INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR SCADA-COMMUNICATION FAILURES: LEVERAG

ING VPN TECHNOLOGY FOR RELIABLE SUB-STATION DATA TRANSFER

Engr. Adzua Peter Terseer

Transmission Company of Nigeria, SCADA Department, Nigeria
Adzuapeter.t@gmail.com

Engr. Adejoh Monday Salami

Federal University Lafia, Directorate of ICT, Nigeria
msadejoh@gmail.com

Akighirga Luter Richard

Joseph Sarwuan Tarka University (Formerly, University of Agriculture Makurdi), Department of
Electrical/Electronics Engineering, Nigeria
akighirgaluterrichard@gmail.com

ABSTRACT
The Nigerian National power grid collapses indiscriminately. According to available literature, th
e grid has incredibly collapsed for Seven hundred and seventy five (775) times over a twenty-fou
r (24) year period beginning from year 2000. This alarming collapse frequency is majorly attribut
ed to the lack of a reliable SCADA/EMS system necessary to perceive disturbances and activate
mitigating actions. SCADA systems acquire real-time data from remote field equipment for the p
urpose of supervision, control and system analysis. In order to achieve a dependable SCADA sys
tem, a survivable and resilient telecommunication infrastructure must exist. However, the Nigeri
an SCADA network of over two hundred and thirty (230) substations is plagued by weak, unrelia
ble, radial, obsolete and non-interoperable telecommunication infrastructure. This has rendered t
he SCADA system inefficient and only capable of a real-time substation visibility of about 20%
of the entire grid network. For a fact, robust telecommunication backbones are high priced and e
ven when successfully deployed, require huge amounts and support for maintenance. In this pape
r, the use of Virtual Private Network (VPN) technology to remotely transmit real-time substation
data to the NCC for enhanced power system operations at very low cost of deployment and main
tenance is explored. By integrating VPN technology, we aim to enhance data security, reduce late
ncy, and ensure seamless communication between substations and the NCC. This technology is
good as a stop-gap telecommunication solution and for low budget power systems. Using the Nig
erian National Power Grid for demonstrations and investigations, theoretical models and equatio
ns are presented to illustrate the solution's impact on data transmission performance. The propose
d solution is evaluated through field deployments, demonstrating its efficacy in maintaining data
integrity and availability.
ABSTRACT The frequency of the Nigerian power grid
collapse is alarming and undesirable for
The Nigerian National power grid collapses
business and domestic customers. Data
indiscriminately. According to available liter
obtained from the National Control Centre
ature, the grid has incredibly collapsed for
NCC, Osogbo shows that over a twenty-four
Seven hundred and seventy five (775) times
(24) year period beginning by the turn of the
over a twenty-four (24) year period beginnin
millennium, the grid has incredibly
g from year 2000. This alarming collapse fre
collapsed for seven hundred and seventy-
quency is majorly attributed to the lack of a
five (775) times. Although Engineers often
reliable SCADA/EMS system necessary to p
attribute this fragility of the grid to sudden
erceive disturbances and activate mitigating
loss of critical infrastructure in the presence
actions. SCADA systems acquire real-time d
of inadequate power generation (Jimoh and
ata from remote field equipment for the purp
Raji, 2023), they fail to address the critical
ose of supervision, control and system analy
challenges associated with the decaying
sis. In order to achieve a dependable SCAD
SCADA infrastructure, the brain required
A system, a survivable and resilient telecom
for efficient power grid management.
munication infrastructure must exist. Howev
SCADA systems ensure the reliable and
er, the Nigerian SCADA network of over tw
efficient transmission of real-time substation
o hundred and thirty (230) substations is pla
data to the Control Centre for Grid
gued by weak, unreliable, radial, obsolete an
Operators to maintain grid stability and
d non-interoperable telecommunication infra
prevent failures. This is achieved through a
structure. This has rendered the SCADA syst
survivable and resilient telecommunication
em inefficient and only capable of a real-tim
backbone. The SCADA system for
e substation visibility of about 20% of the en
administering the Nigerian national grid is
tire grid network. For a fact, robust telecom
however plagued by a weak, unreliable, radi
munication backbones are high priced and e
al, obsolete and non-interoperable telecomm
ven when successfully deployed, require hu
unication system (Adzua, 2021). The conven
