Siemens hands over its 100th static synchronous compensator to Amprion

• 4 years ago (2019-07-02)
• David Flin

Europe 1061 Transmission 181

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Siemens delivered a converter for a grid stabilisation system for voltage regulation to the German transmission grid operator Amprion, the one-hundredth STATCOM (static synchronous compensator) from its SVC PLUS series. The turnkey installation will be deployed in the important Kusenhorst node in North Rhine Westphalia, Germany.

STATCOM systems stabilise fluctuations in the grid by absorbing or feeding in voltage-supporting reactive power, depending on the requirements. This approach significantly reduces the risk of voltage drops and blackouts. Siemens says that it provides two-thirds of STATCOM systems with modular multilevel converter technology (MMC) worldwide.

The SVC PLUS system for Amprion is designed for a reactive power range of +/- 300 MVAr, and will regulate and secure the voltage in the grid, depending on the requirements. Ludger Meier, Head of Operations and Engineering at Amprion, said: “With the new STATCOM system for the Kusenhorst substation, we are investing in transmission grid reliability and living up to our responsibility for secure grid operation. We chose Siemens as a reliable technology partner, as it has proven its expertise in providing the SVC PLUS system for the Kriftel substation.”

The heart of SVC PLUS, an enhanced STATCOM, is its MMC technology. This ensures that the generated voltage waveform is sinusoidal, and no harmonic filters are needed. As a result, the system takes up less space and can regulate the voltage at high speed.