The two 800 kV links will each have the capacity to transmit 8000 MW of wind and thermal power from Shanxi to Nanjing and from Jiuquan to Hunan – enough electricity to meet the needs of 26 million consumers based on average national consumption. The orders were booked in the third quarter of 2015.
ABB will supply leading-edge HVDC converters, converter transformers and components, capacitors and filters, and high voltage circuit breakers. Converter transformers for the two projects will serve as the vital interface between the AC network and the DC links.
The Jiuquan-Hunan project is China’s second 800 kV UHVDC to 750 kV UHVAC connection, an innovation that also enhances the efficiency and capacity of long-distance UHV electricity delivery systems.
“These projects will help integrate more renewable energy and further strengthen China’s transmission grid,” said Claudio Facchin, President of ABB’s Power Systems division.
In recent years, China has been focusing on developing UHVDC power transmission links to boost capacity and improve grid efficiency. This will allow more power generated in China’s western regions to be transmitted over longer distances with fewer losses to the country’s high demand eastern regions, where many major load centres are based.