Digital magazine VoltA, published by CIGRE Romania, has reached its fifth issue in a year with special symbolic significance: 2026 marks 100 years since Romania joined CIGRE. Beyond its anniversary dimension, the new edition brings together several highly topical issues for the operation of the power system: industrial energy efficiency, power quality in the transmission grid, transformer diagnostics, high-voltage asset monitoring and the digitalization of substations.

One of the papers starts from a seemingly modest issue that is nevertheless present in many industrial installations: how much energy is lost when asynchronous motors operate with an inadequate power factor. A much broader perspective on power-system digitalisation comes from the article dedicated to the modernisation of Transelectrica’s Power Quality Monitoring System (PQMS), a project carried out together with EnergoBit. The new platform uses PowerLogic ION9000 analysers, redundant IT infrastructure and secure communications, expanding monitoring from 134 units in 2024 to a planned 243 by 2027, which would place almost the entire Romanian transmission grid under continuous supervision.

The article authored by Thomas Norrby and Hugo Campelo of Nynas draws attention to a diagnostic pitfall that can have costly consequences for transformer operators. Also in the area of data-driven maintenance, VoltA presents Nova BAYS, a system developed for the online monitoring of primary equipment in high-voltage bays. The key point is not simply the addition of sensors, but the concentration of information within an architecture capable of monitoring circuit breakers, disconnectors, instrument transformers and surge arresters, while also assessing the technical condition of each piece of equipment.

The interview with Florin Pop, CEO of EnergoBit Group, complements the magazine’s technical content with the perspective of a company directly involved in infrastructure modernisation. Experience gained from more than 150 high- and medium-voltage substations highlights one of the less visible challenges of the energy transition: much of the modernisation work has to be carried out in installations that remain operational, with limited outage windows and with new equipment integrated into infrastructure built for earlier generations of technology.

The edition is further complemented by a contribution from Corina Popescu, Chair of the Board of Directors of Moldelectrica, who opens the magazine with a perspective on grid development and regional cooperation, as well as by Ioan Hațegan, energy expert and former Secretary General of CIGRE Romania, who revisits the key milestones of a century of Romanian participation in the organisation. The issue was also produced with contributions from Radu Opreanu, VoltA Coordinator, Denisa Pîslaru, Editor-in-Chief, Raluca Voineag, Image Coordinator, and Roxana Dumitru, Scientific Coordinator, together with Ciprian Diaconu, President of CIGRE Romania, Bogdan Leu and Mihai Marcolț, members of the magazine’s project team. The magazine is available HERE.