Field tests have demonstrated that Telvent's Remote Interface Gateway (RIG) replacement unit performs as specified by the ISO New England regional electric authority. With performance testing successfully completed, electric utilities needing to replace outdated gateway devices with units meeting ISO New England specifications, or similar, can confidently choose the Telvent RIG unit - part of the company’s Smart Network offering and comprehensive Smart Grid Solution.
ISO New England is the regional transmission organization (RTO) serving electric utilities in the northeast U.S. states of Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont. The authority ensures the constant availability of reasonably priced electricity for New England’s residents and businesses, in part by providing centrally dispatched direction for the generation and flow of electricity across the region’s interstate high-voltage transmission lines. To do so, ISO New England exchanges data with a number of market participants through front end interface RIG communication devices. It is requiring utilities in the region to replace existing RIG units with those meeting strict design and performance specifications by February 2010.
Verification testing completed in mid-February, 2009, involving ISO New England and one of its market participants, demonstrated the Telvent gateway unit is fully compliant with the authority’s requirements and is suitable to replace legacy gateway units. Already, several Telvent RIG replacement units have been installed.
They are based on the company’s SAGE Remote Terminal Unit (RTU) and include a Human Machine Interface (HMI) for asset summary, asset history, and RIG status displays, a hardened router to isolate the utility network for maximum security, and installation support. The Telvent gateway unit is available as a 'plug-and-play' assembly for direct, drop-in replacement of the existing gateway.
Telvent’s Replacement Interface Gateway meets the ISO New England Communications Front End (CFE) interface specification and DNP3 Level 2 protocol for utility-wide communication; it also includes Critical Infrastructure Protection (CIP) security features compliant with North American Energy Reliability Corporation (NERC) standards. Ready for out-of-the-box installation, the RIG also can be adapted for customized functionality.
