IEC 60870

IEC 60870
Title	IEC 60870
Status	International standard
Committee	International Electrotechnical Commission Technical Committee 57
First published	1980s
Scope	Telecontrol protocols for electric power systems

IEC 60870

IEC 60870 is an international family of International Electrotechnical Commission standards for telecontrol, supervisory control and data acquisition in electric power systems, widely used alongside protocols from IEEE, NERC, CIGRÉ, ETSI, and regional bodies such as European Commission technical frameworks and national grid operators like National Grid (Great Britain), RTE (France), TenneT, and Amprion. It provides layered specifications that connect substations, control centers, and generation assets, interoperating with schemes from Siemens, ABB, Schneider Electric, Hitachi Energy, and independent vendors compliant with IEC 61850, DNP3, and MODBUS ecosystems. The family influences grid automation projects by utilities such as Con Edison, PG&E, E.ON, EnBW, EDF, and regional transmission organizations like PJM Interconnection and CAISO.

Overview

IEC 60870 defines telecontrol protocols and profiles enabling data exchange between devices and control systems in electric power networks; it complements IEC 61850 substation automation work by providing wide-area communication profiles used by organizations including ISO, ITU, CENELEC, BDEW, and national standards bodies like BSI and DIN. The standard is organized into multiple parts addressing message structure, transmission protocols, and application contexts relevant to utilities such as Hydro-Québec, Statkraft, Iberdrola, Naturgy, and grid service companies like GE Vernova. Implementations interoperate with systems from RTU vendors, control center platforms from OSIsoft (now AVEVA), and SCADA suites used by Siemens Energy and Honeywell.

Historical development and standardization

Development began in the late 20th century within IEC Technical Committee 57 and harmonized concepts from national projects undertaken by utilities such as EDF and research institutions like CEA and EPRI. Influenced by communications work from ITU-T, CCITT, and regional projects like CEGB studies and U.S. Department of Energy initiatives, the standard evolved alongside competing protocols developed by vendors including Westinghouse, General Electric, SEL, and academic groups at RWTH Aachen University and Technical University of Munich. Key milestones involved coordination with IEC 61850 working groups, liaison with IEEE 1815 authors, and alignment discussions with IEC 61375 and IEC 60687 committees, reflecting input from grid operators such as RTE and TenneT.

System architecture and protocols (IEC 60870-5 series)

The IEC 60870-5 series specifies link layer, transport, and application profiles used for serial and networked RTU-to-SCADA communications; implementations reference profiles that interoperate with stacks from Ericsson, Nokia, Huawei, Cisco Systems, and industrial automation suppliers like Rockwell Automation. Key protocol elements include balanced and unbalanced link formats, frame formats, and application services for interrogation, spontaneous reporting, and control commands relevant to substations managed by companies such as KEPCO, TEPCO, JERA, and Korea Electric Power Corporation. IEC 60870-5-101 and -104 are commonly deployed: -101 for serial links used by utilities like TransGrid and AusNet Services, and -104 for TCP/IP networks employed by operators including EirGrid and SONI. The series describes ASDU (Application Service Data Unit) types, cause-of-transmission qualifiers, and time-tagging formats interoperable with historian solutions from Schneider Electric and AVEVA.

IEC 60870-6 (TASE/ICCP) and related parts

IEC 60870-6, commonly known by its TASE/ICCP profile, standardizes inter-control center communications to exchange operational data, schedules, and alarms between control centres such as National Grid ESO, EKPC, TransÅland, and cross-border TSOs like ENTSO-E participants. The part supports peer-to-peer exchange, directory services, and information modeling for market coupling and cross-border balancing markets involving entities such as Nord Pool and ENTSO-E. Vendors offering ICCP/TASE-2 gateways include Hexing, OSIsoft, Schneider Electric, and Telvent; national implementations integrate with regulatory frameworks like those from ACER and transmission codes from ENTSO-E member TSOs.

Applications and implementation in power systems

Utilities use IEC 60870 in SCADA architectures for remote telemetry, load shedding schemes, generation dispatch, and grid restoration tasks performed by operators at control centers such as National Grid, PJM, MISO, ERCOT, and NYISO. Typical deployments connect distribution automation devices from manufacturers like SEL, Schneider Electric, Siemens, and ABB to central EMS platforms from GE Vernova and AVEVA. IEC 60870 integrates with protection systems such as those from Alstom and Siemens Energy for fast trip signaling, and with DER platforms from SMA Solar Technology and SolarEdge in distribution networks managed by utilities like E.ON and Iberdrola.

Interoperability, testing, and conformance

Interoperability is validated through conformance testing frameworks established by IEC working groups and event interoperability tests organized at interoperability labs affiliated with institutions like Fraunhofer Society, SINTEF, VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, and industry consortia including OpenSG and GridWise Alliance. Test suites verify protocol behaviors, ASDU mappings, and timing with tools provided by vendors such as UTSR, ProCom, and specialized test labs run by companies like DNV and TÜV Rheinland. Certification and compliance efforts often reference procedures from ISO/IEC joint committees and regional accreditation bodies including UKAS and DAkkS.

Limitations, security concerns, and future developments

Limitations of IEC 60870 include legacy reliance on unencrypted serial links, limited native authentication, and timing constraints that challenge modern cyber-security expectations addressed by agencies like ENISA, NERC (through Critical Infrastructure Protection standards), and national CERTs such as US-CERT and CERT-EU. Security extensions, VPN tunneling, and IPsec deployments from network vendors such as Cisco, Juniper Networks, and Fortinet are commonly used, while research from ETH Zurich, TU Delft, and KTH Royal Institute of Technology proposes enhancements and migration paths toward IEC 61850-centric implementations and IEC-aligned cybersecurity profiles in liaison with ISO/IEC JTC 1. Future work items within IEC TC57 and collaboration with IEEE and CIGRÉ aim to improve secure time synchronization, standardized information models, and cloud-integrated telemetry compatible with smart grid initiatives promoted by IEA and EU Horizon research projects.

Category:International standards