Mater Hospital, Belfast

The Challenge – The Mater Hospital required a standby resilience solution capable of managing a diverse and complex range of electrical assets through a single, coordinated platform. The system needed to support multiple mains incomers, mixed-manufacturer generator paralleling, BESS integration, and a pre-engineered mobile generator connection — all within a live, acute healthcare environment where uninterrupted power is non-negotiable.

The entire installation and commissioning programme had to be delivered while the hospital remained fully operational, with no disruption to clinical services or critical electrical supplies at any stage of the works. Beyond hardware coordination, the system also needed to provide intuitive operator interaction, clear visibility of every asset, and robust mains protection meeting current healthcare resilience standards.

Our Solution

System Architecture

The Power Management Control System was designed by AC Automation to coordinate six distinct electrical assets across the site’s LV switchboard:

• 2x transformer incomers, with redundant mains protection
• 2x synchronising generators — a 1,500 kVA Caterpillar and a 1,650 kVA Perkins
• 1x 2 MW battery energy storage system (BESS)
• 1x mobile generator connection point
• 2x bus couplers providing multi-section switchboard flexibility

This architecture allows the system to actively select which transformer supplies the load, set generator running priority, bring the BESS into operation, and accept temporary hire generation through the mobile connection — all under coordinated, automated control.

Control Platform

The Power Management Control System is built on a ComAp control architecture, designed and engineered in-house by AC Automation. The controller line-up includes:

• InteliGen 1000 controllers for each generator, providing synchronisation, load sharing, and full engine and alternator management
• InteliPro mains protection relays — two per transformer incomer, providing redundant protection in line with healthcare resilience requirements
• InteliVision displays at controller level for local asset visibility
• A dedicated HMI for site-wide operator interaction, providing a single intuitive interface across all assets

Operating Flexibility

The Power Management Control System supports a wide range of operating configurations, including:

• Automatic selection of the active transformer to supply site load
• Generator priority selection between the Caterpillar and Perkins sets
• Synchronisation and parallel operation of the generators
• BESS integration for resilience and load support
• Mobile generator connection without operational disruption
• Dual bus coupler control for sectionalising the switchboard

Working in a Live Acute Hospital

The installation, integration, and commissioning of the Power Management Control System were carried out across a live, fully operational hospital site. AC Automation worked closely with the Trust’s estates and clinical teams to plan and phase every stage of the works, ensuring that electrical resilience was maintained throughout and that no clinical service was disrupted at any point. Detailed method statements, controlled switching programmes, and out-of-hours working were used where required to manage risk and protect continuity of care.

The Outcome – Delivered in 2023, the Power Management Control System provides BHSCT with a flexible, intuitive, and highly resilient standby platform across one of its most critical acute sites. Six major electrical assets — two transformer incomers, two synchronising generators, a 2 MW BESS, and a mobile generator connection — are now coordinated through a single ComAp-based platform, supported by redundant mains protection on both incomers and dual bus coupler control for multi-section switchboard flexibility.

For Trust personnel, the result is a single intuitive HMI providing complete site-wide visibility and control across every connected asset. The integration of conventional standby generation alongside battery energy storage, mixed-manufacturer generator synchronising, and pre-engineered mobile connection capability gives BHSCT a future-ready resilience platform — built around the operational realities of an acute healthcare environment, fully installed and commissioned without disruption to clinical services, and engineered entirely in-house.