ABB has successfully delivered and commissioned a complete electrical balance of plant (EBoP) solution, including the retrofit of a 132 kV substation, for the 412 MW New Haripur gas-fired power plant in Bangladesh.
Located in Haripur, on the outskirts of the capital city Dhaka, the plant is owned and operated by Electricity Generation Company of Bangladesh (EGCB) Ltd. The project is part of the country’s efforts to accelerate the development of its power infrastructure to boost capacity and strengthen its transmission network, helping to meet the growing demand for electricity.
The ABB solution consists largely of standardized and factory-tested modular components to minimize engineering time and delivery schedules. These include a 132 kV air-insulated substation retrofit with 28 bays, a new 33 kV gas-insulated substation, auxiliary and distribution transformers, generator circuit breakers and medium voltage switchgear.
ABB also supplied a 570 megavolt amp (MVA) three-phase power transformer, which is one of the most powerful in Bangladesh. It is designed with two primary circuits and weighs 420 metric tons. The transformer will step up the power from the gas and steam turbine generators to 132 kV and feed it into the national grid for transmission to Dhaka, Chittagong and other cities in Bangladesh.
ABB’s project scope includes the design and laying of three 132 kV crosslinked polyethylene (XLPE) underground power transmission cables, each 1.5 kilometers in length. Temporary diversion of the existing transmission line was done to ensure no loss of generation and simultaneously permit rehabilitation works.
As part of the retrofit scope, ABB recreated the as-built drawings of the 30 year-old substation to maximize the reuse of existing materials and equipment. ABB upgraded the 28 bays from 40 kA to 63 kA in just 16 months, without impacting the generation and distribution of power and with zero incidents.
ABB was responsible for design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the entire solution.