BANGKOK, Thailand — Dec. 30, 2025 — Huawei and Thailand’s Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA) on Monday presented a new intelligent substation system aimed at supporting the modernization of the country’s power grid, during an industry event held in Bangkok.
The system is designed to address operational challenges emerging as Thailand expands renewable energy integration and manages increasingly complex electricity demand. Substations, which serve as critical control points within the grid, are a focal area for digital upgrades intended to improve reliability, monitoring, and maintenance efficiency.
According to Huawei, the solution incorporates optical sensing technologies, video analytics, and artificial intelligence to support automated inspection and predictive maintenance. These functions are intended to reduce dependence on manual inspections and enable earlier detection of equipment faults.
William Zhang, President of Huawei Thailand’s Enterprise Business, said the transition toward greener and more interactive power systems is placing new demands on grid infrastructure. He noted that digital monitoring and data-driven maintenance are becoming increasingly important for maintaining stable substation operations.
PEA officials said the utility has already introduced unattended or semi-automated systems at several hundred substations nationwide as part of its broader digital transformation strategy. Pantong Thinsatit, Assistant Governor for Grid Network Operations at PEA, stated that the authority plans to expand automation further by improving data integration and deploying additional monitoring tools, including equipment status sensors and emergency response systems.
Traditional substations, industry observers note, often face constraints related to limited security coverage, reliance on manual inspections, and legacy cabling systems that can restrict data transmission speed and operational flexibility.
Huawei said its system addresses these issues through three main technical components: continuous perimeter monitoring using fiber-optic sensing and video analysis; automated inspection functions based on computer vision and AI models; and upgraded internal communications using passive optical network technology to support faster and more stable data flows within substations.
The project reflects ongoing collaboration between Huawei and PEA as Thailand’s power sector explores digital tools to support grid resilience and operational efficiency. The companies did not disclose financial details or a rollout timeline for broader deployment.
