ABB wins $20 million HVDC refurbishment order

ABB Highgate HVDC upgrade modernizes the Vermont-Quebec back-to-back converter, adding MACH2 control and protection, new valves and cooling, boosting transmission efficiency, grid stability, and clean hydropower import with a 21-day outage.

ABB has won an order worth about $20 million from Vermont Electrical Power Company VELCO to refurbish a more than 25-year old HVDC high-voltage direct current transmission station.

The original station was delivered by ABB in 1985. The power order was booked in the first quarter.

ABB will modernize the Highgate back-to-back converter station, which links the electrical systems of the state of Vermont and the province of Quebec. A contract to import hydropower to Vermont from Quebec has recently been extended for another 25 years, and related SVC power orders help support grid integration.

The project’s scope includes the installation of ABB’s state-of-the-art control and protection system MACH2, and replacement of the valves and valve cooling system, similar to a BC Hydro retrofit contract in Canada. The planned outage time for the link is only 21 days – an important factor that will minimize the impact of the station being out of service. The upgraded station is expected to be in operation by the end of 2012.

“The upgrade of the HVDC station will bring greater transmission efficiency, improve stability and provide greater security of power supply,” said Martin Gross, head of ABB’s Grid Systems business, a part of the Power Systems division. “It will also facilitate the transfer of clean hydropower from Canada.”

The MACH2 system is the world's most popular control system for HVDC and FACTS with over 700 systems in operation. It is extensively used across a range of installations from highly demanding HVDC Light installations, including projects with BC Hydro in Canada, to large HVDC power links with power ratings of over 6,400 megawatts MW.

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