ABB has secured contracts worth more than $300m to deliver transformers and other key equipment for the Changji-Guquan ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission link in China.
The link will transmit power from the Xinjiang region in the Northwest, to Anhui province in eastern China.
It will have the capacity to transport 12,000MW of electricity, a 50% increase in transmission capacity, compared with the 800 kV UHVDC links currently in operation.
ABB will deliver converter transformers and components, such as bushings and tap changers.
It will also offer HVDC converter valves, DC circuit breakers, wall bushings and capacitors, as well as provide system design support.
ABB said each transformer weighs 800 tons and measures 32 metres in length.
The project will be implemented by ABB’s transformer manufacturing and testing facility in Chongqing as well as the local HVDC engineering and technology center.
ABB power grids division president Claudio Facchin said: “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.
“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.”
Prior to this project, ABB supported SGCC in 2010 with the Xiangjiaba-Shanghai development, the world’s first 800 kV UHVDC link to go into commercial operation.
Image: ABB to supply and install UHVDC equipment for transmission link in China. Photo: Courtesy of ABB.