Siemens said that it has installed an upgraded control system powered with its black-start technology for the Trans Bay Cable (TBC) project to offer critical back-up for the San Francisco power grid in the US state of California.
Image: Siemens’ black-start technology will help the Trans Bay Cable in providing critical back-up for San Francisco's power grid. Photo: courtesy of Siemens AG.
The TBC project is a high- voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system project which uses voltage-sourced converter (VSC) technology incorporated in a modular multi-level converter (MMC) topology. The project features an 85.3km HVDC cable laid underneath the San Francisco Bay.
Siemens said that the upgraded control system installed by it will allow Trans Bay Cable to restore power to the San Francisco peninsula through the Pittsburg converter station.
The black-start technology from Siemens will facilitate up to 300MW of power to be fed directly by Trans Bay Cable into San Francisco, while the rest of the electric network is being restored.
Trans Bay Cable’s Steven Powell said: “On any given day, TBC can provide about half of San Francisco’s power needs, so our ability to provide reliable, consistent electricity is extremely important.
“We’re happy to have Siemens as a technology partner in this project and with their black-start technology, an upgrade to the system that was completed on-schedule and on-budget, which enables TBC to continue to deliver critical power during an emergency.”
Siemens said that the black-start capability will not need the city’s local electric network to be up and operating. As a result, it will help TBC to deliver power across San Francisco to meet the power consumption of hospitals, fire stations, and emergency centers among other critical infrastructure.
Siemens Energy Management transmission solutions CEO Mirko Düsel said: “The city of San Francisco and its residents depend heavily on reliable power. That becomes even more of a priority during times of emergency, such as an earthquake or other catastrophic event, when providing power to critical systems is paramount.
“By routing emergency power directly into the city using Siemens’ technology, Trans Bay Cable’s new black-start capability will be able to use existing infrastructure to provide emergency power during a challenging time.”