Staff of the Telecoms Network Operations Sections in the Southern Network Department (SND) and Northern Network Department (NND) participated in a Telecommunications Workshop, facilitated by consultants from Hitachi Energy Limited. The two-day workshop centered on network modernisation and optimisation of GRIDCo’s 10G backbone and the Proof of Concept (PoC) for the Teleprotection via MPLS-TP.
The workshop aimed to identify best practices for seamless network expansions, develop a cost-efficient telephony and network optimisation strategy with GRIDCo, and explore state-of-the-art Teleprotection solutions to enhance system reliability.
In his opening remarks, Ing. Husaini Adams, Director for the Southern Network Department highlighted the importance of the workshop on the operations of GRIDCo, stating that “the subject of the workshop was immensely relevant to GRIDCo’s current operational framework, future growth and continuous success of its mission.”
Day one saw Managers of the Southern and Northern Telecoms Sections, Ing. Abdulsalam Azindow and Ing. Robert Addy provide an in-depth perspective into GRIDCo’s network, discussing current pain points and challenges, while outlining the vision for incorporating renewables and digital substations into future infrastructure.
Mr. Haridas Velloor, Engineering Manager at Hitachi Energy, followed up with a presentation on the FOX615 mission-critical network, focusing on advanced Teleprotection Systems, the integration of IEC61850 protocols, digitisation of the grid, and innovative updates to Hitachi’s Telephony portfolio. He showcased state-of-the-art solutions designed to optimise operational efficiency and highlighted the importance of adopting advanced technologies to enhance network performance and reliability.
Day two of the workshop continued with an extensive analysis of GRIDCo’s network by Hitachi Energy, where Mr. Velloor emphasised strategies for upgrading key systems, including Fiber Optic Networks, SCADA, Teleprotection and Telephony, with a proposed transition to an IP-based Centralized Telephony Server at the GRIDCo Head Office. Discussions also addressed the upcoming Proof of Concept (PoC) for Teleprotection over MPLS-TP and outlined best practices for network expansion, focusing on cost efficiency and minimal disruption.
The workshop concluded with a collaboration between GRIDCo’s Telecom and Protection Team and Hitachi Energy to successfully migrate Teleprotection Services on the Volta Pokuase Transmission Line (PK12V) to the 10G MPLS-TP network.
Present at the workshop were Ing. Hussaini Adams, Director SND, Ing. Francis Arthur, Director Engineering, Ing. George Nipah, former Director GRIDTel, Ing. Abdulsalam Azindow, Manager Southern Network Telecoms, Ing. Robert Addy, Manager, Northern Network Telecoms and staff of the Telecom Network Sections.
