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wiredInUSA - March 2014
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INDEXCanadian 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.
Power
to the grid
EUROPE NEWS
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."
New UK cables
contracts