen. WG members have both technical and non-technical backgrounds with the latter having a speciality in communication and/or stakeholder engagement.


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