ABB's business unit transformer has successfully tested a new type of power transformer that is a key component of power superhighways or power links that can deliver vast amounts of electricity over very long distances.
The ABB transformer factory in Ludvika, Sweden, developed the 660 kV transformer within only 13 month of winning a major order to equip the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission corridor from the Ningxia Province in western China to the highly populated Shandong Province, a distance of 1,350 kilometers.
"ABB has completed development work, design, production and tests of this new range of UHVDC converter transformers in a record time of only 13 months," said Lennart Strandberg, project manager."
ABB has built and tested the first of eleven HVDC converter transformers for an ultra high DC voltage of 660 kV with strict limitations on transport dimensions. The transformers are key components in a DC transmission from a remote power plant in Ningxia Province in western China to the Shanghai area. The UHVDC transmission, where the transformers are a vital component, serves as an important contribution for renewable energy to an expanding region in China.
"We are very proud that ABB is part of the world's first 660 kV DC power transmission link in China. Our transformers will ensure reliable electricity," added Strandberg. "All units will be delivered from Ludvika within 2010. The energization of the first pole is scheduled to be in 2010 and bi-pole operation in 2011."
660 kV HVDC is a technological development of HVDC, pioneered by ABB more than 50 years ago. The new voltage level of 660 kV HVDC was developed for this project, and is the second highest level (below 800 kV) today for HVDC.
