GES HES RES SCADA systems are not just an infrastructure that enables monitoring of electricity generation facilities, but also an important part of grid operation and data communication continuity.
SCADA, RTU, communication infrastructure, and the data communication system that connects them to the grid operator’s control center are part of the technical relationship of the production facility with the grid.
Therefore, the completion of acceptance procedures in a GES, RES, or other electricity generation facility does not mean the end of responsibility regarding SCADA and data communication. On the contrary, the system must be kept operational, accessible, maintained, and reliable throughout its operational life.
The relevant provisions of the Regulation on Unlicensed Electricity Generation in the Electricity Market also clearly state this. Production facilities of 50 kW and above, covered by the regulation, are required to connect to the SCADA control center of their respective grid operator in accordance with the Electricity Grid Regulation; and the necessary equipment and infrastructure on the production facility side must be provided and installed by the production facility owner.
Why is the SCADA RTU Panel an Integral Part of the Facility?
The RTU panel is the technical bridge between the production facility and the grid operator’s control center.
Breaker statuses, measurements, active and reactive power values, voltage, current, frequency, alarms, and other defined signals on site can be transmitted to the relevant center via RTU and communication infrastructure. The scope of the application may vary according to connection conditions and the data communication specification of the relevant distribution company.
The Electricity Grid Regulation also stipulates that data communication between the user and the system operation/control centers must be provided in accordance with the determined communication protocol and communication environment. On the transmission system side, there are also provisions regarding main and backup communication links.
Therefore, the RTU panel is not a panel to be installed during acceptance and then forgotten.
Is the modem working? Is the RTU communicating? Are the signals up-to-date? Is time synchronization correct? Are breaker statuses coming in correctly? Are communication outages being recorded? Is data actually reaching the distribution company’s SCADA center?
All of these are issues that need to be monitored during the operational period.
Connection Agreement is Clear: Communication Infrastructure Among Producer’s Obligations
In the technical provisions of the Connection Agreement for Unlicensed Electricity Producers published by distribution companies, the producer’s obligation to equip the necessary equipment and infrastructure for remote monitoring and control under certain conditions is regulated. The hardware required for communication is also expected to be determined with the distribution company during the connection phase of the facility to the distribution system.
The same agreement does not only refer to installation.
“Why Should SCADA Operate Continuously in Production Facilities?”
The producer is required to have the protection, connection, and other parts of the production facility inspected monthly, quarterly, semi-annually, or annually, depending on the nature of the equipment, and to document these inspections. The distribution company can also request inspection of connection equipment, protection devices, and other parts when necessary.
Therefore, stating “SCADA was working during acceptance” is not a sufficient operational approach on its own.
The Most Critical Provision: Connection Agreement Article 16
The section that investors should pay particular attention to is Article 16, titled Penal Conditions.
In the standard connection agreement, the failure to repair or replace faulty communication equipment belonging to the producer despite a written warning from the distribution company, and its continued use in this manner, is defined as a separate violation.
The penal condition for this is also concrete:
A penalty of 1% of the amount calculated based on the System Usage Fee for the current month is applied for each day the violation continues without the necessary repair/replacement being made.
This is an extremely important distinction.
A SCADA communication failure does not only mean that the investor cannot see their own production screen. If the fault originates from the communication equipment, is reported by the distribution company, and is not rectified, it can turn into a contractual violation and a daily penal condition.
Article 16 also stipulates separate sanctions for other violations such as exceeding the agreed power, disruptive effects on the grid, failure to take safety measures, operational/test errors, and malfunction of interlocking systems. For example, in cases of exceeding the agreed power, there is a penal condition mechanism that can reach four times the amount calculated based on the system usage fee under certain conditions.
Can a SCADA Failure Lead to the Disconnection of the Production Facility from the Grid?
Here, the legal expression must be correctly formulated: Not every SCADA outage automatically means the power plant will be disconnected from the grid.
However, the connection agreement and relevant legislation allow for the disconnection of a production facility in certain violation and security situations.
Connection Agreement Article 10 regulates that the distribution company can disconnect the producer’s facility in situations requiring energy interruption according to the agreement and legislation, as well as in case of faults and emergencies that affect or may affect the distribution system.
Article 22 of the Regulation on Unlicensed Electricity Generation in the Electricity Market also clearly states that, under necessary conditions, the connection of a production facility can be disconnected in accordance with Article 27 of the Electricity Market Connection and System Usage Regulation.
Therefore, the correct approach for the investor is:
“SCADA is not working, but the power plant continues to generate electricity, so there is no problem.”
is not correct.
Panels and inverters producing power does not mean the facility is fulfilling all its operational obligations.
SCADA is Actually the Digital Record of Your Facility’s Healthy Operation
For an investor, the value of SCADA is not solely regulatory compliance.
A well-operated SCADA system can;
record production values, inverter statuses, grid parameters, breaker positions, active and reactive power, alarms, communication losses, and the past behavior of the facility.
