ISLAMABAD: The National Grid Company of Pakistan Limited (NGC) has directed independent power producers (IPPs) and other power plant operators to restore faulty remote telemetry units (RTUs), gateways and associated communication links by specified deadlines, aiming to achieve at least 95% Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) data quality by October 31, 2026.
Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!In a letter addressed to Rihan Akhtar, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Power Purchasing Agency-Guarantee (CPPA-G), NGC Managing Director Altaf Hussain stressed the urgent need to restore real-time operational data transmission from generating stations identified in an accompanying annexure.
The directive seeks to improve the availability of accurate and timely information for the system operator, which is essential for monitoring power plants and maintaining the secure and reliable operation of the national grid.
NGC referred to Clauses OC 9.5.3.2 and OC 9.5.3.5 of the Grid Code 2023, which require grid users to install and maintain, at their own expense, the telemetry, networking and communication equipment necessary for real-time data exchange with the system operator’s SCADA system. The provisions also prohibit the withholding of required data.
Under the action plan, concerned power plant operators and companies must restore RTUs, gateways and communication links according to the individual deadlines specified in the annexure. They have also been instructed to nominate station-specific focal persons to coordinate restoration activities with the Independent System and Market Operator (ISMO) and NGC’s SCADA-III Project Management Unit (PMU).
The operators must subsequently confirm the successful restoration of real-time data transmission to ISMO, with a copy of the confirmation submitted to the NGC managing director’s office.
NGC said it was implementing an accelerated action plan to meet the October 31 target. Although telemetry restoration at NGC-owned stations is progressing according to schedule, achieving the overall SCADA data quality target also depends on the timely restoration of systems at the identified power plants and facilities operated by other entities.
To facilitate the process, NGC’s SCADA-III PMU and regional telecommunications teams will provide technical assistance and coordinate communication interfaces with the relevant operators.
SCADA systems enable the monitoring and supervisory control of power-system equipment, while telemetry links transmit operational data from generating stations to the system operator. These systems provide visibility into plant operating conditions and support informed operational decisions.
Interruptions in telemetry equipment or communication links can limit the system operator’s access to real-time information, potentially complicating the monitoring and coordination of grid-connected generating facilities.
The directive reinforces the responsibility of power plant operators to maintain the infrastructure required for reliable data exchange, while NGC has committed to supporting restoration through its technical and telecommunications teams.
However, the main letter does not disclose the total number of affected stations, the names of all power plants requiring restoration or the current extent of the SCADA data quality shortfall. These details are contained in the referenced annexure, which was not available in the supplied document.
Story by Mushtaq Ghumman
