Migration To The Next-Gen Packet-Based Transport Network: Enabling IP-Based Power Control Applications of Tomorrow

(PACS) demands a reliable and low-latency telecommunications network. To meet these requirements, Japanese electric power companies have built a telecommunication network specifically for mission critical communication for operation and maintenance of the power grid. Time Division Multiplex (TDM) based networks like Synchronous Digital Hierarchy

(SDH) and Plesiochronous Digital Hierarchy (PDH) are still widely used by power utilities for their most critical services like protection relays with current differential protection because of their reliability. However, the market for these technologies has been declining and most products have reached End Of Life (EOL). Therefore, new packet-based network technologies need to be explored as a successor for the transmission network for electric power systems control information. This paper explores the applicability of Multiprotocol Label Switching – Transport Profile

(MPLS-TP) as a successor for the TDM-based PDH networks. It covers a thorough assessment of the MPLS-TP based device under test (DUT) for its Enhanced Delay Control (EDC) mechanism and capability to guarantee bandwidth required to carry the most critical delaysensitive services securely end-to-end over the network. In this PoC, we have examined the most critical applications among electric power systems control information; line differential protection. We have assessed the interworking possibilities between the MPLS-TP equipment and PDH to guarantee a scalable and smooth migration path from TDM-based to packet-based networks for the future deployment. It is crucial for the

MPLS-TP equipment to support the Japan specific standards which are based on the wellknown International Telecommunication Union - Telecommunication (ITU-T) standards, and a thorough consideration was given to this aspect. Moreover, interoperability tests were also conducted successfully between the MPLS-TP equipment and the IP-based line differential protection relays. In conclusion, we confirmed in the PoC environment that the stringent requirements of the Japanese power industry for guaranteed bandwidth and, especially the transmission delay and differential delay on the network, can be met by the MPLS-TP equipment.