Empowering Operators: Investigating Operational Challenges in Automated Power System Control Rooms using Applied Cognitive Task Analysis

The growing electrification of society and the integration of intermittent energy sources are expected to transform the electric power system. In response to the rising unpredictability and the vast amount of available data, operations are becoming increasingly automated, which redefines grid operator responsibilities. The purpose of this paper is to investigate current and future procedural challenges encountered by grid operators in electric power system Control Rooms (CRs). Therefore, four experienced operators from a European Transmission System Operator were interviewed using the Applied Cognitive Task Analysis method. The results showed that grid operators make decisions by interpreting information from their tools, relying on experience, using pattern recognition, and team communication. The introduction of automation can increase task efficiency, but its implementation also brings challenges by redefining the roles of operators. Moreover, automation reduces training opportunities for novice operators, increasing the difficulty of understanding the system and the outcomes of their actions. The findings indicate that when introduced in the CR, automation needs to be carefully crafted with a properly defined role in the team. Tool developers should minimize black box effects and implement a suitable two-way communication between automation and humans. The introduction of automation also reduces the experience operators can get, potentially increasing the difficulty for operators to build their own practical knowledge that is needed to understand the grid and the outcomes of their actions. In conclusion, this paper suggests that automation risks 1) deskilling operators by removing opportunities for learning, 2) creating black box effects, 3) redefining the skill set necessary to operate the grid, 4) disrupting established communication structures. These risks should be mitigated by designing automation that can adapt its activity level to the cognitive load of the operator and enable two-way communication between humans and automation.

Keywords: Applied Cognitive Task Analysis, Automation, Control Room, Grid Operators, Power System, Team Communication.