We design, build and commission LV and MV power distribution and industrial networks for plants across the UAE, Saudi Arabia and the wider GCC. That covers switchgear, MCCs, drives, UPS and 24 V DC, together with PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus and EtherNet/IP networks built for redundancy.
Every control system depends on two things it does not control itself: clean, protected power and a network that carries data on time. We design, build, test and commission both, from the MV incomer down to the 24 V DC that feeds a single I/O card, and from the plant backbone down to the last field device.
LV and MV power distribution and industrial networks sit underneath every PLC, DCS and SCADA system we deliver. If a breaker trips on nuisance harmonics, or a switch loop takes a second to heal, the best control logic in the world will still drop the plant. So we treat power and networks as part of the automation scope, not as somebody else's problem at the battery limit.
On TenneT's 980 MW HVDC offshore wind converter platform, built by McDermott at its Jebel Ali yard in Dubai, we commissioned the control system that runs the platform's power management system (PMS). That work covered redundant Siemens S7-400H controllers, PRP redundant networks, PROFINET over multimode fibre and redundant 24 V DC supplies. The same approach applies to substations, process plants, utilities and infrastructure across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain.
Switchgear, switchboards, motor control centres, transformers and the protection that keeps faults small and selective.
Variable frequency drives, UPS systems and 24 V DC trains that keep instruments, controllers and networks alive through disturbances.
PROFIBUS, PROFINET, Modbus and EtherNet/IP, with redundant topologies, certified cabling and segmentation designed for the process.
Distribution equipment is chosen once and lived with for 25 years or more. Getting the rating, separation and protection right at design stage avoids derating, nuisance trips and unsafe maintenance later.
IEC 61439 replaced the old type-tested and partially type-tested assembly concept with design verification. The original manufacturer proves the design for temperature rise, short-circuit withstand, dielectric strength and clearances. The panel builder then carries out routine verification on every assembly before it ships. Part 2 covers power switchgear and controlgear assemblies, which includes most switchboards and MCCs. Internal arc behaviour is assessed separately under IEC TR 61641.
Forms of separation describe how live parts are segregated inside the assembly. Form 1 has no internal separation. Form 2 separates busbars from functional units. Form 3 also separates functional units from each other. Form 4 adds separation of outgoing terminals, so one feeder can be worked on while its neighbours stay live. For critical process MCCs we normally recommend Form 4b with withdrawable units.
An intelligent MCC replaces hardwired start, stop, run and trip signals with motor management relays on PROFINET, Modbus TCP or EtherNet/IP. Each starter then reports current, thermal capacity, trip cause, running hours and start counts. This cuts marshalling and cabling, and gives maintenance teams real condition data. The trade-off is that the network becomes part of the motor control path, so redundancy and a hardwired emergency stop remain essential.
IEC 62271-200 covers AC metal-enclosed switchgear from above 1 kV up to and including 52 kV, typically 6.6, 11 and 33 kV in the GCC. Two classifications matter most. Internal arc classification (IAC), such as AFLR, states which sides of the panel are tested as safe for personnel during an internal arc. Loss of service continuity category (LSC), such as LSC2, states how much of the board stays energised when one compartment is opened. Circuit breakers themselves are tested to IEC 62271-100.
| Item | What to specify | Typical reference |
|---|---|---|
| LV switchboard | Rated current at site ambient, short-circuit rating, form of separation, IP rating IEC 61439-2 | Form 4b, 50 kA 1 s |
| MCC | Starter type, coordination type, withdrawable or fixed, motor management relay protocol IEC 60947-4-1 | Type 2 coordination |
| MV switchgear | Rated voltage, short-time current, IAC class, LSC category IEC 62271-200 | IAC AFLR, LSC2 |
| Protection relays | Functions, CT and VT ratios, communication and time sync IEC 60255 | IEC 61850, PTP or SNTP |
Protection clears faults. Power management keeps the plant running when generation or supply is lost. Drives and UPS systems shape the quality of the power that reaches the process.
Numerical relays to IEC 60255 provide overcurrent, earth fault, differential and distance protection. IEC 61850 replaces hardwired interlocks with GOOSE messages and gives SCADA a structured data model over MMS. A clean SCL configuration file is the single source of truth for the substation.
A PMS monitors generation and import capacity against load. When a generator or incomer trips, it sheds pre-assigned loads in priority order fast enough to stop frequency collapse. It also handles synchronising, load sharing and controlled restart.