ge amounts and support for maintenance. In
tional network relies on microwave links, fib
this paper, the use of Virtual Private Networ
re optics and other legacy telecommunicatio
k (VPN) technology to remotely transmit rea
n infrastructures that have been adversely un
l-time substation data to the NCC for enhanc
reliable and often experience faulty terminal
ed power system operations at very low cost
equipment like the Synchronous Digital Hier
of deployment and maintenance is explored.
archy (SDH) and Power Line Communicatio
By integrating VPN technology, we aim to e
n Carrier (PLCC). This either leads to delay
nhance data security, reduce latency, and ens
s or losses in critical grid data exchange. Suc
ure seamless communication between substa
h interruptions compromise the ability of gri
tions and the NCC. This technology is good
d operators to make timely decisions, thereb
as a stop-gap telecommunication solution
y exacerbating the risks of widespread powe
and for low budget power systems. Using th
r outages. In response to these challenges, th
e Nigerian National Power Grid for demonst
ere is a growing interest in leveraging Virtua
rations and investigations, theoretical model
l Private Network (VPN) technology as an al
s and equations are presented to illustrate the
ternative for transmitting real-time substatio
solution's impact on data transmission perfor
n data to the NCC. VPNs, which create secu
mance. The proposed solution is evaluated t
re and encrypted communication channels o
hrough field deployments, demonstrating its
ver public or private networks, offer a promi
efficacy in maintaining data integrity and av
sing solution to bypass the limitations of tra
ailability.
ditional telecommunication methods. By ens
uring continuous and secure data flow, VPN
technology can enhance the reliability of the
1.0 Introduction SCADA (Supervisory Control and Data Acq
uisition) systems, enabling more effective gr Ekeng et al. 2024; and Samuel et al. 2012).
id monitoring and control. This research exp Although these efforts are known industrial
lores the application of VPN technology in t procedures to arrest power system
he context of Nigeria's power grid, specifical disturbances, reliable SCADA systems must
ly focusing on its potential to mitigate the ris first of all be in place to monitor and control
ks that are associated with telecommunicatio the network proactively before such
n failures. By analyzing the technical feasibi schemes can be efficiently utilized.
lity, security implications, and operational b
3.0 SCADA Systems and the Nigerian
enefits of using VPNs for real-time data tran
National Grid
smission, this study aims to provide a robust
framework for improving grid stability and r SCADA is an acronym for Supervisory, Control
educing the frequency of grid collapses. and Data Acquisition. It is a technology that acq
uires real time data from field equipment for the
2.0 The Nigerian National Grid and the I purpose of supervision, control and analysis of p
mplausible Collapse Frequency ower systems and associated field elements. The
Control Centre takes advantage of acquired data
Electricity is a critical component for
for informed and prompt decision making. When
national development. Economically, quality an Energy Management System (EMS) is integr
electricity supply encourages small scale ated, System Operators further benefit from grid
businesses and manufacturing (Eyitayo and management applications like outage planning, l
Makhosazana, 2021; Ahmad et al. 2023). oad forecast, contingency analysis, generation U
The implications of unreliable electricity nit Scheduling and commitment, market settlem
supply range from high operating costs to ents, etc.
diminishing investments which The current SCADA/EMS is a proprietary Energ
consequently hampers economic growth y Management System by SIEMENS with propr
(Kamara, 2017). The Nigerian grid collapse ietary database and inter application messaging s
frequency is a persistent crisis that Nigerians ystem and has been in existence since 2005 (Adz
have come to accept as a normal way of life. ua, 2021). With a national grid of two hundred a
Figure 1 depicts the annual grid collapse nd forty-six (246) interconnected substations
frequency commencing from year 2000. (TCN NCC SP&D Daily Broadcast, 2024), only
9% is visible to the NCC as depicted in figure 2
As it is evident from figure 1, the grid is in a (TCN NCC (SCADA Report, 2024), a situation t
chaotic condition and requires all efforts to hat makes the Grid Operator blind to real-time si
restore reliability. tuation awareness. One major reason behind this
poor substation visibility to the Control Centre is
unreliable telecommunication backbone.

