High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi

Programme Overview

Ageing high-voltage infrastructure across the South Caucasus demands urgent technical intervention to maintain regional energy stability.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ This four-day professional course in Tbilisi equips electric power specialists with the engineering and managerial competencies required to modernise transmission lines and high-voltage substations. Participants examine international engineering standards, asset life-extension techniques, and network automation systems essential for upgrading national electrical grids. The curriculum combines theoretical engineering principles with operational project delivery frameworks.

Delegates evaluate the practicalities of modernising air-insulated and gas-insulated substations while integrating contemporary supervisory control and data acquisition systems. Focusing on real-world engineering constraints, the programme reviews condition assessment methodologies, protection relay coordination, and modernised dispatch protocols. Structured specifically for public utility specialists and project delivery teams, the course addresses standard procurement guidelines, environmental safeguards, and occupational health and safety benchmarks relevant to multilateral development bank funding instruments.

By bridging the gap between strategic planning and on-site commissioning, this training supports professionals responsible for capital-intensive electrical infrastructure investments. Working through structured case studies and equipment verification models, attendees master the creation of robust operational upgrade protocols and testing schedules. The programme prepares power engineers and managers to deliver complex transmission rehabilitation schemes safely, efficiently, and in full compliance with rigorous international technical specifications.

Transmission systems across the Caucasus are undergoing extensive capital rehabilitation to address supply bottlenecks, integrate renewable power, and enhance regional cross-border exchanges.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Civil and electrical engineers delivering large-scale investments, such as the US$52m Electricity Transmission Network Improvement Project, face strict requirements to execute high-voltage equipment replacements within live operational environments. This programme provides timely technical skills in safety, digital automation, and international commissioning benchmarks needed to complete these public utility upgrades on schedule.

Delivered by Risalat Consultants International in Tbilisi, Georgia, it combines expert-led sessions, real cases and group work, so that participants can apply what they learn in their own institution.

The Programme Strengthens Institutional Capability

• Assessment of existing high-voltage transmission lines, overhead towers, and corridor constraints
• Diagnostic testing methods for high-voltage power transformers and pressurized oil equipment
• Insulation coordination, surge arresters, and overvoltage protection according to IEC 60071
• Asset life-extension strategies versus complete capital replacement for aged electrical plant
• World Bank and ADB technical due diligence standards for high-voltage rehabilitation schemes
• Modern air-insulated switchgear (AIS) and gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) selection and layout design
• Civil engineering requirements for transformer foundations, bunding, and seismic resilience
• Substation earthing system design and evaluation using the IEEE 80 standard
• Strategic thinking and direction setting
• Leading and developing teams
• Decision making and problem solving
• Communication and influence

It is designed for high-voltage electrical transmission engineers, substation design and maintenance engineers, project Implementation Unit (PIU) directors and technical managers and others who want practical, current skills in leadership, management and communication.

The Growing Importance of High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi

Institutions change faster than ever: new policies, technologies and expectations from citizens and partners. Leaders and managers who can set direction, build teams and manage change make the difference between plans and results.

Strong leadership is a set of practical skills: deciding, communicating, negotiating, developing people and leading change. These skills can be learnt and improved with practice and feedback.

Organisations increasingly require professionals capable of:

• Set clear direction and priorities
• Lead and motivate teams through change
• Communicate and negotiate effectively
• Manage performance fairly
• Make sound decisions under pressure

Strong leadership, management and communication systems help organisations:

• Turn strategies into results
• Build motivated, capable teams
• Manage change with less resistance
• Improve relations with partners and stakeholders

This High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi programme brings these elements together in a practical format, so that participants understand not only what good practice looks like but also how to introduce it in their own setting, with the people and resources they have.

Who Should Attend This High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training?

