To ensure the reliable and stable operation of electricity, "Jāņciems" - an AST dispatcher control and data centre that meets modern critical infrastructure requirements is being built, and the production facility at Dārzciema Street 86 is being rebuilt. This is a critically important project for the reliable management of the energy system, which was given the status of a site of national interest in 2022, and which is included in the 10 year development plan for the AST electricity transmission system approved by the Public Utilities Commission.
Under the auspices of the project, the Latvian energy system's main new, modern dispatcher control and data centre that meets contemporary reliability requirements is being built at Dārzciema Street 86, Riga, in addition to which the whole production base is being modernised and renovated, which is currently comprised of ~ 40 buildings, ranging from equipment regulation premises and an inspection laboratory to transformer oil purification, ancillary and special transport maintenance premises.
The existing buildings at the site were mainly built during the period from the 1930s to the 1960s, whereas newer buildings were built during the 1990s. Due to the deteriorating condition of the buildings, it would be more economically justifiable to dismantle 50% of them and rebuild them anew, while one third require significant reconstruction in order for them to be used in future. The new project will make it possible to reduce energy resource consumption by up to 50%.
For the implementation of this major project, EUR 38.1 million have been secured in European Union Recovery and Resilience Facility funding, of which EUR 27 million have been allocated for the construction of the dispatcher control and data centre, and reconstruction of the production base territory and building complex, while EUR 11.1 million have been allocated to information systems infrastructure and grid management digitalization, with the implementation of the project having next to no impact on the electricity transmission tariff.
Construction of the "Jāņciems" dispatcher control and data centre and reconstruction of the production base territory and building complex are being performed by SIA NEWCOM Construction. The project must be completed by 30 September 2027. In accordance with the agreement concluded, production buildings will be modernised, dismantled or newly rebuilt by the end of 2024, the dispatcher control and data centre will be built by the spring of 2026, and a transport section building and control point will be newly built by the spring of 2027, in order to provide transport for operational field brigades, line and substation service personnel.
