News

Ukraine TSO to reconstruct network as ‘Grid of the Future’, signs agreement with CISCO

by  •  • Comments Off

Ukraine’s transmission system operator Ukrenergo has launched a pilot project “Grid of the Future” to modernise and strengthen the protection of trunk networks and introduce Internet of Things technologies in the energy sector. The company said it was “We are not just restoring the substations damaged by the enemy and the modern equipment installed over the past few years – we are restoring the destroyed facilities with a substantial upgrade using the most advanced technologies”.
Ukrenergo has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Cisco which will focus on operational technology security.
The “Grid of the Future” initiative includes modernisation of networks and deploying sensors and software to monitor the security of operational technologies. Ukrenergo said CISCO’s protection technologies and approaches, we will be better positioned to identify and respond to potential cyber threats to process networks in a timely and effective manner.
The two companies will work on:
• Modernising the network infrastructure and improving control and protection systems to increase the stability of the power system synchronisation with ENTSO-E and ensure sustainable and reliable operation in war conditions.
• Providing employees with operational expert support during work via Webex Expert to speed up and improve the quality of work. For this purpose, mobile communication infrastructure will be built at the pilot substation.
• Training and exchange of experience to enable the implementation of modern technologies. Among the grid balancing projects supported is one using water heaters which is aimed at reducing the strain on the grid during peak hours.

“This strategic step between Ukrenergo and CISCO opens up new opportunities for modernising Ukraine’s energy sector. Combining our expertise and CISCO’s leading solutions in digital technologies, we strive to develop a modern, sustainable and efficient energy system that meets the challenges of our time, and we are already taking practical steps in this direction,” said Sergii Galagan, Member of the Management Board, Chief Information Officer at NPC Ukrenergo.