ABB has won orders worth over US$ 300 million to supply its technology for the world’s first 1,100 kV ultra-high-voltage direct current (UHVDC) transmission link. The Changji-Guquan UHVDC link will transmit power from the Xinjiang region in the Northwest, to Anhui province in eastern China. It will be capable of transporting 12,000MW of electricity - the equivalent of 12 large power plants, a 50 per cent increase in transmission capacity, compared with the 800 kV UHVDC links currently in operation.
This will also help extend the transmission distance from around 2,000 km to over 3,000 km and play a key role in integrating remote renewables on a large scale, transmitting power over greater distances and facilitating a more interconnected grid. ABB supplies include converter transformers and components like bushings and tap changers. ABB will also supply the HVDC converter valves, DC circuit breakers, wall bushings and capacitors as well as provide system design support. Each transformer weighs 800 tons, measuring 32 meters in length. ABB’s transformer manufacturing and testing facility in Chongqing as well as the local HVDC engineering and technology center will be actively involved in the delivery and execution of the project.
