GE energizes the largest STATCOM scheme in Europe
GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business has successfully energized the Dynamic Reactive Compensator project for National Grid in the UK.
GE
UK: GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business has successfully energized the Dynamic Reactive Compensator project for National Grid in the UK.
This project represents the largest utility-grade Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) scheme in Europe, delivering 975 MVAr power range. It is deployed and coordinated over three separate substations along the transmission network in southeast UK.
In late November 2019, the last of the three sites was energized. Today all three are now operational and commercially available, as well as supporting high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnectors with Europe.
With Hybrid STATCOM technology in place, the Bolney, Ninfield and Richborough substations are now supporting National Grid’s alternating current network and enhancing regional voltage stability for the UK-Belgium HVDC interconnection, which will deliver more than 1 GW of bi-directional power between the two countries. With less than 90 ms response time, the scheme, which consists of three separate Hybrid STATCOM units, delivers dynamic reactive power range from -300 MVAr inductive to +675 MVAr capacitive with availability of 95 % as per customer requirement.
“Working with GE, National Grid has now implemented the largest voltage compensation scheme in Europe, an accomplishment that we are immensely proud of. This project represents another technology implementation in a long line of successes that we have had with GE,” said National Grid’s Electricity Transmission, Head of Customer Solutions Hedd Roberts.
Source: GE