Transforming the Grid: Transener's Digital Acceleration with Hitachi Energy

Powering a nation of millions, Transener, Argentina's leading electricity transmission company, oversees a vast network spanning 15,408 kilometers of high-voltage lines. This critical infrastructure, the backbone of the nation's energy grid, demanded a communication system as robust and dynamic as the grid itself. However, Transener's aging SDH-based network faced the growing challenges of a modernizing grid: integrating renewables, embracing smart grid technologies, and ensuring unwavering reliability. Recognizing the need for a transformative solution, Transener embarked on a journey to modernize its communication infrastructure, seeking a system that would not only secure grid stability but also pave the way for a more sustainable and resilient energy future for Argentina.

Transener's existing SDH-based communication network, while serving the company well for decades, was hindering the integration of modern applications for the digital age. The company faced critical challenges:

• Aging Infrastructure: The operational communication infrastructure, deployed over the last two decades, required modernization. A strategic migration to packet-based solutions was essential to align with current wide-area network trends.
• Limited Bandwidth and Scalability: While SDH technology excels in critical applications like line distance and differential protection, its limited bandwidth and scalability hinder its ability to support modern, packet-based solutions.
• Harsh Environmental Conditions: New equipment had to be equally resilient to the current installed base, withstanding the extreme conditions of high-voltage environments, including electromagnetic interference and extreme temperatures, to ensure reliability and longevity.
• Uncompromised performance for critical applications: Ensuring unwavering performance is vital for grid applications. Any failure in the grid could lead to widespread power failures if not cleared fast enough. Hence Transener needed a packet-based system that works extremely reliable in all conditions.
• Investment costs: Transener's network has evolved incrementally over time, meaning many communication devices still have a remaining useful life. A simultaneous, full communications equipment replacement is not a viable financial option. Instead, a phased approach enabling the coexistence of the current SDH infrastructure and a new packet-based solution was instrumental.
• Operational efficiency requirements: Given the constant pressure to reduce grid infrastructure costs, implementing an operational network with minimal total costs was essential.
• Complexity of migration: Transener faced a complex live network migration challenge, requiring seamless integration of legacy interfaces and a comprehensive risk mitigation strategy, leading to the deployment of a full hybrid SDH and MPLS-TP architecture.

For over three decades, Transener has built a robust and reliable communication network within the framework of its strategic partnership with Hitachi Energy. Leveraging the hybrid capabilities of FOX615 with native support of SDH and MPLS-TP, the transition provides a seamless journey, exceptional reliability, and unwavering high availability – critical factors for Transener. This collaborative effort, focused on a hybrid SDH/MPLS-TP network, offers several key advantages:

• Risk mitigation: The hybrid approach allows for a phased migration, minimizing disruption to critical grid operations while gradually transitioning to the MPLS-TP platform.
• Enhanced Performance: The application-specific functionality offered by OPIC2 and TEPI2 ensures seamless performance of critical differential- and distance protection applications, being key for the operation of the 500kV grid.
• Increased Flexibility and Scalability: The MPLS-TP-based network offers greater flexibility and scalability to accommodate future grid modernization initiatives, such as integrating smart grid technologies and the increasing deployment of renewable energy sources.
• Improved Operational Efficiency: Integrating SDH and MPLS-TP into a single platform with a unified network management system significantly reduces operational costs
• Digitalization: The increased bandwidth and new services offered by FOX615 with MPLS-TP enable advanced grid automation applications and improved situational awareness – optimizing grid operations and enhancing reliability. Further, completely new applications are possible because time of day information can now be provided by the operational communication network with high accuracy, suitable for protection applications.

At the core of this solution lies the Hitachi Energy FOX615 hybrid multiplexer, a cutting-edge device that seamlessly integrates SDH and MPLS-TP technologies within a single platform.  

Beyond the immediate gains in reliability and operational efficiency, this modernization project with Hitachi Energy has laid the foundation for Transener's strategic evolution, ensuring its adaptability and resilience in the rapidly changing energy landscape for decades to come.

• Building Long-Term Resilience: By enabling a phased migration and protecting existing investments, the project demonstrates a commitment to long-term resilience. The hybrid approach ensures that Transener can adapt to evolving technological and energy demands without incurring disruptive and costly network replacements. This future-proofed approach will save money in the long run and allow for a smoother technology transition.
• Paving the Way for Smart Grid Innovation: The MPLS-TP-based network provides a foundation for implementing advanced smart grid technologies. Real-time data exchange, advanced automation, and improved situational awareness will enable Transener to optimize grid operations, enhance demand response capabilities, and improve overall energy efficiency. This project is a critical step in Argentina's journey towards a more intelligent and responsive energy system.
• Enabling Renewable Energy Integration: With its increased bandwidth and scalability, the modernized network directly supports Argentina's transition to a cleaner energy mix. By facilitating the seamless integration of distributed renewable energy sources, the project contributes to the nation's sustainability goals and reduces reliance on traditional fossil fuels. This directly translates to a lower carbon footprint for the country's energy sector.

This project underscores the critical role of advanced communication technologies in ensuring the reliable and efficient operation of modern electricity grids. As the energy landscape continues to evolve, Hitachi Energy remains committed to partnering with grid operators worldwide to build a stronger, smarter, and greener grid. By leveraging our expertise in grid automation and communication solutions, we empower our customers to navigate the challenges of the future and deliver a sustainable energy future for all.