GE Consortium build HVDC system for RWE
GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions and Sembcorp Marine have won a contract to supply a state-of-the-art HVDC transmission system for Sofia.
Image for illustration purposes
France, Paris: GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions and Sembcorp Marine have won a contract to supply a state-of-the-art HVDC transmission system for Sofia.
Sofia is one of the world’s largest offshore wind farm projects. Once operational, Sofia, located in the North Sea 195 km off the coast of the North East of England, will be able to generate enough wind energy to meet the electricity needs of almost 1.2 million average UK homes.
The HVDC transmission system represents Sofia’s second largest contract and will include the design, manufacture, installation, commissioning and maintenance of the offshore converter platform and the onshore converter station, including all ancillary equipment.
GE’s Grid Solutions will be leading the consortium for the engineering, procurement, construction and installation of the system’s two HVDC converter stations capable of transmitting 1,320 MW of power at 320 kV. The offshore converter station will be the most powerful ever built and will be installed 220 km from shore, which will also make it the most remote.
Sven Utermöhlen, Chief Operating Officer Wind Offshore Global of RWE Renewables said: “Signing this contract with the consortium of GE’s Grid Solutions and Sembcorp Marine for the supply of Sofia’s HVDC electrical system reflects RWE’s strong commitment to innovation and to pushing the boundaries of what is capable within the sector. The 1.4 GW Sofia project is our first to use the HVDC technology, which was selected to maximize the wind farm’s export capacity from a location so far from shore.”
The project will be based on GE Grid’s latest HVDC technology, which utilizes its second-generation voltage source convertor valve, and will also feature the first application of its state-of-the-art eLumina™ HVDC Control System. eLumina is the industry’s first HVDC solution to use a digital measurement system fully based on International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) 61850, an important international standard defining communication protocols for intelligent electronic devices at electrical substations.
Source: GE