ABB wins $20 million order for voltage compensators

ABB, a power and automation technology group, has won an order worth about $20 million from Oncor, Dallas, TX, to supply a Static VAr Compensator (SVC) unit to support the transmission grid in North Texas.

SVC devices provide fast-acting reactive power compensation in high-voltage networks, which ABB says, enhances stability by countering fluctuations in the voltage and current of an electric grid, and by letting more power flow through the network. “This ‘no-wires’ equipment improves energy efficiency, helps maintain an uninterrupted flow of electricity, and enhances grid reliability,” says Per Haugland in ABB’s Power Systems division. “It will also facilitate future integration of wind power and other renewables, as grids get smarter.”

The SVC unit will be installed at the Renner substation in the northern part of the state. ABB, Raleigh, N.C., has won three similar orders from Oncor in the past, most recently in 2008 for a project in the vicinity of Renner, Texas. The first two SVC units, delivered to the Parkdale substation near Dallas-Fort Worth, will begin operations in mid-2009. The Parkdale installation is the world’s largest cluster of SVC equipment. The turnkey project is scheduled for completion by end of 2010.