ABB wins IED relays contract with TVA

WASHINGTON, D.C. - ABB, the leading power and automation technology company, announced it has signed a multi-year agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) worth $15 million to supply 670 Series protection and control relays over the next 10 years.

The agreement comes as TVA upgrades and expands its massive multi-state network on the power grid.

ABB will continue as a supplier to provide TVA with electromechanical relays, test switches and related power products, systems and services for TVAÂ’s many substations, switchyards, power plants and connection points, helping TVA to achieve increased energy efficiency, reliability and intelligence.

The announcement was made at GridWeek 2008, a U.S. Department of Energy conference in Washington, D.C. aimed at advancing smart grid initiatives.

ABBÂ’s 670 Series Intelligent Electronic Device (IED) is a highly-advanced protective relay for the protection, control and monitoring of transformers, breakers, transmission lines, capacitor banks, generators and buses. These relays allow multi-object capabilities where several primary apparatus can be protected with a single device, enabling many other intelligent solutions based on functional integration.

The IED 670 series supports the worldwide IEC 61850 standard for substation automation, providing extreme intelligence and flexibility that allows for interoperability in communication with other relays and substation automation components.

“This significant agreement with the Tennessee Valley Authority underscores ABB’s commitment to provide the leading-edge, cost-effective technologies our customers need to strengthen their networks with advanced protection and control applications, improved energy efficiency, productivity and grid reliability,” said Gary Reid, general manager for Substation Automation Products, ABB North America.

“We are pleased to continue as a TVA strategic partner with this agreement. The ABB team worldwide has worked hard to win TVA’s business, and we are committed to ensuring that TVA receives the flexibility, power and intelligence the 670 Series brings to the grid as they expand their operations to meet growing power demands.”