The first national grid substation equipped with a substation LAN according to IEC 61850

The replacement of a Substation Control System at National Grid's Axminster 400 kV substation due to the existing substation control and protection devices reaching the end of their asset design life, presented the opportunity to develop a new solution with technology based on the suite of IEC 61850 standards. These standards define the substation Ethernet LAN, plant and equipment models and supporting communication services. The speaker presents a brief background to the IEC 61850 standards, describes the approach adopted in implementing the project solution and summarises the issues faced, how these were overcome and the key benefits.