Figure 1: Nigeria’s Power Grid Collapse History from

2000 to 2023
Figure 2: Substation Visibility to NCC using SCADA
Recently, Researchers have recommended with Conventional Telecommunication facility
the implementation of Under-Frequency
Load Shedding Schemes, the However, the spine of an effective SCADA syste
decentralization of the grid and the New m is a sound, reliable and robust telecommunicat
ion infrastructure. Field data acquired by Remot
Line Stability Indices (NLS-I) to predict and
e Terminal Units and Gateways can only arrive t
avert collapses. (Adaji and Raji, 2017; he Control Centre(s) riding on dependable and r
eliable telecommunication network. Nigeria’s gr Pdet = probability that the error detection
id telecommunication system is a hybrid of micr algorithm detects an error.
owave radios, fibre optics and powerline
technology, with varying terminal equipment fro (Shooman, 2002)
m a mix of vendors. While the aged fibre cable e
4.2 Security Overhead Analysis
xperiences daily cuts leading to attenuation chall
enges even in the presence of installed signal bo Security is crucial in VPN, and it is modeled
osters, microwaves continually suffer misalignm based on the complexity of encryption
ents and deployed terminal equipment do not op algorithms and key exchange protocols.
erate across vendor boundaries. Overhead (0sec) introduced by encryption is
4.0 VPN Technology estimated as
Osec =( Etime /T data) x 100 % (3)
A Virtual Private Network (VPN) is a privat
e network established through tunnelling ov where Etime = Time taken for encryption per
er a public network, typically the Internet, ra packet
ther than relying on a dedicated physical con
Tdata = Total time for data transmission
nection. A VPN utilizes virtual connections t
hat are routed through the Internet to link th Additionally, encryption might add extra
e organization with a remote site. The tunnel bytes to the data packet, increasing the total
serves as a distinct logical channel between packet size (PVPN) compared to the original
endpoints and when paired with the appropri packet size (Porig)
ate protocols, ensures the verification of ide PVPN =P orig +Osec (4)
ntity, integrity, and confidentiality by encryp
ting the traffic within the VPN over the publ Where Osec = Additional bytes due to
ic network. Evaluating the impact of the encryption and encapsulation
integration of VPN technology on the This evaluates the additional overhead
SCADA system of Nigeria’s National Grid introduced by encryption when VPN is used
involves analyzing data integrity, security, (Kurose and Ross, 2017).
latency and network reliability.
Using an AES-256 encryption, the data and
4.1 VPN Data integrity key inputs are unambiguously represented as
sequences of bytes with the indexing
Data integrity over the VPN is modeled by c convention;
onsidering the error detection mechanisms e r r
mployed. Using the Harsh-based message A r 0 r 1 r 2 … r (nk−3) (nk−2) (nk−1)(5)
uthentication code HMAC, the probability where nk is a sequence of nk bits.
of detecting an error (Pd) using this
algorithm is expressed as: each byte in the state array is interpreted as
one of the 256 elements of a finite feld, also
n
Pd =1−(1−Pe ) (1) known as a Galois Field, denoted by GF(28).
(Federal Information, 2023)
Where Pe = Probability of error per bit
In order to defne addition and multiplication
n = number of bits in GF(28), each byte {b7 b6 b5 b4 b3 b2 b1 b0} i
in power systems, the overall integrity check s interpreted as a polynomial, denoted by b
(Itotal) is calculated based on the combined (x), as ;
effectiveness of encryption and the error b(x) = b7x7 + b6x6 + b5x5 + b4x4 + b3x3 + b2x2
detection mechanisms. + b1x + b0. (6)
I total=Penc + Pdet (2) For example, {01100011} is represented by t
he polynomial x6 +x5 +x+1. This is very
Where Penc = Probability that the encryption
important for some transformations of t he A
detects tempering
ES algorithms.
4.3 Latency Analysis complementary products uses VPN
technology offered by Ewon Routers to
The total latency (Ltotal) in a network is
remotely connect and work upon machines,
expressed as the sum of propagation delay