This programme is designed for:

• High-voltage electrical transmission engineers
• Substation design and maintenance engineers
• Project Implementation Unit (PIU) directors and technical managers
• Grid operations and system dispatch controllers
• Civil engineers supervising electrical substation structures
• Power utility procurement and contract management specialists
• Occupational health and safety officers in electric utility companies
• Technical advisers monitoring donor-financed power transmission projects
• Directors and senior managers
• Heads of department and unit
• Middle managers and team leaders
• Project and programme managers

The programme suits experienced professionals as well as those moving into new responsibilities. Groups that mix institutions and countries are encouraged, because participants learn a great deal from each other’s experience.

High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training Objectives

Upon successful completion of this High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Evaluate high-voltage transmission asset condition using standard diagnostic testing methodologies
• Apply IEC and IEEE standards to the design, specification, and modernisation of electrical substations
• Incorporate digital supervisory control and data acquisition systems into existing national grid dispatch architectures
• Manage high-voltage occupational safety risks in accordance with international utility standards
• Prepare comprehensive commissioning schedules for high-voltage transformers and switchgear
• Formulate operational upgrade protocols for live-line works and planned network outages
• Supervise project implementation schedules in alignment with donor-funded engineering, procurement, and environmental safeguards
• Explain current approaches to leadership in public and private institutions
• Set direction and priorities for their team
• Lead, motivate and develop people

Each objective is practised during the programme through exercises, cases or group work, so that participants leave able to do it, not only to describe it.

Programme Contents and Structure

High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training Methodology

The training employs a practical, adult-learning methodology designed for technical practitioners and public sector engineers.⁣​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌⁣ Lectures introducing international standards are immediately supported by comparative case studies of grid rehabilitation programmes across the region. Working in small teams, participants analyse equipment datasheets, single-line diagrams, and diagnostic test reports to prepare actionable project deliverables, concluding with peer reviews and expert feedback.

The programme combines:

• Expert-led sessions on current practice
• Regional and international case studies
• Group work and practical exercises
• Simulations and role plays where relevant
• Discussion of participants' own challenges
• Peer learning across institutions and countries
• Practical tools and templates to take back to work
• Daily reflection and action planning

Before the programme, a short pre-assessment helps the facilitators understand each participant’s role and priorities, so that examples and exercises can be adjusted to the group. Each day ends with a short reflection in which participants note what they will apply at work.

Expected Outcomes

Upon completion of this High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training, participants will be able to:

• Demonstrated ability to select appropriate AIS or GIS modernisation options based on technical and financial viability
• Proficiency in developing site-specific substation safety management and grounding verification plans
• Capacity to specify IEC 61850 communication requirements for substation automation and protection systems
• Competence in drafting staged outage protocols that minimise supply disruptions during equipment replacement
• Practical skill in preparing structured Site Acceptance Testing and commissioning files for electrical plant
• Improved oversight of procurement and contract execution for donor-financed transmission network schemes
• Set clear direction and priorities
• Lead and develop teams

Participants leave with a personal action plan and practical tools they can use in their institution from the first week back. Institutions that send several participants can use the programme to agree shared methods and templates across teams, which makes improvements easier to sustain.

Institutional Application of High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training

This programme supports organisations in strengthening:

• Leadership and management
• Team development
• Change management
• Communication
• Performance management

Participants return with practical tools to improve:

• Team plans
• Coaching
• Change plans
• Stakeholder communication
• Performance reviews

The programme is built so that learning moves from the classroom into the institution. Participants work on their own processes and documents where possible, and leave with an action plan that their managers can review and support.

Regional Relevance & Application

Europe

European institutions apply leadership, management and communication within detailed regulatory frameworks and reform agendas. Participants from Europe can compare their practice with colleagues from other regions and test how established methods work under different conditions.

Africa

Across Africa, ministries, agencies and project teams working in leadership, management and communication increasingly operate alongside donor-financed programmes that expect clear systems and evidence. The programme helps participants adapt good practice to the institutions and resources they work with.

Middle East

In the Middle East, national development strategies and diversification plans place growing demands on leadership, management and communication. Participants explore how to build the capability these plans need inside public bodies and companies.

