ABB wins $300 m orders to supply first UHVDC link

22 July 2016


Contracts worth $300 million to supply equipment for a record breaking 1100 kV ultra-high-voltage direct current transmission link in China have been won by ABB.
The Changji-Guquan UHVDC link will transmit power from the Xinjiang region in the Northwest, to Anhui province in eastern China and will set a new world record in terms of voltage level, transmission capacity and distance. It will be capable of transporting 12 000 MWe. a 50 % increase in transmission capacity compared with the 800 kV UHVDC links currently in operation. This will also help extend the transmission distance from around 2000 km to over 3000 km and play a key role in integrating remote renewables on a large scale, and facilitating a more interconnected grid.
ABB’s scope of supply includes advanced converter transformers, components such as bushings and tap changers, the HVDC converter valves, DC circuit breakers, wall bushings and capacitors as well as system design support. The transformers will be among the most highly rated in the world, meeting stringent performance, reliability and safety standards. Each one will weigh 800 tons, and measure 32 m in length. ABB’s transformer manufacturing and testing facility in Chongqing will be actively involved in the delivery and execution of the project.
“China has major load centres in its eastern region, while a significant amount of its energy resources are in the west and northwest. The expansive geography and increased demand over the last decade have prompted the build-up of UHV capacity” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division. “Ultrahigh voltage
technologies are a key focus area of our Next Level strategy”.
• In 2010 ABB supported SGCC with the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai project, the world’s first 800 kV UHVDC link to go into commercial operation. A few years later, ABB was the first to successfully develop and test 1100 kV converter transformer technology, breaking the record for the highest DC voltage levels ever achieved.



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