(Lprop), Transmission delay (Ltrans), PLCs, drives and HMIs as though the
processing delay (Lproc), and Queuing delay Operators/Engineers were on sight.
(Lqueue). Elsewhere, Bakkersland, a Dutch bakery
uses VPN to ensure the continuous running
Ltotal=L¿ + Ltrans + L proc + Lqueue of machines and prevent stoppages in order
(7) to overcome logistic delays. When alarms
pop up, dirty sensors or the unsecure
Propagation Delay, Lprop = d /c connections are identified and remotely
Where d= distance between nodes and fixed by the supplier or the maintenance
Engineer (Ewon, 2022).
C = speed of light in the medium
5.0 Leveraging VPN for Real-Time Subs
(Approximately 3x108m/s in a vacuum)
tation Data Transfer
Transmission Delay, Ltrans=P/ R
The Nigerian National Grid has about two
Where P = packet size (in bits) and hundred and forty-six (246) remote power
generation and transmission substations
R = Bandwidth of the link (in bits per
(TCN NCC SP&D Substations, 2024) and more
second)
will be commissioned and integrated as the
Processing Delay (Lproc), is the time taken by grid grows making effective grid
routers and other network devices to process management a continuously challenging
packet headers. It is typically measured or task. In order to achieve effective
estimated based on device specifications. monitoring and control, the need for real-
Queuing Delay (Lqueue), is the delay that time substation monitoring and control by
depends on the current network traffic load the NCC cannot be overemphasized. The
and can be modeled using queuing theory VPN technology is therefore adopted and
(Kurose and Ross, 2017). implemented to serve as a stop-gap solution
4.4 Network Reliability for the decaying telecommunication
backbone. It is also a good fit for low budget
Network Reliability in a VPN is expressed power utilities considering the cost-
using the mean time between failure friendliness of the scheme.
(MTBF) and mean time to repair (MTTR)
5.1 Prototyping
Reliability over a given time period (T) is ex
T
pressed as R ( T )=e−( MTBF ) (8) The scheme was designed and implemented
according to figure 3. The materials used
In a VPN context, network reliability might alongside their functions and cost
also consider the failover mechanism and implications required to establish a unit
redundancy provided by the VPN design. VPN
This implies that RVPN =R (T ) X F¿ (9)
Where Fover ═ Failover coefficient factor
(Shooman, 2002; Abdullahi, 2007) based telecommunication link are presented
in table 1.0 and pictorially shown in figure 4.
4.5 Industrial Applications of VPN
Technology 5.2 Network and VPN Tunnel
Configurations
Industrially, the use of VPN technology has
applications across several sectors. In The network configuration of the solution
Chicago, MAAC a manufacturer of was done using winbox, a Mikrotik GUI
thermoforming machines and other based application for Mikrotik Routers
administration for the server and the client address of 172.22.22.2 and static routes
respectively representing the NCC and were added.
substation as shown in figure 5 (Sayeed,
To configure the client R2 and pptp client,
2018)
192.168.40.2/30 and 10.10.11.1/24 were
For the basic configuration of the server R1, respectively used as the WAN and LAN
Wide Area Network (WAN) and Local Area addresses of R2. The basic configuration of
Network (LAN) addresses were respectively R1 was repeated on R2 and the pptp client
assigned as 192.168.30.2/30 and 10.1010/24 user authentication credentials created in R1
and then NATed. The WAN address was also were assigned to R2 to establish pptp
inputted as the Gateway and a DNA server connection between R1 and R2. Following
address 1.1.1.1, was applied. To configure the successful establishment of the pptp
R1 for pptp tunnelling, the pptp server was tunnel, static routes were created on R2 to
enabled and pptp user created for the remote point to R1 (10.10.10.0/24) and then the
connection of the client. A local tunnelling pptp client interface was applied to enable
address of 172.22.22.1, remote tunnel the flow of data between server and client as
well as other network devices.
Table 1.0: Materials used for prototyping and respective cost

