Pakistan grid operator sets deadline to restore plant telemetry links

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Pakistan grid telemetry deadline

Highlights

National Grid Company of Pakistan Limited ordered power producers to restore remote telemetry units and communication links by deadlines specified in an official letter's annexure.
NGC aims to lift SCADA data quality to at least 95 percent by October 31, 2026, per Grid Code 2023 requirements for real-time data exchange.
Timely restoration of telemetry links by independent power producers is critical for meeting national data-quality targets and ensuring secure, efficient grid operations.

SCADA restoration plan and compliance deadlines

As reported by Pakistan Business Recorder, the National Grid Company of Pakistan Limited has directed concerned independent power producers and other plant operators to restore remote telemetry units, gateways and associated communication links by target dates set out in an annexure to an official letter.

In the communication sent to CPPA-G CEO Rihan Akhtar, NGC Managing Director Altaf Hussain stresses the need to restore real-time data transmission from identified stations so that operational data remains available to the system operator. The company says the step forms part of an accelerated plan to lift SCADA data quality to at least 95 percent by October 31, 2026.

The letter cites Grid Code 2023, including Clauses OC 9.5.3.2 and OC 9.5.3.5, which require each user to install and maintain, at its own cost, the telemetry, networking and communication equipment needed for real-time data exchange with the system operator's SCADA platform. Those provisions also bar users from withholding such operational data.

Plant operators and companies are also instructed to nominate station-wise focal persons to work with the Independent System and Market Operator and NGC's SCADA-III Project Management Unit. They must confirm successful restoration of real-time data transmission to ISMO, with a copy sent to the office of the NGC managing director.

Grid reliability and operational impact

NGC says telemetry restoration at its own stations is proceeding on schedule, but reaching the wider data-quality goal also depends on the timely recovery of links at the stations listed in the annexure. The company's SCADA-III Project Management Unit and regional telecommunications teams are set to provide technical support and coordinate interfaces with plant operators during the restoration process.

Reliable real-time data exchange between power plants and the system operator is central to the secure, reliable and efficient operation of Pakistan's national grid. SCADA systems help monitor and supervise power-system equipment, while telemetry links carry operating information from generating stations to the system operator.

Accurate and timely data is particularly important for tracking the status of generating units and other grid-connected facilities. Any interruption in telemetry or communications can reduce visibility over plant operating conditions, limiting the information available for grid management.

In our earlier article on Pakistan’s Tax Year 2026 income tax return filing deadline, we covered growing calls for the Federal Board of Revenue to grant more time for submissions after the final return form notification and ongoing IRIS portal issues. The piece highlighted arguments from tax experts and business groups that procedural requirements and persistent technical glitches are undermining compliance and increasing the risk of penalties unless the deadline is extended and pending extension requests are resolved.

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