On 12 May 2026, Hitachi Energy and TEİAŞ announced the commissioning of Türkiye's first digital substation pilot [1]. The scope is one feeder bay. A new IEC 61850 process-bus control & protection bay sits next to the existing conventional bay on the same feeder, and both chains operate in parallel on the same primary equipment [1].

The information about this project is very limited, but based on Hitachi Energy's portfolio the most likely process-interface device is the SAM600 [2]. According to the SAM600 product page, version 3.0 can be configured as a merging unit, a switchgear control unit, or both at once in a single device — i.e. a combined process interface unit that covers analog inputs from conventional CT/VT (AIC4 / AIV4 modules) and binary I/O for breaker control (BILD, BIHD, BIOM, BORO, BOSO modules), with BOSO providing integrated trip-coil supervision and direct breaker trip / close commands [2]. It also offers backup protection packages for single- and double-breaker applications, covering breaker failure, overcurrent, voltage and frequency functions — a useful answer for engineers wary of relying solely on the process bus and the bay-level protection IED [2]. The device publishes sampled values at 4.8 kHz for protection and 14.4 kHz for power-quality metering, supports PRP, HSR and RSTP Ethernet redundancy per access point, is time-synchronised via PTP per IEC 61850-9-3, and is certified to IEC 61850 Ed. 2.1 and IEC 61869 [2].

Hitachi Energy SAM600 process interface unit — configurable as merging unit, switchgear control unit, or both in a single device. Image: Hitachi Energy product page.

TEİAŞ has not publicly disclosed its broader digital substation plans. According to consulting firm ESTA International, the engagement TEİAŞ commissioned with ESTA included a 5-year implementation plan with budget and a review and update of the IEC 61850-based substation design specifications, alongside detailed analysis of TEİAŞ's SCADA/EMS, communications, P&C, substation automation, cybersecurity and renewables integration [3]. The 2026 pilot is the first operational installation under that programme.

Sources

  1. Hitachi Energy News Features — Türkiye's first digital substation pilot (12 May 2026). https://www.hitachienergy.com/us/en/news-and-events/features/2026/05/turkiye-first-digital-substation-pilot-hitachi-energy
  2. Hitachi Energy — SAM600 Process Interface Unit product page. https://www.hitachienergy.com/products-and-solutions/substation-automation-protection-and-control/products/protection-and-control/sam600
  3. ESTA International — Clients (TEİAŞ Smart Grid study: 5-year implementation plan and review/update of the IEC 61850-based substation design specifications). https://www.estainternational.com/estainternational-clients