Out of Complexity, Into Clarity: TNMP’s Control Room Reinvention
Transforming Control Room Operations for Grid Reliability in Texas
A comprehensive redesign of a high-impact utility control room has unified workflows, enhanced situational awareness, and ensured the reliability of Texas’s power grid, all through a seamless integration of advanced technology and a people-centric approach.
Vision and Strategic Objectives
Texas-New Mexico Power (TNMP), a critical provider of electric transmission and distribution services to over 270,000 homes and businesses, operates a mission-critical control center near Houston, Texas. Designated as a NERC high-impact facility, this control room serves as the central hub for ensuring grid reliability and public safety across the region.
Recognizing the need for more than just a technical upgrade, TNMP aimed to create a forward-looking environment that would empower operators to manage the grid with precision and agility. Their vision included an innovative solution that elevated both human performance and technological capabilities to meet the complex demands of 24/7 operations in a rapidly evolving energy landscape.
In 2023, TNMP partnered with GPA USA | FORTÉ to achieve this ambitious transformation, leveraging their expertise in control room design and implementation to develop a cutting-edge solution tailored for operational excellence.
The Challenge
A Day-in-the-Life, Before the Transformation
Picture TNMP’s control room before. Operators began shifts surrounded by separate screens, each fed by distinct networks and tools. Every new grid event meant urgent toggling, manual data reconciliation, and managers physically circulating among desks to stitch together the operational picture, sometimes in the middle of the night, sometimes under storm threat.
What did this mean for real people?
- Operators: Constant context-switching, high cognitive load, and little margin for error. Stress and fatigue quietly built up, shift after shift.
- Managers: Instead of leading, they spent critical minutes tracking down fragments of information, making collaboration slow, situational awareness patchy, and compliance reporting a daily grind.
Trevor Tidwell, IT Operations Manager at TNMP, put it this way:
“Our operators were locked into displaying information in a certain way and had to use multiple machines and systems to get everything they needed.”
Operational silos weren’t just inefficient; they made every decision harder, every response slower, and every compliance deadline sharper. TNMP’s leadership realized that true modernization would mean reimagining both the room and the human experience within it.
GPA’s regional business unit, GPA USA | FORTÉ, in partnership with RE Lamb, deliberately focused on people-first outcomes, not just hardware. The result was a holistic transformation:
Unified Operations: Real-time data from across the grid now converges in a central, visually accessible control room. Operators can see, understand, and act on problems before they escalate, no longer piecing together the story from scattered sources.
Collaborative Environment: Managers and operators now work side by side, using the same shared picture. Rapid team huddles and instant escalation pathways replaced time-consuming desk checks and hand-written notes.
Streamlined Workflows: Routine tasks, alert monitoring, data analysis, and compliance checks are now intuitive and automated where possible. The cognitive shift means staff dedicate energy to what matters: keeping Texas’s grid stable and safe.
Well-Being by Design: Ergonomics and spatial layout were redesigned to support operators’ physical and mental health. GPA USA | FORTÉ ensured consoles, lighting, and workflow cues helped make long shifts more manageable and even enjoyable.
Key Features & Deliverables
- One Integrated Workspace: All critical data and controls are collated into a centralized, user-friendly command environment.
- Visibility and Confidence: Staff instantly access network-wide insights, enabling fast and informed decisions, as well as easier training for new team members.
- Robust Compliance: Secure, auditable systems simplify regulatory tasks while protecting critical infrastructure from risk.
- Responsive Support: Ongoing partnership with GPA USA | FORTÉ empowers TNMP to continuously evolve as the needs of Texas and the grid change.
Execution: Building Trust, Not Just Tech
- Collaborative Design: GPA USA | FORTÉ led joint discovery workshops with TNMP staff, mapping pain points, habits, and “wish-list” features into functional requirements.
- Testing Before Go-Live: The entire system was thoroughly piloted in a QA environment, ensuring a smooth launch day with no surprises and minimal disruption to daily operations.
- Change Enablement: Operators were introduced to new workflows through guided demos, real feedback sessions, and side-by-side coaching.
Now, TNMP’s operators start each shift with a clear, unified dashboard. Data flows to them, not the other way around. When storms threaten or demand spikes, teams rally around the central display, and everyone has what they need, together.
- Staff Voice: “We’re not just firefighting or checking boxes. We’re confident, we’re comfortable, and we’re ready.”
- Manager Perspective: “I’m free to focus on supporting my team and the grid, not chasing fragmented information.”
Quantifiable Impact
- Productivity: Faster incident response and proactive problem-solving.
- Staff Satisfaction: Reduced fatigue, greater focus, and higher morale.
- Compliance: Audits and reports handled smoothly, freeing staff for higher-value work.
TNMP’s transformation is proof that world-class outcomes result from prioritizing people’s needs. The control center is now a dynamic hub, driven by clarity, trust, and shared purpose, setting a new benchmark for high-impact facilities across the sector.
With a foundation built on unified workflows, ergonomic well-being, and continual improvement, TNMP’s control room is now future-proofed and resilient, delivering reliable service for Texas, no matter what tomorrow brings. Partner with GPA right now to shape your next transformation, where technology elevates your people, and your people drive what’s possible, no matter how many locations you have and in what countries they are.
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