Wind Energy

ABB Wins $14M Orders For Grid Integration Of Wind Energy In Brazil

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won orders worth around $14 million from Galvão Energia SA to supply a new transformer substation and lay power cables to facilitate the transmission of electricity from a wind farm currently under construction in the northeastern state of Rio Grande do Norte.

ABB will deliver a turnkey 34.5/138 kV (kilovolt) substation and lay 60 kilometers of 34.5 kV cables to connect four new wind power plants with a total capacity of 94 MW (megawatt) to the national grid. Some of the key products to be supplied include the high- and medium-voltage gas-insulated switchgear, step-up transformers, instrument transformers and surge arresters. ABB will also provide the control and protection system compliant with the global IEC 61850 open communications standard, as well as telecommunication and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems. These will enable local and remote control of the substation together with its monitoring and efficient real-time management.

As part of the turnkey project, ABB is responsible for the design, engineering, supply, erection, commissioning and start-up of the substation including civil works. The project is scheduled to be handed over in September 2012.

"This substation will help to boost power supplies and bring clean wind turbines generated electricity to industrial, commercial and residential consumers in the region," said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB’s substations business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division. "Our domain knowledge and proven track record, combined with best-in-class technologies and project management capabilities, enable us to support both utilities and power producers in the efficient integration, transmission and distribution of renewable wind turbines generated electricity, helping them meet the ever growing demand for clean renewable electric power."

Substations are key installations in the power grid that facilitate the efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. They include equipment that protects and controls the flow of electrical power. ABB is the world’s leading supplier of air- and gas-insulated substations covering a range of voltage levels up to 1,100 kV.

Galvão Energia SA is a leading Brazilian power company specializing in the development, installation and operation of plants that generate electricity from renewable sources such as wind power and hydro.

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