Technology to maintain grid reliability, reduce environmental impact
Zurich, Switzerland, Sept. 30, 2008 – ABB, the leading power and automation technology company, has won orders worth a total of $75 million from Oncor Electric Delivery for technology to maintain the reliability of the grid in the north Texas area while lowering environmental impact.
ABB will supply Static Var Compensators (SVCs), equipment that is used to compensate for fluctuations in the voltage and current of an electric grid. The technology allows more power to flow through the network while maintaining safety margins, increasing network stability and reducing the need to run power plants close to urban areas.
The turnkey project, to be delivered by 2010, will allow better control and faster response times to changes in grid conditions. It will also accommodate the future use of wind power and other forms of remote and irregular generation.
“The robust design and flexibility of the equipment will allow Oncor to continue to reliably operate the transmission grid in northern Texas with less dependence on local power generation,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “The installation also means Oncor is well equipped for future growth in demand.”
Static Var Compensators are part of ABB’s Flexible AC Transmission Systems (FACTS) family of technologies that improve the overall security, capacity and flexibility of power transmission and distribution systems, as well as power quality and productivity in industry.
ABB is a world leader in FACTS technologies, with more than 500 installations in operation or under construction around the world.
Oncor has more than seven million customers in Texas and operates the largest distribution and transmission system in the state, with some 164,000 kilometers of distribution and 22,500 kilometers of transmission lines.
ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 115,000 people.