Electrical Engineering Standards Summary - September 2025

Looking back at September 2025, the Electrical Engineering sector marked a significant month of standardization, with the publication of five pivotal IEC standards. The period brought robust revisions and authoritative guidance, affecting domains from lightning protection infrastructure to intrinsically safe electrical systems for hazardous environments and practical recommendations for small hydroelectric installations. This overview distills the core content, requirements, and implications of these standards—essential reading for professionals intent on maintaining compliance and seizing opportunities presented by the evolving regulatory landscape.

The following analysis covers all five standards published in September 2025, helping quality managers, compliance officers, engineers, researchers, and procurement specialists understand what they may have missed, along with actionable insight for continued operational excellence.

Monthly Overview: September 2025

September 2025 was characterized by an emphasis on safety, reliability, and technological modernization in Electrical Engineering standards. This month saw:

• Significant technical revisions to existing standards, notably in lightning protection and hazardous area installations
• The introduction of harmonized guidance for small hydro installations
• The reinforcement of best practices for system safety and performance, with palpable implications for compliance-heavy sectors like industrial facilities, energy, and utilities

Compared to typical publication cycles, September 2025 was both dense and thematically aligned, continuing trends seen in previous years: a drive for harmonization, clarification, and improved cross-disciplinary applicability. The newly published documents reflect pressing industry concerns, such as resilience against extreme weather, evolving safety requirements for hazardous locations, and streamlined approaches for emerging energy installations.

Standards Published This Month

IEC 62561-2:2025 - Lightning Protection System Components (LPSC) - Part 2: Requirements for Conductors and Earth Electrodes

IEC 62561-2:2025, Lightning protection system components (LPSC) – Part 2: Requirements for conductors and earth electrodes

This third edition standardizes the requirements and tests for metallic conductors—excluding ‘natural’ conductors—and metallic earth electrodes that form integral parts of air-termination, down-conductor, and earth-termination systems. It specifically governs the documentation, design, performance, marking, and testing procedures for both conductors and associated components, aligning them with the latest durability and environmental standards.

Key changes in this revision include new definitions for conductor types, harmonization with salt mist (IEC 60068-2-52:2017) and humid sulphurous atmosphere (ISO 22479:2019) treatment protocols, and the addition of normative annexes detailing material testing and test applicability.

Targeted at manufacturers, designers, quality managers, and installation contractors responsible for lightning protection systems (LPS) across infrastructure, commercial, and critical facilities, IEC 62561-2:2025 establishes global benchmarks for safety, durability, and testing. This update is especially pertinent for organizations operating in coastal or industrial regions with exposure to corrosive environments.

Notable features and changes:

• Addition of new conductor type definitions, expanding classification and documentation
• Alignment with updated environmental test methods (salt mist, humid sulphurous atmosphere)
• Introduction of normative annexes: Annex H (material/configuration/cross-sectional area test) and Annex I (test applicability)
• Emphasis on equipotential earth grids for system-wide grounding and surge resilience
• Comprehensive marking and traceability requirements for installation and maintenance

Access the full standard:View IEC 62561-2:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 60079-25:2020 - Explosive Atmospheres – Part 25: Intrinsically Safe Electrical Systems

IEC 60079-25:2020, Explosive atmospheres – Part 25: Intrinsically safe electrical systems

This consolidated edition (incorporating amendments and corrigenda through September 2025) details mandatory requirements for design, construction, and assessment of intrinsically safe (IS) systems—protection type “i”—intended for use in explosive atmospheres (Group I, II, or III Ex Equipment). IEC 60079-25:2020 supplements IEC 60079-0 (general requirements) and 60079-11 (intrinsic safety), while superseding their provisions in case of conflict for covered systems.

Key technical content covers the system document, grouping, temperature classification, protection levels ("ia", "ib", "ic"), circuit and interconnection requirements, cable characteristics, enclosures, system assessment, and integration of multi-source configurations. It also harmonizes requirements for coordination with installation standards, particularly referencing IEC 60079-14.

This standard is fundamental for electrical designers, engineers, and safety professionals across sectors like oil & gas, chemical processing, pharmaceutical manufacturing, and mining—where explosion risk mitigation is paramount. The revision incorporates minor editorial corrections, extended assessment procedures for multi-circuit and multi-source systems, and clarification of requirements for FISCO and 2-WISE systems.

Key highlights:

• Comprehensive system assessment procedures for IS installations
• Clarified requirements for cable selection, interconnection, and protection levels
• Updated alignment with IEC Electropedia and referenced standards
• Enhanced provisions for FISCO and 2-WISE system architectures
• Expanded guidance on documentation and system verification

Access the full standard:View IEC 60079-25:2020 on iTeh Standards

IEC 60079-25:2020 - Explosive Atmospheres – Part 25: Intrinsically Safe Electrical Systems (Duplicate reference; see analysis above)

As the standard was published with the same citation and content within the same month, practitioners should note the importance of referencing the most current, consolidated version—including all corrigenda and amendments—for compliance audits or technical projects.

