ABB Power Grids will also equip the substation with its advanced substation automation and network management tools

ABB

IOCL’s Barauni Refinery in Bihar, India. (Credit: Wikipedia.org/Kendash1987.)

Swiss electrical equipment-maker ABB has secured an INR1.65bn ($21.5m) order from Indian Oil Corporation (IOCL) to deliver its 220/33 kilovolt gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) substation for grid connection at its Barauni refinery in the Indian state of Bihar.

ABB’s Power Grids division has been awarded the order for the GIS substation, which will be used to assimilate power from the Bihar State Power Transmission Corporation and IOCL’s captive generation plants and deliver to the Barauni refinery.

IOCL aims to increase capacity at the plant by 50% in the next three years

The refiner aims to expand its crude oil processing capacity at the plant by 50% to 9 million tons per annum in the next three years.

The GIS technology supplied by ABB is claimed to be critical to smoothly run complex processing operations at the refinery. It will save space by as much as 70%, by virtue of its compact, robust and low-maintenance design.

Furthermore, ABB  Power Grids is also fitting the substation with an advanced substation automation and network management tools to control and protect IOCL’s grid in real-time to ensure maximum availability of power.

It will also deploy its 125MVA (mega volt amps) power transformers to further enhance grid safety and efficiency.

ABB Power Grids India managing director N Venu said: “This order from IOCL is a milestone in our grid integration projects that will allow us to play a more active role in meeting future energy demand with our pioneering technology solutions.

“As India’s oil demand is expected to reach 6 million barrels per day by 2024, refineries will have to prime themselves ahead of time to avoid potential supply disruptions. We are proud to have been chosen by IOCL as a trusted partner to augment its mission-critical power infrastructure for the future.”

Few days ago, ABB had won a $100m, five-year framework contract to strengthen Interconexion Electrica SA’s (ISA) power transmission network in South America.

The company operates more than 62,000km of power transmission infrastructure with over 7,000km more under construction.

Under the contract, ABB will be responsible for the supply of shunt reactors to ensure that the voltage stays within safe limits, avoiding possible blackouts.