On Friday 10th October 2025, the CIGRE UK Next Generation Network (NGN) successfully organised a one-day Fundamental Training Session on Substations kindly hosted at the University of Birmingham. The workshop was delivered by the highly experienced industry professional, Mr John Finn (Secretary to CIGRE UK’s National Committee). Around 50 participants joined, drawn from students, young engineers and industry professionals eager to gain solid foundations in substation design and operation.
After a brief introduction to the CIGRE UK, NGN, CIGRE UK Birmingham Hub by Dr Nan Chen (Vice-Chair of CIGRE UK NGN), Prof. Xiao-Ping Zhang, Co-Director of Birmingham Energy Institute and Head of Electrical Power and Control Systems Research Group of the University of Birmingham, gave a warm welcome to the speaker and all participants.
This one-day training sessions based on two modules from the CIGRE B3 Substation Green Book training series. During the morning session, Mr John Finn guided participants through the process of assessing the need for a new substation or extension, different types and functions of substations, and the key system requirements (voltage, current, insulation coordination, protection, etc.). Attention was given to how site layout, switchgear selection, and switching configurations should be chosen in context.
In the afternoon session, John focused on the core equipment and components inside substations. Topics included power transformers and voltage regulators, circuit breakers and reclosers, isolators/disconnect switches, earth/ground switches, interrupters, and the differences between metal-enclosed vs metal-clad switchgear. For each type, he covered operating principles, ratings, design considerations, internal/external components, and recent developments.
Mr John Finn’s training sessions were highly praised. The session was well balanced between theory, design insight, and real-world application. Many participants commented that John’s style—clear, engaging, interactive, and with touches of humour—helped maintain energy and interest throughout the full day. He encouraged questions, invited group assessment, and used examples from his extensive industrial and consulting experience, including work on high-voltage substations, offshore wind substations, and large projects.
Feedback from attendees during and after the session indicates strong satisfaction with both the learning outcomes and the workshop format. Many expressed that the material deepened their conceptual understanding and will directly support their work or studies. Participants also expressed interest in participating in future training sessions. The one-day session was then wrapped up and Dr Jiajie Luo, the Chair of CIGRE UK NGN, announced the closing remarks.
We are grateful to Mr John Finn for his informative and impressive presentations, to the CIGRE UK Birmingham Hub for the local support, to the School of Engineering, University of Birmingham for hosting facilities, and to all participants for their enthusiasm. The CIGRE UK NGN looks forward to building on this momentum and continuing supporting the next generation of UK power systems engineers.
CIGRE UK NGN Committee
John Finn worked initially in the Electricity Supply industry in the UK in protection, operation and maintenance and system studies. He then joined private industry working with contractors on power station and substation projects in the UK and overseas at voltages up to 500kV and as diverse as the initial 400kV supergrid for China Light and Power to project managing the power supplies for the Channel Tunnel between England and France. In his role as an in-house engineering consultant with Siemens in the UK he was involved in developing the onshore and offshore substation designs associated with offshore wind farms. He has been involved in CIGRE as Area Advisor on Substation concepts from 2002 to 2006 and convenor of working groups on “standardisation and innovation” and “guidelines for offshore substations”. He received the Technical Committee award for contributions to Study Committee B3 in 2006 and the Distinguished Member award in 2008. He was the coordinating author for the CIGRE Green Book on Substations and is currently the Secretary for the CIGRE UK National Committee