Access the full standard:View IEC 60079-25:2020 on iTeh Standards

IEC 61116:2025 - Electromechanical Equipment Guidance for Small Hydroelectric Installations

IEC 61116:2025, Electromechanical equipment guidance for small hydroelectric installations

Edition 2 of this guidance document supports the planning, evaluation, and installation of electromechanical equipment in hydro installations with unit power up to 15 MW. Intended for purchasers, engineers, consulting firms, and suppliers, it provides comprehensive guidance—from the solicitation of tenders to contract execution, system design, quality control, commissioning, and maintenance.

The scope excludes civil or commercial contract conditions, focusing sharply on equipment and technical performance. Updates in this edition include harmonization with IEC 62006, the inclusion of new technical requirements, and a complete editorial revision for usability.

Key sections address installation and operating conditions, equipment specifications (turbines, generators, control systems), bid evaluation, acceptance criteria, commissioning, and operation. The document’s checklist approach and explicit advice make it an invaluable resource for the accelerating global deployment of decentralized renewable energy infrastructure.

Notable features and changes:

• Revised scope with harmonization to IEC 62006 for consistency in small hydro standards
• Expanded technical requirements for system elements—hydraulic, electrical, and auxiliary equipment
• Enhanced checklists for tender evaluation, commissioning, acceptance, and maintenance
• Inclusion of guidance for system integration (telemetry, automation, alarms)
• Comprehensive guidance for lifecycle management and quality assurance

Access the full standard:View IEC 61116:2025 on iTeh Standards

IEC 61116:2025 - Electromechanical Equipment Guidance for Small Hydroelectric Installations (Duplicate reference; see analysis above)

The repeated release of Edition 2, possibly for clarification or regional adoption, underlines the global relevance of standardized methodologies in small hydro deployment. Stakeholders are encouraged to consult this edition for unified requirements and procedures across international projects.

Access the full standard:View IEC 61116:2025 on iTeh Standards

Common Themes and Industry Trends

An analysis of September 2025’s Electrical Engineering standards activity reveals several converging themes:

• Safety and Resilience: Enhanced requirements for lightning protection and intrinsically safe system design underscore the sector’s focus on resilience to environmental hazards and operational risks.
• Technical Harmonization: Cross-referencing to other standards (ISO, IEC) and the introduction of harmonized guidance for infrastructure (e.g., small hydro) point to ongoing efforts to streamline global compliance.
• Lifecycle and Quality Management: Emphasis on documentation, verification, and quality control—from initial bid/tender through commissioning—reflects the industry’s maturity and demand for end-to-end traceability.
• Renewable Energy Support: The revision of hydroelectric installation guidance bolsters confidence and facilitates investment in renewable energy infrastructure, a fast-growing field within electrical engineering.
• Modernization: The update and consolidation of legacy standards demonstrate an industry-wide commitment to keeping pace with technical innovation and evolving application realities.

The primary beneficiaries of these trends are sectors heavily reliant on safe, reliable, and certified electrical systems, including industrial manufacturing, renewable energy, utilities, and critical public infrastructure.

Compliance and Implementation Considerations

For organizations impacted by these September 2025 standards, several key actions are advised:

1. Immediate Standards Review: Design, engineering, and quality teams should assess the new requirements within IEC 62561-2:2025 and IEC 60079-25:2020, cross-referencing with existing procedures and compliance matrices. This is especially crucial for facilities in hazardous environments or at risk from lightning/surge events.
2. Gap Analysis and Training: Identify any technical or documentation gaps in current installations, particularly for marking, testing, and system evaluation methods. Ensure that project managers and system integrators are familiar with the new annexes and harmonized procedures.
3. Supply Chain and Procurement Updates: Ensure that specifications for conductors, electrodes, and electrical equipment reference the latest versions to prevent compliance lapses in procurement and tendering. The revised guidance for hydro installations provides clear evaluation checklists.
4. Implementation Timelines: While many changes are technical clarifications, earlier compliance aids regulatory inspections and manifests organizational diligence. For major infrastructure projects, implementation should be integrated into design updates and O&M documentation as soon as possible.
5. Leverage Resources: Utilize member bodies, technical committees, and industry training to deepen understanding of both high-level changes and detailed provisions.

Conclusion: Key Takeaways from September 2025

September 2025 was a month of both substantive technical advancement and alignment for the Electrical Engineering sector. The new and revised IEC standards published provide essential frameworks for:

• Enhancing the safety and resilience of electrical systems in both hazardous and conventional environments
• Supporting the deployment and lifecycle management of renewable and distributed infrastructure through harmonized, practical guidance
• Streamlining compliance efforts via improved documentation, marking, and system verification

Industry professionals are encouraged to:

• Prioritize a review of these standards with engineering and compliance teams
• Integrate updated requirements into procurement, design, and O&M plans
• Stay engaged with evolving standardization trends via reputable platforms like iTeh Standards

Staying up-to-date with these publications is not only a matter of compliance but a strategic advantage—enabling organizations to mitigate risk, capitalize on industry best practice, and deliver value in a rapidly evolving technological environment.