Siemens to deliver one of Australia’s largest cloud-based SCADA systems for renewable energy

Siemens, in partnership with automation solution partner Mescada, will deploy one of Australia's largest AI-ready, cloud-based SCADA systems in the renewable energy sector for Global Power Generation Australia (GPGA), a company with 1 GW installed capacity operational wind, hybrid solar/ storage farms and standalone Battery Energy Storage System (BESS) in Australia.

The implementation of Siemens’ platform-independent and AI-enabled Simatic WinCC Open Architecture SCADA will connect eight renewable energy generation and storage assets in New South Wales, Victoria, Western Australia, and the Australian Capital Territory through roughly 300,000 data tags, providing unified, real-time monitoring and control from a centralised control room in Canberra. It is also the plan that the system will directly integrate in a second phase with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO), enabling real-time response to grid and market requests.

Speaking on the announcement, GPGA’s Chief Operations Officer Gema Deus Vazquez said, “The installation of a centralised SCADA system is a significant step forward in our ambitions to scale renewable power generation in Australia, using the best-in-class technology that’s future-ready. As we grow and diversify our renewable energy portfolio in the country, we need robust systems that help build energy resilience, integrate seamlessly into national energy networks and are AI-ready for future. The combination of Mescada’s expertise and Siemens technology ticks all the right boxes and is a big step forward in our growth and sustainability journey.”

The system will provide a single view of multiple sites and the ability to scale the system as GPG continues its expansion plan of growing from 1.4 GW to 3 GW of renewable energy capacity in Australia. The infrastructure will also be set up with generative AI integration for operator assistance and smart node technology for external data and API integration, positioning GPG at the forefront of intelligent renewable energy management.

"This project sets a new standard for the renewable energy industry in Australia and demonstrates the power of combining our proven SCADA technology with cloud infrastructure," said Darryl Kaufmann, head of Digital Industries at Siemens Australia and New Zealand. "By unifying control across eight sites with different legacy systems, we've created a scalable, future-ready platform that will support GPGA's ambitious growth plans while ensuring compliance with critical grid regulations. As Australia accelerates energy transition, this project demonstrates how advanced SCADA technology can support grid stability and increase energy security and operational excellence across distributed generation assets. It is also a great example of how, through collaboration, we can all play a part in going beyond just addressing the one percent of emissions Australia is responsible for."

The deployment addresses several key challenges facing renewable energy operators in Australia:

• Multi-site integration: The system seamlessly aggregates data from eight power plants, with different existing SCADA systems and communication protocols, providing operators with a consistent interface across all sites
• Scalability: The cloud-based architecture is designed for horizontal scalability, supporting GPGA's planned expansion
• Operational efficiency: Centralised monitoring and control reduces downtime, improves decision-making, and enhances overall operational efficiency and profitability
• Regulatory compliance: During a second stage, the system will be directly integrated with the Australian Energy Market Operator (AEMO) enabling real-time response to grid and market requests, helping avoid non-compliance penalties while tracking real-time market prices

Hung Chan, CEO of Mescada, said, “Deploying Australia's first large-scale cloud-based SCADA system for renewable energy requires navigating significant technical complexity, from integrating multiple, geographically dispersed legacy systems to ensuring seamless AEMO compliance. As Siemens’ automation solution partner for Australia, through the years, we’ve delivered several benchmark projects that accelerated digitalisation through technology. This project for Global Power Generation Australia is particularly significant for what we have achieved using SCADA technology at a scale that’s never been seen in the renewable energy sector in Australia. The result is a truly future-ready platform that will support Australia's renewable energy transition for years to come.”