Application and development of fibre optics in China Light & Power Company Limited

The provision of reliable, adequate and high quality inter and intra station communication links is of vital importance to the successful operation of an electric utility. With the continual expansion of the China Light & Power (CLP) electricity supply system and the ever-increasing demand in high speed communication links for the Company´s business applications, the in-house communication network must be upgraded, in both its available bandwidth and transmission quality, to satisfy the existing and future needs of the Company. The advent of fibre optic technology has provided a partial solution to these requirements. The author reviews the advantages of fibre optic applications in an electric utility environment, and examines the past, present and likely future applications of this technology in CLP