SMZU Improves Reliability and Efficiency of Power Grids in Russia’s Vladimir Region
Russia’s power sector continues its digital upgrade as a real-time stability monitoring system is rolled out in the Vladimir region, enabling grid operators to move more electricity through existing infrastructure without compromising reliability.
Technology That Raises Grid Efficiency
In Russia’s Vladimir region, the power system has introduced a digital Stability Margin Monitoring System, known by its Russian acronym SMZU. The system is a software and hardware complex designed for real-time calculation of available network transfer capacity and for optimal control of power plant operating modes. This is the first project of its kind in the region and was implemented by JSC System Operator of the Unified Power System, together with the developer JSC NTC UPS.
The technology has already delivered measurable results. Deployment of SMZU at a key network segment, the controlled cross-section “Vladimirskaya–Rayonnaya,” has made it possible to increase active power transmission by up to 15%. This allows Vladimir CHP-2 to operate closer to its optimal load point and enables more intensive use of existing 110 kV transmission lines without undermining system reliability.
SMZU is a domestically developed digital platform that calculates maximum permissible power flows in real time, taking into account the actual condition of the power system. It provides dispatchers with up-to-date operational data, allowing them to fully utilize the grid’s real transfer capacity and select optimal control algorithms. In practice, deploying such systems represents a tangible step toward power-sector digitalization and, in some cases, an alternative to costly construction of new transmission lines.
From Local Solutions to a National Standard
The national outlook for SMZU is closely tied to scaling proven deployments. Across different network sections, the technology consistently delivers efficiency gains of 10–20%, making it an economically attractive tool for grid operators. As it stands, its application makes it possible to increase the total transfer capacity of the Unified Power System of Siberia by an amount comparable to the output of a large thermal power plant – up to 800 MW.
Over the long term, SMZU is expected to integrate naturally into Russia’s unified digital platform for grid management, becoming a core element of smart grids. By 2030, real-time forecasting and analytics systems of this kind could become an integral part of the country’s national energy infrastructure. While the technology is primarily aimed at the domestic market, its successful deployment record and demonstrated economic benefits may also attract interest from countries with developing power systems or geographically extensive grids, particularly within the CIS.
From Pilot Projects to System-Wide Deployment
The development of SMZU in Russia reflects a steady expansion in both geography and scale. The technology was first tested in 2015 within the Northwestern power system. A major milestone came in 2021, when it was used to manage power flows from energy-surplus regions to central Russia through the “Section 1” and “Kalinin–Konakovo” network corridors.
From 2017–2018 onward, large-scale deployment began across major interconnected power systems. In the Unified Power System of the South, SMZU was rolled out across all system-forming sections within five years. In the Unified Power System of Siberia, the technology helped optimize output from the country’s largest hydropower plants – Sayano-Shushenskaya, Boguchanskaya, and Ust-Ilimskaya – increasing their allowable loading by hundreds of megawatts.
In the Leningrad region, SMZU deployment made summer maintenance campaigns more efficient by reducing operational constraints on power plants and boosting utilization of grid capacity by up to 10%.
A Systemic Trend in the Power Sector
Implementation of SMZU in the Vladimir region is not an isolated case but part of a broader, systemic trend toward digitalization of Russia’s power industry. The technology has proven its ability to enhance reliability, flexibility, and economic efficiency by extracting maximum value from existing infrastructure.
SMZU is evolving from an experimental solution into a local standard for grid operators and may eventually become a foundational element of dispatch control for power hubs nationwide. This trajectory illustrates how digital innovation is becoming a growth driver for traditional yet critically important sectors.