Therefore, if SCADA is correctly designed and operated, it is one of the most important operational record sources for the facility’s performance and technical behavior.
For example, if an investor only looks at the monthly bill, they might see a drop in production. SCADA, however, can provide the necessary data to investigate when, in which equipment, and for what reason the production dropped.
An inverter might have been operating at low power for days. A string might have been disabled. Reactive power limits might have changed. Communication might have been interrupted. A protection equipment might be generating an alarm.
If SCADA is absent or the system has been left idle for years, the investor also loses significant visibility into the technical history of their facility.
Acceptance Done, SCADA Installed: What Then?
This is one of the most common operational errors.
The power plant is accepted. The RTU panel works. The modem is active. Communication with the distribution company is established. Acceptance is completed.
A few years pass.
The SIM card is deactivated. The modem malfunctions. The RTU’s power supply breaks down. Communication configuration changes. IP access is lost. The UPS battery dies. The Ethernet switch malfunctions. The distribution company requests a protocol or endpoint change.
Since the power plant continues to produce, the investor may not notice any of these.
This is where the importance of SCADA operation and maintenance services emerges.
Periodic inspection of the SCADA system is not just about connecting remotely to the screen and saying “it’s working.” RTU, modem, energy analyzer, communication line, protocol, signal list, alarm records, time synchronization, power supply, UPS, and data accessibility on the distribution company side must be evaluated together.
Does Obtaining SCADA Service Remove Responsibility from the Investor?
No.
This point is particularly important.
Connection Agreement Article 13 stipulates that the producer may have its obligations under the agreement performed by third parties through service procurement, but this does not mean the transfer of obligations.
This means an investor can procure services from a professional SCADA operating company and delegate technical operations to them.
However, the responsibility towards the distribution company does not essentially disappear.
Therefore, the task of a SCADA operating company is not merely to go to the site when a fault occurs; it is to establish a proactive operational structure that will help the investor continuously fulfill their contractual and technical obligations.
Who is Responsible in Case of a Cyber Attack?
Energy facilities are no longer just electrical facilities. They are also digital infrastructures containing modems, routers, RTUs, PLCs, industrial protocols, remote access systems, and servers.
Therefore, weak passwords, RTU/PLC ports opened to the internet without control, unupdated devices, shared user accounts, uncontrolled VPN access, or undocumented remote connections pose significant operational risks.
However, a significant legal distinction must be made here:
The occurrence of a cyber attack alone does not automatically eliminate all of the producer’s obligations under the connection agreement. The nature of the incident, fault, measures taken, notifications, contractual provisions, and force majeure conditions, if any, are evaluated on a case-by-case basis.
Even the force majeure provisions of the connection agreement stipulate the reporting of the conditions, duration, and measures taken that caused the non-fulfillment of the obligation.
Furthermore, EPDK‘s Cybersecurity Competence Model Regulation in the Energy Sector introduces a separate regulation for the cyber resilience and minimum security levels of industrial control systems for energy organizations within its scope. However, it should be specifically noted that this Regulation is not automatically applied to every small unlicensed GES; the scope is determined by criteria such as the nature of the facility, license/power status, and TEİAŞ SCADA/EMS communication structure.
Therefore, the approach “We are a small production facility, cybersecurity does not concern us” is also incorrect. Even if outside the scope of the specific EPDK cybersecurity regulation, secure operation of SCADA/RTU, control of access, and maintenance of connection agreement obligations remain important for the investor.
SCADA is an Operational System, Not an Acceptance Equipment
The investment made in a production facility is not limited to panels, inverters, and transformers.
A grid-connected production facility needs to be;
measured, monitored, communicated with, protected, recorded, and controlled when necessary.
Therefore, viewing SCADA and RTU systems merely as a necessary cost item during the acceptance phase is a serious operational error.
Leaving the SCADA infrastructure idle can mean losing technical visibility of the facility, late detection of faults, and in certain situations, risking a violation of communication and operational obligations in the connection agreement.
Moreover, the standard connection agreement stipulates a penal condition of 1% of the amount calculated based on the system usage fee for each day the violation continues if faulty communication equipment is not repaired despite a written warning.
Therefore, the right question in production facilities is:
“Has SCADA been installed?”
not;
“Is SCADA working today, is it continuously transmitting correct data to the grid operator, are its records being kept, and is the system being operated securely?”
should be asked.
Reltek Energy – SCADA Operation, Maintenance, and Data Communication Services
As Reltek Energy, we address SCADA and RTU systems in production facilities not only during the installation and commissioning phase but also throughout the operational process, considering communication continuity, fault tracking, RTU and modem control, signal verification, remote access, data records, maintenance, and distribution company SCADA integration.
Because an operational production facility is not just one that generates electricity; it is a facility that can be measured, monitored, communicated with, and can record its technical status.