Asia

Institutions across Asia combine rapid growth with ambitious modernisation programmes. Participants from Asia can share their experience of scaling systems quickly and learn from approaches used elsewhere.

Pacific

Small island and Pacific states face particular constraints of size, distance and capacity. The programme highlights practical, proportionate approaches to leadership, management and communication that suit smaller institutions.

Holding the programme in Tbilisi, Georgia brings participants together away from their daily pressures, so they can compare how leadership, management and communication is handled in different settings. The same programme can also be delivered in-house for one institution, in its own country or online, with cases taken from its current work.

Host Country Profile – Georgia

Programmes, Workshops, Exposures, Training Courses in Tbilisi, Georgia by Risalat Consultants International

Studying away from their own country gives participants time to focus, a fresh view of their own institution and the chance to build a network with colleagues from other countries.

High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training Deliverables

Participants receive support before, during and after the programme, so that preparation, learning and follow-up form one continuous experience.

Before the Programme

• Participant Pre-Assessment
• High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Readiness Assessment
• High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Resource Pack
• Preparatory Reading Materials
• Complimentary Visa Support & Advisory

During the Programme

• Airport Pickup & Welcome Assistance
• Accommodation with Breakfast
• Welcome Networking Dinner
• Risalat Training Kit (Bag, Bottle, Mug, T-Shirt, Cap, Passport Cover, Pens, Notebook, Magnet & Keychain)
• Comprehensive High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi Training Manual
• Leadership Self-Assessment
• Team Development Plan Template
• Change Plan Template
• Negotiation Preparation Sheet
• Practical Workshops & Simulations
• Group Discussions & Peer Learning
• Daily Lunch and Refreshments
• Full Access to Training Venue Facilities
• Mini Pad / Tablet with Digital Learning Materials
• Field Visit (where applicable)
• Entertaining City Tour

After the Programme

• Certificate of Completion
• Risalat Programme Participation Recognition Award
• Post-Training Reference Materials
• Personal Development Plan Template
• Coaching Conversation Guide
• Post-Training Support & Follow-Up Guidance
• Programme Report

Institutions can also request a tailored in-house version of this programme, delivered at their premises or online. Request a proposal.

Common Challenges in High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi, And How This Training Helps

How can institutions set clear direction and priorities?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Day 1: High-Voltage Transmission Asset Assessment and Modernisation Strategies), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions lead and motivate teams through change?

The programme addresses this directly on the second day (Day 2: Substation Engineering, Gas-Insulated Switchgear, and Civil Works), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions communicate and negotiate effectively?

The programme addresses this directly on the third day (Day 3: Digital Automation, Protection Coordination, and Modern Dispatch), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions manage performance fairly?

The programme addresses this directly on the fourth day (Day 4: Factory Acceptance, Field Commissioning, and Project Management), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

How can institutions make sound decisions under pressure?

The programme addresses this directly on the first day (Day 1: High-Voltage Transmission Asset Assessment and Modernisation Strategies), where participants practise the methods involved and adapt them to their own institution, then build it into their action plan.

Frequently Asked Questions

When and where does the High-Voltage Grid Modernisation and Substation Management in Tbilisi programme take place?

It runs from 11 Oct 2027 to 14 Oct 2027, in Tbilisi, Georgia. The registration deadline is shown at the top of this page.

Who should attend?

The programme is designed for high-voltage electrical transmission engineers, substation design and maintenance engineers, project Implementation Unit (PIU) directors and technical managers, grid operations and system dispatch controllers, and others who want practical skills in leadership, management and communication.

Will I receive a certificate?

Yes. Participants who complete the programme receive a Certificate of Completion from Risalat Consultants International.

Can this programme be delivered for our institution only?

Yes. We can deliver a tailored in-house version at your premises, in another city or online, built around your own cases. Use the proposal request on this page.

Do I need prior experience in leadership, management and communication?

No specialist background is required beyond experience in a related role. A short pre-assessment helps the facilitators adapt the sessions to the group.

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