STEP-standard as a means to document electrotechnical installations in the distribution system?

Since machinery and equipment used for operation in electric utility companies is generally employed for many decades, documentation is required which can be used across the equipment's entire service life. Such documentation has to contain all pertinent information and must be accessible within a reasonable period of time. Since most of the machinery and equipment used for operation in power distribution networks is standardised and since ensuring the required flow of information is, in many cases, a major cost factor, it is quite interesting to consider this flow of technical information not just within the confines of one's own company (i.e. the utility company). While a number of industrial sectors already have their respective technical STEP standards, the technical standard for the field of electrical engineering, the application protocol (AP) 212 (ISO 10303-212), is currently still being drafted. However, the experience gained in the development and use of STEP-AP in other industries leads to the assumption that the STEP standard may also gain considerable importance for utility company users of electrical products.