Schneider Electric and ETAP Introduce Physics-Based Digital Twin for Utility and Infrastructure Operations

Schneider Electric and ETAP announced a new digital twin solution aimed at closing the gap between power system planning and operations. The announcement was made this week at DTECH International, where digital twins and event-driven operations were major themes across the show floor.

ETAP, acquired by Schneider in 2021, is widely used for electrical system modeling and engineering studies. The new release integrates ETAP’s simulation tools with Schneider’s One Digital Grid Platform and ArcFM Web GIS. The companies say the goal is to give utilities and critical infrastructure operators a unified model that can inform design decisions and operational switching, particularly as electrification, DER growth, and extreme weather add complexity to distribution systems.

“Utilities have traditionally maintained separate environments for planning and operations,” said ETAP CEO Tanuj Khandelwal. “The intent here is to create a living model that can validate protection schemes before execution and anticipate potential faults.”

Digital Twin Meets Real-Time Grid Context

While utilities have experimented with digital twins for asset tracking and visualization, Schneider and ETAP are positioning the new platform as physics-based, meaning operational decisions can be checked against electrical behavior rather than static representations. By connecting ETAP’s engineering model to ArcFM’s spatial data and Schneider’s control-room systems, operators can evaluate switching plans, run contingency studies, and confirm protections before energizing equipment in the field.

Key use cases include:

• validating protection coordination and switching outcomes,

• running arc-flash studies for compliance and safety,

• supporting DER interconnection analysis, and

• maintaining a single lifecycle model from planning through operations.

Schneider Digital Grid CEO Ruben Llanes said tighter integration between engineering tools and operational systems will be essential as utilities modernize networks. “Combining ETAP’s modeling with Schneider’s geospatial and operational platforms gives operators a more complete picture of risk and system behavior,” Llanes said.

Broad Applicability Beyond Utilities

ETAP’s software is already deployed across a range of mission-critical environments, including data centers, healthcare facilities, and aerospace applications, where downtime and electrical faults carry high operational costs. The companies said digital twin techniques tested in those sectors are increasingly relevant for utilities managing wildfire mitigation, electrification load growth, and resilience planning.

Schneider and ETAP see the new approach helping utilities compress analysis timelines for DER interconnection studies and reduce operational uncertainties during major events. The companies cited reductions in nuisance protection trips and faster study cycles at early adopters.

The release reflects a broader trend at utilities toward unified modeling, digital twins, and real-time risk analysis—tools that are becoming central to distribution modernization and grid-edge planning.