ABB Review Special Report - ABB - ABB Group

EnvironmentGrid securityEconomyOperationNo visual impactLow/no electromagnetic fieldsHigh level ofpersonnel safety,low risk of flashover in airGood working conditionsNot affected by wind, snow, ice,fog, etcNothing can be stolenLow maintenanceMinimum investment forlake/river crossingsLand use minimizedValue of land/buildingsunaffectedHigh availability,few faultsUsually low losses/MVAHigh short-time overloadcapacityBenefits of underground transmission linestransmission competitive even at lowpower ratings. The first commercialsystem, a link rated at 50 MW, wasinstalled on the Swedish Island ofGotland, where it transmits power froma wind power plant to the town ofVisby [3].Other major projects that have beencompleted are:The Directlink, rated 180 MW at80 kV, which transfers power betweenthe states of New South Walesand Queensland in Australia.The Murraylink, rated 200 MW at150 kV, built to transfer power betweenVictoria and South Australia [4].The Cross Sound Cable, rated330 MW at 150 kV, which transferspower between New England andLong Island.The latest HVDC Light project, to supplypower to an offshore platform in theNorth Sea (Troll A), is due to be commissionedin 2004. (See article startingon page 53.)Applications for HVDC Light include:Feeding of isolated loads (eg, offshoreplatforms)Asynchronous AC grid connectionTransmission of power from smallgeneration units (eg, wind powerplants)DC grids with multiple connectionpointsNetwork reliability enhancementthrough voltage stability and blackstartsTomorrow’s electrical infrastructure –here nowExtruded cable systems are available astotal solutions, with a ‘cradle to grave’supplier commitment. Such systems areturnkey offerings in the commercial aswell as the technical sense. They maystart with the permit application, continuewith the removal of the overheadlines and the supply and installation ofthe cable system, and end with theenvironmentally friendly disposal of theold equipment.Complete cable system applications canalso be seen as intelligent combinationsof monitoring equipment, converters,load-sharing devices, series and/orshunt compensation devices. Financing,too, can be arranged; here, leasing anda new type of availability guaranteecould resolve several commercial uncertainties.Together, these ‘thumbnail’ sketchesof the future add up to a new customer-value-basedmarket. Extrudedinsulated cable system applications aredestined to play a key role in thisevolving market by meeting not onlythe transmission and distribution networkrequirements of today but alsothose of tomorrow.Dr. Björn DellbyGösta BergmanDr. Anders EricssonJohan P. KarlstrandABB Power TechnologiesHigh Voltage CablesSE-371 23 KarlskronaSwedenbjorn.dellby@se.abb.comReferences[1] D. Karlsson: Comparison of 130 kV XLPE cable systems and OH lines – loading capability, reliability and planning criteria. CIGRÉ 2002.[2] K. Eriksson: HVDC Light DC transmission based on voltage sourced converters. ABB Review 1/98, 4–9.[3] M Byggeth, et al: The development of an extruded HVDC cable system and its first application in the Gotland HVDC Light project. JICABLE 1999.[4] T. Worzyk, et al: The Murraylink Project – the first commercial 150 kV extruded HVDC cable system, JICABLE 2003.52Special ReportABB Review