Drives to the IEC 61800 series save energy and give soft starting, but they inject harmonic currents. IEEE 519 sets voltage and current distortion limits at the point of common coupling. Mitigation options include 12 or 18 pulse rectifiers, active front ends and active or passive filters.
IEC 62040-3 classifies UPS performance. Double conversion units (VFI) isolate the load from mains disturbances and suit control and safety systems. We size autonomy, battery type and bypass arrangement around what the load needs to shut down safely or ride through.
Controllers, I/O and switches live on 24 V DC. Two supplies feed a redundancy module so that one can fail or be replaced without interruption. Electronic circuit breakers on each output trip selectively, even on a current-limited supply.
Low-voltage earthing follows IEC 60364, substation grids are often designed to IEEE 80, and lightning protection follows IEC 62305. Separate clean instrument earths, bonded at one point, keep noise out of signals and network screens.
On the TenneT converter platform, two redundant S7-400H systems shared the work. KE0001 ran integrated monitoring and control (IMAC) and KE0002 ran the power management system. Each used CPU 410-5H processors, PS 405 power supplies and CP 443-1 communication processors. ET 200SP HA distributed I/O connected over PROFINET on LC multimode fibre.
The 24 V DC supply used SITOP PSU6200 trains feeding a SITOP RED1200 redundancy module, with E-T-A REX12D electronic circuit breakers on the outgoing circuits. Interface relays were marshalled on push-in terminals, and every device carried an IEC 81346 reference designation, so drawings, labels and software tags all matched. That discipline made loop checks and fault finding much faster during commissioning.
Most of these protocols are standardised as communication profiles under IEC 61158 and IEC 61784. The right choice depends on the control platform, the devices, the speed needed and what is already installed.
| Network | Physical layer and speed | Where it fits |
|---|---|---|
| PROFIBUS DP | RS-485 copper, 9.6 kbit/s to 12 Mbit/s, up to 126 addresses IEC 61158 | Remote I/O, drives and MCCs on existing Siemens plants |
| PROFIBUS PA | MBP, 31.25 kbit/s, power and data on one pair, intrinsically safe options IEC 61158-2 | Field instruments in hazardous areas |
| PROFINET | Ethernet, 100 Mbit/s full duplex, RT and IRT classes, conformance classes A to C IEC 61784-2 | New Siemens and multi-vendor plants, remote I/O, drives |
| Modbus RTU | RS-485 serial, master and slave polling, simple register map | Packaged equipment, meters, gas detection panels |
| Modbus TCP | Ethernet, client and server on TCP port 502 | Third-party skids, UPS, generators, relays without IEC 61850 |
| EtherNet/IP | Ethernet with CIP, implicit I/O and explicit messaging, DLR rings | Rockwell-based plants and devices that support CIP |
A line topology is cheap but one failed device or cable cuts off everything downstream. A ring closes the line so traffic can take the other way round. Media Redundancy Protocol (MRP, IEC 62439-2) manages PROFINET rings and recovers in up to 200 ms in a standard ring. That is fine for most process control but not for every application. EtherNet/IP uses Device Level Ring (DLR) for the same purpose.
Where no interruption at all is acceptable, IEC 62439-3 gives two zero-recovery methods. Parallel Redundancy Protocol (PRP) sends every frame over two fully independent networks, LAN A and LAN B, and the receiver discards the duplicate. High-availability Seamless Redundancy (HSR) does the same in a single ring, sending frames both ways. On the TenneT platform we used SCALANCE XF204-2BA DNA switches, where DNA means dual network access, to connect devices to PRP networks.
Copper Ethernet is limited to 100 m per segment and picks up interference near drives and MV cables. Fibre is immune to electromagnetic interference, gives galvanic isolation between buildings with different earth potentials, and reaches far further. Multimode OM3 or OM4 suits links inside a plant. Single-mode OS2 suits long runs between substations and process areas. We normally use copper inside panels and fibre between them.
Design starts with a traffic and availability analysis. We work out update times, device counts per segment and which links need redundancy. Copper cabling is certified with a field tester against ISO/IEC 11801 channel limits, with PROFINET installations also checked against the PROFIBUS and PROFINET International installation guidelines. Fibre is tested for insertion loss with a light source and power meter, and with an OTDR on long or spliced runs, following ISO/IEC 14763-3. PROFIBUS segments are checked with a bus analyser for signal quality, termination and reflections.
