Announcing SEAPATH v2.0: Advancing Open Source Virtualization for Digital Substations
The energy sector must deliver affordable, reliable, safe, and clean energy. Achieving these outcomes requires digitalization. As utilities modernize the grid to handle variable generation and electrified demand, the substation is a critical focal point. Traditionally, substations rely on dedicated hardware for each function. This creates dependency on single-vendor roadmaps and limits flexibility.
To address these interoperability challenges, the LF Energy community developed SEAPATH. SEAPATH is an industrial-grade, real-time virtualization platform for hosting protection, automation, and control applications in digital substations. Today, we are announcing the release of SEAPATH v2.0. This release delivers a refreshed software stack and significant architecture improvements for the deployment and operation of virtualized digital substations.
What is new in SEAPATH v2.0
The v2.0 release brings major evolutions to the platform architecture.
Key technical updates include:
- SEAPATH v2.0 introduces support for Debian 13 and The Yocto Project Wrynose. This provides utilities and vendors with flexible pathways for deployment. The Debian option is package-based for easier maintenance. The Yocto option provides source-built, fully reproducible builds.
- The release adopts Ceph ADM for Ceph deployment and management.
- The platform now introduces the first support for high-availability containerized workloads in cluster mode using Podman.
- The project takes an important step forward in automation and release management. CI/CD pipelines now generate weekly and official releases. These releases are automatically published on releases.seapath.org.
Built together by a growing ecosystem
Building shared digital building blocks together mutualizes the investment. SEAPATH v2.0 reflects a growing and strengthening ecosystem. Compared to v1.0, more organizations have contributed to this release. This expands the SEAPATH community and reinforces its industrial relevance.
This release is the result of direct collaboration among utilities, system integrators, and equipment manufacturers. Contributors to v2.0 include Savoir-faire Linux, RTE, Sprecher Automation, ABB, Red Hat, CIRCE, and Elia. The participation of these organizations demonstrates the industry demand for vendor-neutral platforms.
Open source is how the industry moves faster together. By providing a shared foundation, SEAPATH enables utilities to virtualize substation functions on a platform they control. Multiple vendors’ applications can run as virtual machines on the same cluster. This resolves interoperability challenges and prevents dependency on single-vendor turnkey systems. When a server fails, virtual machines automatically migrate to surviving nodes.
Get involved
LF Energy provides the trusted home for the energy industry to collaborate on open source software, standards, and data. SEAPATH is deployed in substations today and validated by grid operators.
To learn more about the v2.0 release, review the Debian ISO build and Yocto BSP release notes on GitHub. To join the community of practitioners building this shared infrastructure, visit the SEAPATH project page on the LF Energy website.
