What it is and when you need it
Substation communications engineering defines how devices talk to each other inside the substation and to the outside world: the network linking relays, bay controllers, meters and the HMI; the link to the utility control center; the teleprotection channel to the other end of the line; time synchronization; and protection against unauthorized access. When a substation uses IEC 61850, that network is no longer an accessory: trips, blocking signals and, in a digital substation, the currents and voltages themselves may travel over it. That is why we treat IEC 61850 network design with the same care as a trip circuit.
We do it for medium, high and extra-high voltage (EHV) substations, generation plants and industrial facilities:
- New substations with an IEC 61850 control system.
- Expansions that must integrate into an existing network and SCADA.
- Migration from hardwired signals or serial protocols to Ethernet.
- Generation plants that must send signals to the grid operator’s control center.
- Cybersecurity upgrades of a network that grew without segmentation.
This design is part of our engineering design and studies service.
What is included
- Network architecture. Star, ring or zero-recovery-time redundancy with PRP or HSR (IEC 62439-3), separation of station bus and process bus, VLANs and priorities for GOOSE and sampled values. We follow the IEC TR 61850-90-4 network engineering guidelines.
- Equipment specification: substation-hardened switches (IEC 61850-3, IEEE 1613), gateways or RTUs to the control center, clocks, routers and firewalls.
- Time synchronization with PTP (IEEE 1588) using the power utility profile IEC/IEEE 61850-9-3, or SNTP or IRIG-B where the required accuracy allows it. Where synchrophasors are involved, timing is checked against IEEE C37.118.
- SCL engineering: specification of the IEC 61850-6 SSD, ICD and SCD files and of the GOOSE exchange between IEDs.
- SCADA signal lists to the local HMI and the control center, using the protocol the utility requires, such as IEC 60870-5-104 or DNP3 (IEEE 1815).
- Teleprotection: scheme, channel and signals with the remote end, with equipment per IEC 60834-1 and fiber interfaces such as IEEE C37.94.
- Cybersecurity: zones and conduits per IEC 62443, protocol security per IEC 62351, user management, managed remote access and event logging.
How we work
Communications design is done on lists, drawings and specifications. Our team does it remotely from Bogotá (UTC−5), for projects anywhere in the world, and you receive documents ready for procurement, panel building and configuration.
- Requirements. We gather what the utility or transmission owner, the control center and the protection scheme need: which signals, which times and how much redundancy.
- Architecture. We propose the topology and compare options with you on availability, cost and ease of maintenance.
- Detail. We specify equipment, ports, fibers, addressing, VLANs, synchronization and signals.
- Cybersecurity. We define zones, access and logging, aligned with your policy.
- Review and approval. We incorporate comments until the issued-for-construction version.
If existing fiber routes, equipment or configurations are undocumented, they have to be surveyed on site: by our team (in Colombia, or elsewhere on request) or by your staff with our guidance.
What we need from you
- Single-line diagram and IED list with make and model.
- Drawings of the existing network and fiber, if any.
- Control center requirements: protocol, addresses and signal list.
- Cybersecurity requirements from your company, your regulator or your utility.
- Location of and communication medium to the remote substation, if teleprotection is involved.
Standards and criteria
- IEC TR 61850-90-4 is the network engineering guideline for substation LANs: topologies, redundancy, synchronization, GOOSE and sampled values. It leaves cybersecurity to IEC 62351 and IEC 62443.
- IEC 62439-3 defines PRP and HSR, which keep traffic flowing with zero recovery time when one path fails.
- IEC 61850-6 defines the SCL language and its files; IEC/IEEE 61850-9-3 is the PTP profile for power utility automation.
- IEC 61850-3 and IEEE 1613 set the environmental and EMC requirements for communications equipment installed in substations.
- Local requirements. Grid codes and regulators often require a risk-based cybersecurity program (critical assets, access management, temporary connections, monitoring and incident response) and documentation of telecom schemes and control center integration. We adapt the design to the local code and the utility requirements that you give us.
What you receive
- Network architecture and time synchronization diagrams.
- Specifications for switches, gateways, clocks and security appliances.
- Addressing, VLAN and priority plan.
- SCL engineering specification and GOOSE matrix.
- Signal lists for the HMI and the control center.
- Teleprotection scheme and channel specification.
- Cybersecurity zones and conduits design.
Why Tiza Group
- We design networks we also configure: our team integrates IEC 61850, gateways and clocks on site and remotely, and designs with that in mind.
- Communications and protection together: the design is coordinated with secondary engineering, primary engineering and remote relay configuration.
- Cybersecurity by design, not as a patch added later.
- Remote: worldwide, with no travel costs. Contact us to discuss your network.