Airport Intelligent Security Solutions and Gate Access Systems

It's only when it's not there that we realise how badly we need it and how often we use it each and every day. We are talking about electricity, whose continuous availability is taken as a matter of course today. But very few people give any thought to where electricity comes from or how it is produced and distributed. One of these electricity providers is the coal-fired power plant at Mehrum between Hanover and Braunschwieg, with a gross power output of 750 mW. The system for access control, time recording, shop floor data collection and visitor and contractor administration comes from primion Technology AG.

Mehrum power station has been using the latest technology for access control and time recording since 2001. The solutions come from primion. Now, the existing system has been extended and brought up to date. The most important new feature to have been introduced is the recording and administration of contractor data. Access points to the site have been equipped with turnstiles so that entry and exit is only possible with authorised employee or contractor credentials. Bookings at the turnstiles automatically update a list, giving security staff a status report of all persons who are present on site. This is particularly important in the case of an emergency and is prescribed in a corresponding statutory order.

As well as making access bookings, the company's own staff also register the start and end of their working time automatically at the same time. The working times of contractors are assigned to individual jobs by the bookings so that at all times, the Financial Controlling department has an overview of the assignment of contractors to jobs, the worked times and of course cost control.

The access control credentials can be created and coded on-site by the concierge staff at the power station, including personalisation if required, even for contractors or visitors. A critical aspect in this respect is the requisite security briefing, particularly for external visitors who visit the site. This must be carried out before they are given their credential. Only then are the coded credentials issued and authorised for access to the power station site. Using the primion system, it is possible to maintain a definitive log of when the security briefings were carried out and when they have to be repeated. A further benefit of the primion system for the Mehrum power station is that it gives authorised personnel access to data that is relevant for them, at all times. For example, a supervisor can check through the PC at his workplace whether contractors are on site and based on this information control working processes.

The Mehrum coal-fired power station was commissioned in 1979 and currently employs 135 persons, who work round the clock to provide electricity for some 700,000 households. 83.3% of the plant is owned by the city of Hanover and the remaining 16.7% is in the hands of the Braunschweiger Versorgungs-AG. The operating companies are continuously investing in new technology whether it is to optimise their operating processes or to reduce CO2 emissions further. Efficiency improvement measures in the last years mean that today, the plant is producing the same amount of electricity but is consuming annually, around 80,000 tons of coal less than was the case in 2002. This has lead to a reduction of 180,000 tons in the carbon dioxide emissions each year. All parties concerned are very pleased with the update of the existing security system. primion Project Manager Jens Boesche: "Security is like electricity. It's only when it's not there that you realise how important it is. With our system, the Mehrum power station is on the safe side."