Inter State Transmission System
RECPDCL’s 10th amendment to the Shongtong–Tidong evacuation RFP marks a subtle but decisive hardening of technical requirements in INTER STATE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM projects. The amendment replaces a generic firewall reference with a detailed, CEA-compliant cyber security architecture that the transmission service provider must design, supply and commission.
The change directly affects the 400/220 kV GIS pooling station at Jhangi, where all SCADA, PMU and IEC-61850 traffic must now pass through redundant OT-grade next-generation firewalls. By embedding these requirements into the RFP, RECPDCL has transformed cyber security into a regulated deliverable within the INTER STATE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM asset base.
For bidders, this raises both technical and commercial stakes. Certification thresholds such as EAL4+ and IEC 62443 compliance limit OEM choices, while integration responsibility sits entirely with the TSP. In a fixed-tariff INTER STATE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM, mispricing cyber scope could erode margins or delay COD.
From a governance lens, the amendment reflects lessons from earlier ISTS projects where cyber controls were layered post-commissioning, often triggering audit observations. Front-loading requirements now reduces downstream disputes but increases bid complexity.As transmission corridors increasingly support large hydro and renewable capacity, regulators are treating the INTER STATE TRANSMISSION SYSTEM as critical digital infrastructure. The Shongtong–Tidong amendment is likely to influence future RFPs, setting a baseline where cyber resilience is inseparable from physical grid reliability, Inter State Transmission System, ISTS cyber security, Shongtong Tidong RFP, RECPDCL amendment, transmission firewall.