Segmentation follows the zones and conduits model in IEC 62443-3-2. Safety systems, basic process control, power management and business networks sit in separate zones, with firewalls or data diodes on the conduits between them. This contains faults and broadcast storms as well as cyber threats. For deeper security work see our page on control system upgrades and OT cyber security.
We work to the edition of each standard named in the project specification. These are the ones that come up most often.
Design and routine verification of LV switchboards, MCCs and distribution boards.
Metal-enclosed switchgear above 1 kV to 52 kV, including IAC and LSC.
Measuring relays and protection equipment, functional and environmental tests.
Data model, GOOSE, MMS, SCL configuration and conformance testing.
Adjustable speed drive ratings, EMC and electrical safety.
Voltage and current distortion limits at the point of common coupling.
UPS safety, EMC and performance classification.
Fieldbus and industrial Ethernet protocols and their profiles.
High-availability networks, including MRP, PRP and HSR.
The same steps apply whether we are supplying a new MCC and network, or upgrading a live plant one feeder at a time.
Every scope ends with a documented, traceable installation that your own team can maintain.
| Document | Content |
|---|---|
| Single line diagrams | MV and LV distribution with ratings, protection and interlocks |
| Power system studies | Load flow, short circuit, coordination, arc flash and harmonics IEEE 519 |
| Relay settings files | Settings, logic and SCL files for every IED IEC 61850 |
| Network architecture | Topology, redundancy, zones, conduits, IP and VLAN plan IEC 62443-3-2 |
| Cable test reports | Certification results for every copper and fibre link ISO/IEC 11801 |
| Panel documentation | GA drawings, schematics, routine verification records IEC 61439 |
| FAT and SAT records | Signed test procedures, punch lists and redundancy test results IEC 62381 |
Equipment that works in a European plant can overheat or fail early in Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Riyadh or Doha. Design has to start from the real site ambient.
Power and network work usually sits alongside a wider automation scope. See our PLC, DCS and SCADA system integration services, our control system commissioning teams, and our control system fault finding service for network and power problems on running plants. For complete packages from design to handover, see turnkey control system projects, or ask about commissioning teams of 50 or 100 people.
Short answers to what clients ask us most. For anything specific to your plant, talk to an engineer.
Low voltage (LV) covers systems up to 1,000 V AC, such as 400 V switchboards and MCCs built to IEC 61439. Medium voltage (MV) covers roughly 1 kV to 52 kV, such as 11 kV and 33 kV switchgear built to IEC 62271-200. MV feeds transformers that step down to LV for motors, lighting and control power.
Forms of separation, defined in IEC 61439-2, describe how busbars, functional units and terminals are segregated inside an assembly. They range from Form 1 with no separation to Form 4 where each feeder and its terminals are separated. Higher forms let you work on one circuit while others stay live, which matters for continuous process plants.
PROFINET is faster, uses standard Ethernet, supports ring and PRP redundancy and gives richer diagnostics, so it is the usual choice for new plants. PROFIBUS DP still works well and is widely installed, and PROFIBUS PA remains common for instruments in hazardous areas. Many upgrades keep PROFIBUS PA in the field and move the backbone to PROFINET.
MRP (IEC 62439-2) manages a single ring and reroutes traffic after a break, typically within 200 ms. PRP and HSR (IEC 62439-3) send duplicate frames over two paths so that a single failure causes no interruption at all. PRP uses two separate networks, while HSR uses one ring with frames sent in both directions.
The power management system continuously compares available generation or import capacity with running load. If a generator or incomer trips, it immediately opens breakers on pre-assigned loads in priority order so the remaining supply is not overloaded. This prevents frequency collapse and a full plant blackout.
Not always, but large drive loads often push distortion above the IEEE 519 limits at the point of common coupling. A harmonic study shows whether mitigation is needed. Options include line reactors, multi-pulse rectifiers, active front end drives and active filters.
Use copper inside panels and for short runs up to 100 m away from strong interference. Use fibre between buildings, near MV equipment and drives, and for long runs, because it is immune to electrical noise and isolates different earth potentials. Multimode fibre suits most plant links and single-mode suits long distances.
Yes. We work across the GCC, including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain, from our offices in Dubai and the UK. We follow the client's own specifications, such as Saudi Aramco, ADNOC, QatarEnergy and PDO standards, alongside the relevant IEC standards.
Send us your single line diagram, network drawings and scope, and we will reply with a clear technical and commercial proposal. We cover design, panel supply, cable testing, commissioning and fault finding for LV and MV power distribution and industrial networks across the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Call +971 54 774 6012 or message us on WhatsApp at +44 7746 964222.
