ABB, the power and automation technology group, won an order to provide a grid connection and the associated power infrastructure for Vattenfall’s Pen y Cymoedd Wind Energy Project being developed in Wales, United Kingdom.
The 76-turbine, 228MW wind farm being developed in South Wales, will be the largest onshore wind farm in England and Wales and one of the largest in Europe. It is scheduled to be operational by 2016.
As part of the project scope, ABB will design and construct two new substations linked by 9.2km of underground cable. Key equipment supplies include compact 132kV plug and switch system (PASS) hybrid switchgear and STATCOM (voltage source converter-based reactive power compensation) units to support grid voltage stability.
ABB will also supply transformers to step up the voltage from 33kV at the point of generation to 132kV for sub-transmission and then to 400kV for input into the National Electricity Transmission System. The substations will also be equipped with IEC 61850 compliant substation automation, control and protection equipment.
“These substations will help to integrate wind energy and boost power supplies to meet growing demand for electricity” said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB’s Substations business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division.
