Relay protection, SCADA, Metering, and Cybersecurity for electrical infrastructure.
Most digital substation projects are single-vendor, single-site proofs of concept. RTE — the operator of France's 2,600-substation transmission grid — decided to do something harder: build a fully digital, multi-vendor PACS from scratch, act as its own system integrator, and scale it across the entire network.
On 24 September 2025, NamPower commissioned Sekelduin — a 132/66/33 kV indoor switching station near Swakopmund, Namibia, built by ACTOM as Africa's first fully digital substation with IEC 61850 process bus end-to-end.
The article examines the specifics of implementing Digital Substation (DS) projects using the example of an actual substation. A number of challenges arising at all stages of construction and commissioning the facility into industrial operation are noted. Certain solutions applied within the framework of a specific project are described. Some nuances resulting from the use of devices from different manufacturers are also highlighted.