Figure 3: Block Diagram of the VPN based Site to Site Substation Data Transfer
 Figure 4: Materials used for prototyping

Fgure 5: PPTP Tunnel Configuration Diagram

Figure 6: Simulation of the VPN Site to Site Data Transfer Solution
5.3 Simulations
During the implementation of the SCADA
project, test kits for interrogating the
connections between the Control Centre and
substation Remote Terminal Units (RTUs)
were provided and the Siemens winpp
application responsible for the interrogation
was installed on the provided kits. In order
to validate the established site to site VPN
tunnel configuration, two test kits with R1
and R2 connected to them were used. While
one served as the Telecontrol Interface (TCI)
that receives, groups and manages RTU
connections to the SCADA, the other served
as the substation RTU as shown in figure 6.
Interrogation was therefore carried out and
real-time RTU data from substation test kit
was received by the TCI test kit and
telecommunication link was confirmed Figure 7: Simulation Results of the VPN solution
okay. See figure 7 for simulation results.
5.4 Deployment
Once simulations were successful, the server
Router R1, was connected to the Telecontrol
interface through the RS232/TCP media
converter using the acquired accessories as
shown in figure 8.

The TCI receives and allows the exchange

of data between the SCADA and the RTU
data.
The Siemens SICAM eRTU is a Remote
Terminal Unit that acquires real-time
switchyard elements data and through a
telecommunication medium, transmits the
acquired data to the Control Centre. It is
modularized into the Power Supply module,
the Central Processing Unit module (CPU),
the Main Communication Protocol (MCP)
module, Analogue and Digital Input as well
as output modules. It offers the flexibility
for other modules to be procured and
integrated based on what is required of the
affected substation.

Figure 9: Substation level Deployment of the VPN based

Site to Site Solution
Through the established pptp tunnel,
SCADA and RTU data is exchanged over
this established telecommunication link.
Figure 9 shows the deployment stage at the
substation.
6.0 Results Discussion
Using VPN based Mikrotik routers produced
a reliable and resilient telecommunication
medium for real-time substation data
Figure 8: Server Connection to the TCI transmission to the NCC. As seen in table
1.0, the project is a cost-effective solution
The MCP module is the interface between
ideal for low-budget power utilities and it is
the RTU and the telecommunication
effective enough for a stop-gap solution for
medium whose output port is a DB25 female
power systems with struggling
RS232 serial interface. A DB25-DB9 RS232
telecommunication systems. Beside the
serial cable is then used to connect this
intellectual requirement of the project, the
module and the RS232/TCP ethernet media
cost is substantially cheap when compared
converter through a gender changer coupler.
to already existing grid telecommunication
A LAN cable then connects the ethernet end
infrastructure. The time-taken-to-deploy per
of the media converter and the client Router
station is less than a day whereas the
R2, through a shared network switch where
conventional telecommunication solutions
internet is also provided.
require weeks to months to establish a single
link. In addition, no power outage is
required to completely install and
successfully establish a link.
Considering the distance between the
Control Centre and the substation, the VPN
based telecommunication service has shown
no boundaries unlike microwave technology
that is incapacitated by long distances and
the interference of bodies withing its line of Operator has improved from 9% to 27%.
sight. The scheme has no barrier to distance so the
gap between remote substations and the
Furthermore, no latency has been
Control Centre does not count.
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