wiredinUSA March 2014

INDEX

New UK cables contracts

Power to the grid

Canadian Hydro-Québec has placed an order with ABB for $60m to replace major components of the ultra-high voltage transmission system that supplies clean electricity from North to South Quebec. ABB will be responsible for upgrading two Static Var Compensators (SVC) at the Albanel substation, located about 500km north of Montreal. The substation is said to provide fast-acting reactive power compensation for the 735kV power transmission network. The upgrades will be completed by 2016. SVCs are said to be part of the company's family of FACTS (flexible alternating current transmission systems) technologies that improve the capacity and flexibility of power transmission systems. According to ABB, SVCs are helpful during fluctuations in the voltage and current of an electric grid, allowingmore electricity to flow through the transmission system while maintaining network safety and stability. FACTS solutions have been developed to allow more electricity to reach consumers through the existing transmission network.

Dudgeon Offshore Wind Ltd, a joint venture backed by Norwegian companies Statoil and Statkraft, has signed a $55m contract with ABB for a new AC power cable system to connect the wind farm, 32km off the Norfolk coast, with the national grid. The 400MW Dudgeon offshore wind farm is one of the largest to be built in British waters. Subsea cables will connect the wind farm to the land, and an underground cable will connect to a purpose-built substation at Necton, where the power will be fed into the national grid. Two 132kV three-core AC submarine cables, of 42kmeach, will be laid along the seabed. ABB’s announcement was made the same day as the offshore wind industry services provider CWind revealed it had won a contract to support CT Offshore in the installation of 63 of the 161 inter-array cables at the 576MW Gwynt y Môr wind farm off the North Wales coast. Colin Urquhart, operations director at CWind, explained that the contract follows other similar work: "Over the last few years we have provided cable pulling and repair support at several UK offshore wind farms, including Barrow, Greater Gabbard, Lincs, Ormonde, Thanet, Walney 1 and West of Duddon Sands."

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wiredInUSA - March 2014

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