ABB Power Grids commissions world’s first transmission line under the Yangtze river
In 2017, ABB Power Grids partnered with SGCC to build the first of its kind 1,000 kV GIL laid in the Sutong tunnel to transmit clean energy through China.
Image for illustration purposes
Switzerland, Zurich: In 2017, ABB Power Grids partnered with State Grid Corporation of China (SGCC) to build the first of its kind 1,000 kV gas-insulated lines (GIL) laid in the Sutong tunnel to transmit clean energy from West to East China.
The engineering challenge involved laying the lines under the estuary of the Yangtze River, spanning a section of water which is 5.4 km wide and 75 m deep. The Sutong project is the first in the world that adopts UHV GIL technology in a transmission tunnel. When overhead lines and underground cables are not possible, GIL is the ideal solution for transmitting power underground with minimum transmission losses.
Now completed, the Sutong tunnel is helping to ease power shortages and strengthen grid reliability in the Yangtze River Delta region. It is also part of the Huainan-Nanjing-Shanghai UHV AC transmission link, bringing 6 GW of clean power to the dense metropolitan area of Shanghai in the east, sufficient for 6 million people.
Furthermore, it is contributing to China’s three-year Air Pollution Prevention and Control Action Plan to reduce sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. It will help to decrease CO2 emissions by 310 M t annually, equivalent to nearly 68 million passenger cars being taken off the road.
“With a significantly reduced environmental impact, our technology is helping China to integrate more renewables into the electrical grid”, said Markus Heimbach, Managing Director of ABB’s Power Grids High Voltage Products business line. “Our UHV gas-insulated lines are essential in connecting remote areas with heavily populated areas, efficiently transmitting large amounts of electricity, helping to ensure energy security, as well as economic and social development.”
Source: ABB