ABB Sets Another Record With Ultrahigh-Voltage Power Project In China

Jan 13, 2010 - Electricnet.com

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, announced the successful 'open-line' test for Pole 1 of the 800 kV (kilovolt) UHVDC (ultrahigh-voltage direct current) Fengxian converter station in Shanghai, in close cooperation with State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC). This test was accomplished in a record time of just two years from receiving the order, a year ahead of schedule.

"The cooperation between ABB, SGCC and local partners has played a key role in this significant technological achievement," said Per Haugland, head of the global Grid Systems business, a part of ABB's Power Systems division. "It proves ABB's global leadership in HVDC technology, which is ideally suited to transmit power from remote sources and renewables across vast distances, with minimum energy losses."

The ±800 kV Xiangjiaba-Shanghai HVDC link will transmit 6,400 MW of power from the Xiangjiaba hydropower plant, located in the southwest of China, to Shanghai, China's leading industrial and commercial center, located over 2,000 kilometers away.

The transmission system, when completed, will set a new benchmark in terms of voltage levels and transmission capacity. The record is presently held by the 600 kV Itaipu transmission line in Brazil, also delivered by ABB. The efficiency of the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai transmission line will be more than 93 percent, with transmission losses being restricted to under 7 per cent. This would enable power supply for an additional 1 million people in China every year as compared with the 500 kV HVDC systems in use there.

ABB's scope of delivery includes fourteen 400 kV converter transformers and fourteen 800 kV converter transformers, of which ten will be delivered from Sweden and the rest manufactured locally in partnership with TBEA in Shenyang, with ABB components and technology. Other key products include thyristor valves, DC (direct current) switchyard equipment, measuring equipment for the AC (alternating current) switchyard and the newly developed DCC800 HVDC control system.

UHVDC transmission is a development of HVDC, a technology pioneered by ABB more than 50 years ago. The new technology with an advanced control system is the biggest capacity and efficiency leap in over two decades and is particularly suitable for vast countries like China and India, where consumption centers are often located at great distances from available power sources including renewables.

About ABB
ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 120,000 people. For more inforation, visit: www.abb.com.