Conprove at DPSP Global 2026: Reconnecting with CIGRE WG B5.86 in London

Conprove attended the 20th IET International Conference on Developments in Power System Protection (DPSP Global 2026) in London, UK (2–6 March 2026)—a world-leading forum where the protection community aligns on what’s next in power system protection, from research insights to practical engineering decisions that impact real networks.

Event link: https://dpsp.theiet.org/2026-global

A global protection forum with real engineering impact

DPSP stands out because it consistently brings together the stakeholders who shape protection outcomes across the full lifecycle—utilities, manufacturers, consultants, integrators, researchers, and practitioners. The result is not just “discussion,” but a shared understanding of where protection is heading as grids evolve under:

Increasing complexity in system behavior and operating conditions
New performance expectations (speed, selectivity, dependability, security)
Digitization of substations and the wider protection ecosystem
The need for validation, repeatability, and evidence-based engineering

For clients and partners, that matters because protection decisions ultimately translate to risk posture (misoperations vs. missed trips), availability, and cost of ownership. DPSP is one of the best environments to calibrate those decisions against the latest thinking and field realities.

Hosted at IET London: Savoy Place

DPSP Global 2026 was hosted at IET London: Savoy Place, the global headquarters of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). Located on the north bank of the River Thames, Savoy Place combines the character of a historic engineering venue with modern event spaces—an appropriate setting for conversations about how protection engineering continues to evolve while staying grounded in fundamentals.

Meeting colleagues from CIGRE Working Group B5.86

A highlight of the week was reconnecting with colleagues from CIGRE Working Group B5.86, including Rannveig Løken, Volker Leitloff, René Troost, and Alexander Apostolov. These moments are important—not only as professional connections, but because working groups like B5.86 are where the industry turns complex challenges into structured technical work, creating alignment on approaches, terminology, and expectations that can be adopted across organizations and regions.

In a field where outcomes depend on precision, coordination, and interoperable engineering practices, the value of those technical networks is significant. Strong working-group collaboration helps accelerate:

Shared understanding of emerging protection requirements
Consistency in how performance is interpreted and validated
Better conversations between specification, implementation, and testing teams
Practical clarity on what “good engineering” looks like under real constraints

Why this matters to clients: protection modernization requires alignment and evidence

Protection modernization is increasingly multi-dimensional. The challenges are no longer limited to a single device or a single bay—they are system-level, spanning communications, time behavior, cybersecurity boundaries, engineering processes, and commissioning workflows.

That is precisely why DPSP is so relevant: it creates a venue where the community can align on how to deliver protection that is:

Reliable (dependable when it must operate)
Secure (resistant to false operations)
Testable (verifiable across scenarios, including edge conditions)
Maintainable (supporting long-term lifecycle operations)

For Conprove, participating in DPSP and staying engaged with CIGRE working groups supports a simple objective: helping clients navigate protection modernization with confidence, backed by rigorous engineering practice and a commitment to validation-driven decision-making.

Looking ahead: strengthening collaboration across the ecosystem

The conversations at DPSP reinforced a reality we see across projects globally: successful modernization requires more than technology adoption—it requires cross-organization alignment on processes, interfaces, and acceptance criteria.

That alignment is built through the kind of technical exchange DPSP enables and the structured collaboration that working groups like CIGRE B5.86 deliver.

Event link (DPSP Global 2026): https://dpsp.theiet.org/2026-global