A tele-protection implementation experience at power substations using metro ethernet networks

The present paper describes the experience gained (know-how) while implementing a MetroLAN network. Such a network constitutes the core infrastructure of a complete system that supports all communication services towards a main control center. During the whole implementation, which was carried out by CODENSA (the Colombian capital-city power-distribution company) in 2012, various important challenges had to be faced when designing an IP-wise network to carry teleprotection services associated to electric-power transmission lines. The ultimate challenge was to complete a design that guarantees both the desired reliability and the required availability so as to obtain proper operation of tele-protection services within CODENSA´s high-power system, which consists of 65 power sub-stations. This paper describes the challenges and corresponding solutions that led to the fulfillment of current regulations and also to cost-reduction benefits. The flexibility that was achieved allows using ip-metrolan networks to support critical electric-power infrastructure communications. The final part of this paper gathers a set of recommendations so that other companies (Codensa peers, for instance) can benefit from the experience gained, facilitating their own communication-system optimization while keeping up with high-performance, high-reliability communication standards among power sub-stations, particularly interms of critical services such as tele-protection.