Digital Power Grids: Russia’s SMZU Technology Boosts Network Capacity Without New Construction
At the end of 2025, a landmark digital transformation project was implemented in the power system of Russia’s Ryazan region. A branch of the System Operator, Ryazan RDU, deployed a domestically developed Digital Stability Margin Monitoring System (SMZU) to control a critical network interface known as the “MDN Ryazan GRES-220” corridor.
Powering Networks With Intelligence Instead of Wires
Developed by NTCE UES and the System Operator of the Unified Energy System, the SMZU platform is a software-and-hardware complex that continuously analyzes the real-time state of the power grid. Its core function is to calculate the maximum permissible active power flows while accounting for constantly changing grid topology and operating conditions. In practice, the system provides dispatchers with a precise digital twin of the network, revealing latent capacity that would otherwise remain unused.
The results are tangible. In the Ryazan region, SMZU increased the allowable power transfer through the monitored interface by up to 15%, while unlocking an additional 130 MW of generation potential at Ryazan GRES in certain operating scenarios. This effect is equivalent to commissioning a new, small generating unit, but achieved without construction, land use, or large capital expenditures.
Positioning SMZU Within the Digital Energy Transition
The deployment of SMZU fits squarely into Russia’s broader push to digitize its fuel and energy complex, where automation, intelligent control, and technological self-reliance are strategic priorities. Systems like SMZU are being developed in parallel with other large-scale initiatives: the construction and deep modernization of digital substations nationwide, which form the backbone of smart distribution networks; the rollout of advanced metering infrastructure and automated dispatch control systems to improve grid observability and controllability; and pilot projects using artificial intelligence for load forecasting, equipment diagnostics, and decision support for system operators.
In this context, SMZU represents a foundational building block of a future power system that is flexible, data-driven, and optimized for efficiency under growing demand and operational complexity.
From Pilot Projects to Proven, System-Wide Results
The Ryazan deployment is not an isolated experiment but part of a coordinated national strategy pursued by the System Operator.
In the Kemerovo region, SMZU has been implemented across 33 network interfaces, increasing transmission capacity by 11–20% while reducing the risk of constraints for large industrial consumers. In another case, deploying the system on two monitored interfaces enabled up to 200 MW of additional output from Smolensk GRES and CHP-2 without any grid reconstruction.
In the Leningrad regional dispatch center, SMZU was rolled out across nine interfaces, raising network capacity by approximately 9% and optimizing the operating regimes of power plant equipment.
Together, these cases demonstrate that SMZU is a mature, production-ready technology delivering predictable and meaningful benefits across very different regional grid conditions.
Saving Billions Through Smarter Grid Management
The Ryazan project illustrates that digitalization in the power sector is not an abstract concept but a practical tool for addressing concrete infrastructure and economic challenges. SMZU improves reliability, enables more efficient use of existing assets, and postpones the need for costly construction of new transmission lines.
Over the long term, the successful development and scaling of domestic solutions like SMZU lays the groundwork for a potential export technology stack. Russian digital platforms for power system management could become attractive to developing economies and CIS countries facing similar challenges in optimizing grid resources under constrained investment conditions.
