Implementing the Dutch IEC 61850 Realtime Interface: direct control of individual customers through virtualization in the SCADA landscape

The electricity grid in the Netherlands faces severe congestion challenges, posing significant costs in terms of space, time, and financial resources for the necessary reinforcements and other mitigations. Active Network Management (ANM is one of the investigated mitigation measures for congestion. Distribution System Operator (DSO) Enexis, one of the three largest DSOs in the Netherlands, has implemented the Dutch Realtime Interface as one of its ANM tools. The RTI enables direct control behind the Point of Common Coupling (PoCC) of feed-in customers, establishing an operational connection between the System Operator and the customer. Enexis integrated the RTI into its central SCADA system, enabling both automated and manual control via IEC 61850 communication with individual customers. This paper shows the RTI operational in a production environment, the underlaying architecture, and results from the implementation of the RTI. The chosen architecture supports scalability, centralized configuration, and a uniform plug-and-play solution, demonstrating its efficacy and alignment with future development in the Dutch electric grid management.