- Attica-Crete interconnection will ensure a more secure power supply and increase integration of renewable energy
- HVDC project will reduce half a million tons of CO2 emissions in first year of operation
- Total order volume for Siemens-led consortium €370 million
A consortium led by Siemens Gas and Power (Siemens Energy) has been awarded a turnkey contract for two converter stations for the Greek high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) link that will connect Crete, Greece’s largest and most populous island, with the mainland of Greece. The project will enable an exchange of electricity of up to 1,000 megawatts (MW) to enhance reliability of the power supply and facilitate integration of renewable energy sources in the power grid. Customer is Ariadne Interconnection S.P.S.A., a wholly owned entity of the Greek independent power transmission operator IPTO. Commissioning of the interconnector is scheduled for mid-2023. Total order volume for the consortium is €370 million.
- Low-loss transmission of wind
energy for 1.1 million households
- Further contribution toward
decarbonizing energy supplies
Siemens Energy is supplying the
high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) power transmission technology for a further
offshore connection in the German North Sea. A corresponding contract was just
signed by the German-Dutch network operator TenneT and the BorWin5 Offshore
Consortium, consisting of Siemens Energy and Dragados Offshore. In 2025, the
platform BorWin epsilon, which is part of the BorWin5 project, will begin the
low-loss transmission of electricity produced by the EnBW He Dreiht wind farm
off the island of Borkum to the Garrel/Ost converter station around 230
kilometers distant. The transmission capacity of 900 megawatts is calculated to
serve over 1.1 million households with electricity. The project is a further
contribution toward decarbonizing Germany’s energy supply. BorWin5 marks the
seventh HVDC offshore grid connection project undertaken by Siemens Energy in
Germany with TenneT.
- Siemens will upgrade control and protection system of Moyle Interconnector
- Refurbishment increases security of supply, improves integration of renewable energy and enhances provision of ancillary services
Siemens Gas and Power (Siemens Energy) has been awarded the project to refurbish the Moyle Interconnector, a high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) link between Ballycronan More in County Antrim, Northern Ireland, and Auchencrosh, Scotland. Owned and operated by Mutual Energy, the Moyle Interconnector control and protection system is almost 20 years old and is being modernized to enhance its operation. The refurbishment of the 500-megawatt interconnector will increase the security and reliability of the power supply to consumers in the United Kingdom. The project to upgrade the technology originally installed by Siemens in 2001 is now underway and the refurbishment is scheduled to be completed in September 2022.
- Dynamic load flow control solution for grid stabilization and resilience
- UPFC PLUS controls load flow in milliseconds
- Facilitating the increasing integration of renewable energy
With its new Unified Power Flow Controller, called UPFC PLUS, Siemens Energy is expanding the options for grid stabilization. The UPFC PLUS will help system operators stabilize the grid by dynamically controlling the load flow in alternating-current grids. Easy to integrate into existing infrastructure, the UPFC PLUS improves the efficiency of today’s power grid while providing the grid stability and resilience required in the ever-changing energy landscape.
- Viking Link ensures increased security of supply and integration of renewable energy
- Siemens to deliver both HVDC converter stations
Siemens has been awarded a contract to deliver two converter stations for the first high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) link between Great Britain and Denmark. Viking Link will enable the exchange of electricity up to 1,400 megawatts (MW) to provide increased power-supply reliability and security to consumers in both countries. By allowing transmission to flow in both directions, Viking Link will support the integration of renewable energy sources into the power grid. The interconnector is being jointly developed by National Grid Ventures (Great Britain) and Energinet (Denmark) via National Grid Viking Link Ltd. and Energinet Eltransmission A/S. Viking Link is scheduled to begin commercial operation at the end of 2023.
- Siemens will refurbish 30-year-old HVDC back-to-back system in the State of Madhya Pradesh in India
- Modernization will extend the lifetime to ensure reliable power supply
- First Siemens refurbishment project of a third-party HVDC system
Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID), the Central Transmission Utility of India, has chosen Siemens to modernize the country's first and oldest high voltage direct current (HVDC) link, Vindhyachal. Located in the central Indian state of Madhya Pradesh, the 500-megawatt HVDC back-to-back system was put into operation in 1989 to interconnect the asynchronous 400-kilovolt alternating current networks of the Northern and Western regions. By installing its latest HVDC components Siemens will extend the useful life of the link. This will be the first Siemens HVDC modernization project in India and globally the company's first refurbishment of a third-party system involving replacement of the thyristor valves. The upgrade is expected to be completed in 2021.
- Voltage
regulation system for the Kusenhorst substation
- Two-thirds
of the multilevel STATCOMs installed worldwide are from Siemens
In handing over the converter for a state-of-the-art grid
stabilization system for voltage regulation to the German transmission grid
operator Amprion, Siemens is celebrating delivery of its one-hundredth STATCOM
(static synchronous compensator) from the SVC PLUS series. The turnkey
installation will be deployed in the important Kusenhorst node in North Rhine
Westphalia, Germany. STATCOM systems stabilize fluctuations in the grid by
absorbing or feeding in voltage-supporting reactive power, depending on the
requirements. This approach significantly reduces the risk of voltage drops and
blackouts. Two-thirds of the globally installed STATCOM systems with modular
multilevel converter technology (MMC) are from Siemens, making the company the
world market leader in this segment.
On January 24, 2018, the most powerful high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transformer began its journey from the transformer factory in Nuremberg, Germany, to China. The transformer will first be transported to the harbor in Nuremberg by special heavy load transporter, where it will be loaded onto a ship. Its journey will take it to Rotterdam via the Main-Danube Canal, and from there it will be shipped to China, where it will arrive after several weeks on the high seas. In July 2016, Siemens received an order to manufacture four transformers of this type. About a year later, the world’s first 1,100 kV transformer was completed and successfully passed the tests in the testing facility. The enormous dimensions of the transformer – 37.5 meters long, 14.4 meters tall, and 12 meters wide – posed a logistical challenge for the team. In operation, the transformer weighs just under 900 tons and its efficiency is well above 99% of the rated power. For the first time, the transformer will enable a high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) transmission with low losses over a record distance of 3,284 kilometers with a transmission capacity of 12 gigawatts. HVDC transformers are part of the converter station that convert alternating current into direct current at the beginning of the transmission line and convert it back again at the end of the line. The conversion from alternating current to direct current helps to transmit energy over long distances with low losses. Transformers are key components of an HVDC line: Thanks to the transformer, the Changji-Guquan project will be able to transmit direct current with a huge 1,110 kilovolts for the first time in the world. The new transformer not only makes the transmission of this record voltage level possible, but it is also the world’s most powerful tested transformer with a capacity of 587 megavoltamperes. Siemens has thus achieved a new dimension in high-voltage direct-current transmission. The HVDC line between Changji and Guquan will be operated by State Grid Corporation (SGCC), a Chinese grid operator. The connection is expected to begin operation in 2019.