ABB has won orders worth over $300 million to supply transformers and other key equipment to enable the world’s first 1,100 kilovolt (kV) ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission link.
The Changji-Guquan link will transmit 12,000 megawatts of electricity over 3,000 kilometers at 1.1 million volts, setting new world records on voltage level, transmission capacity and distance, ABB said in a statement. The power will be transmitted from the Xinjiang region in the Northwest, to Anhui province in eastern China.
The breakthrough transmission capacity, compared with the 800 kV UHVDC links currently in operation, will also play a key role in integrating remote renewables on a large scale, transmitting power over greater distances and facilitating a more interconnected grid.
The contract covers ABB’s advanced converter transformers and components like bushings and tap changers. ABB will also supply the HVDC converter valves, DC circuit breakers, wall bushings and capacitors as well as provide system design support.
“China has major load centers 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 to transmit larger amounts of power over greater distances with minimum losses,” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division.
“Ultrahigh voltage technologies are a key focus area of our Next Level strategy, and our technology advancements in this area are making it possible to increase power transmission capacity and distance to an unprecedented level with minimal transmission losses,” Facchin added.
UHVDC transmission is an advancement of HVDC, a technology pioneered by ABB over 60 years ago, and represents the biggest capacity and efficiency leap in over two decades. In 2010 ABB supported SGCC with the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai project, the world’s first 800 kV UHVDC link to go into commercial operation.
ABB was also the first to successfully develop and test 1,100kV converter transformer technology breaking the record for the highest DC voltage levels ever.
Rajani Baburajan