Case Studies

Agentic AI for Power Utility Autonomy

See how Synaptron’s agentic AI empowers power utilities with autonomous workflows—optimizing grid operations, predictive maintenance, outage response, and energy efficiency.

Executive Summary

A major power generation company operating a mix of thermal, hydro, and solar assets partnered with Synaptron to implement a next-generation Agentic AI platform for operational decision automation. The platform was designed to interpret real-time control system signals, autonomously execute standard operating procedures (SOPs), and reduce incident resolution time with built-in human-in-the-loop (HITL) validation.

Delivered by Synaptron’s team of AI architects, OT specialists, and control engineers, the project achieved:

  • 90%+ anomaly classification accuracy across 500+ plant events
  • 35% reduction in mean time to resolution (MTTR) for non-critical but high-frequency issues
  • Automated execution of over 120 SOPs with integrated safety gates
  • Complete audit trail for all agent-triggered actions and operator responses

This solution enabled semi-autonomous plant operations, improved reliability, and offloaded cognitive burden from human operators.

Challenge

Reactive Incident Management and Inconsistent SOP Execution Across Plants

The client operated across multiple generating units and faced operational inefficiencies:

Alarm Overload with Limited Contextualization

High volume of SCADA/DCS alarms per shift with limited contextual prioritization

Manual Alert Interpretation Causing Inconsistent SOP Execution

Operators manually interpreted alerts, leading to variable SOP execution across shifts and locations

Delayed Response to Known Operational Anomalies

Delayed first response to known anomalies (e.g., cooling tower load surge, condenser vacuum drop)

No Centralized Visibility into SOP Compliance

Lack of centralized oversight into whether SOPs were followed correctly, or executed at all

Undocumented Actions Creating Safety and Audit Risks

Safety and audit risk due to undocumented interventions during peak load conditions or grid variation events

They needed a scalable, AI-driven decision automation system that could continuously monitor OT signals, recommend or initiate action, and adapt to dynamic plant behavior—without bypassing safety or human oversight.

Solution

Agentic AI Platform with Autonomous Event-to-Action Workflows and HITL Control

Synaptron engineered and deployed a containerized Agentic AI platform, designed to run on-premise and at the edge of SCADA infrastructure. Each agent was purpose-built to monitor, reason, and act within its assigned plant zone or system.

Technical Architecture & Modules:

  1. OT Event Listener and Signal Processor
    • Integrated with OPC-UA and Modbus streams from DCS, historian, and SCADA systems
    • Parsed real-time data points such as frequency, pressure, vibration, fault codes, and analog sensor deviations
    • Converted signal patterns into digital events for agent evaluation
  2. Agent Library – AI-Powered Event Classification
    • Developed and trained 80+ specialized agents (e.g., “Condenser Pressure Agent,” “Coal Feeder Jam Agent,” “Grid Sync Agent”)
    • Used decision tree classifiers and time-series ML models to identify cause-impact mappings from historical alarm and event logs
    • Confidence scoring for every event classification, with fallbacks for operator approval when confidence < threshold
  3. SOP Automation Engine
    • Embedded plant-validated SOP sequences as executable logic flows (e.g., valve closure, cooling bypass, auxiliary activation, interlock pause)
    • Timers, checks, and logical gates ensured correct sequence execution based on plant safety policies
    • Integrated with maintenance ticketing for downstream intervention logging
  4. Human-in-the-Loop Control Console
    • Provided shift leads and control room engineers with real-time agent recommendations and “Approve / Override / Explain” options
    • Included role-based access control, incident notes, and escalation triggers for unattended anomalies
  5. Audit & Analytics Dashboard
    • Visual interface showing incidents by agent, action outcomes, SOP compliance scores, and RCA history
    • Data export available for internal audit, safety reviews, and regulatory reporting
Outcome

Intelligent Decision Automation with Human-Governed Autonomy

In the first 120 days post go-live, the platform delivered measurable improvements:

  • 90%+ Accuracy in Anomaly Detection & Classification for common and recurring operational issues
  • 35% Reduction in MTTR for low- and mid-criticality anomalies like feed pressure drops, inverter faults, and cooling system alerts
  • Consistent SOP Execution Compliance across shifts and sites — 97% adherence tracked via the agent logs
  • Reduced Operator Workload, with 60% of shift-level event decisions now AI-assisted or auto-triggered
  • Improved Incident Documentation with every action digitally logged, timestamped, and traceable to its triggering event and approving role

Control room supervisors reported improved response consistency, better shift handover clarity, and fewer missed escalation windows.

Future

Scaling Agentic AI Across Assets and Integrating Predictive Intelligence

Encouraged by field success, Synaptron is now supporting the client on:

Deploying agents to hydro and solar zones

with custom models for water flow variation, inverter strings, and synchronization events

Integrating predictive analytics

to pre-empt likely failure scenarios and recommend pre-emptive SOPs

Voice-interface agents

for remote field engineers to interact with AI recommendations during night shifts

Federated training

across sites to refine agent behavior without centralizing raw data

Digital Twin Simulations

to validate new SOP flows and agent behaviors before deployment in live control systems

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