Hera inaugurates the fifth electrical substation in Modena
Italy, Modena: With the new primary substation, electricity distribution in Modena has increased by 18 %, with the aim of covering up to 25 % by 2050.
Image source: Elettromeccanica Tironi
Italy, Modena: With the new primary substation, electricity distribution in Modena has increased by 18 %, with the aim of covering up to 25 % by 2050.
Thanks to an investment of almost $8.4 M (€7.5 M) and a work of around 10 years, the Hera Group has built a transformer substation, transforming electricity from high to medium voltage. The electricity passes from 132 kV of the Terna national grid to 15 kV and is then distributed to users. This is the fifth substation in Modena, designed to anticipate future needs arising from the energy transition, in line with the provisions of the group within its Industrial Plan.
The new primary substation in Modena Est is part of the development plan drawn up by the Hera Group for services and infrastructures in the Modena area, with investments of $123 M (€110 M) in the period 2022-2025.
Therefore, the first of a series that will be built by 2025, in Modena and beyond: a vast renewal and strengthening activity is underway throughout the Modena Apennine area of the overhead power lines most subject to extreme weather events. A plan for the resilience of the electricity grids that will commit investments for almost $10 M (€9 M), including approximately 65 km of the infrastructure that serves the Modenese mountains.
The new primary substation offers numerous advantages: it ensures continuity of electricity supply to families and businesses even in the event of a complete outage of one of the other four primary plants serving the city; once the works necessary for its inclusion in the distribution network have been completed, it will further improve the quality of the service, decreasing the probability of disruptions and, if they occur, their duration will be reduced, being equipped with cutting-edge technologies and this allows detect in real time the “state of health” of the infrastructure and plan any interventions.
The investment also looks to the future, following the principle of the “smart grid”, i.e., being able to adapt continuously and automatically to constant stresses. And that is, above al, the need to accommodate the injection of energy from renewable sources into the grid, which typically have variable and discontinuous performances and therefore require flexible, automated substations, equipped with a certain degree of artificial intelligence.
Source: FIRSTonline