ABB, the power and automation technology group, won a USD 35M order from Hydro-Québec to upgrade the 350MW Madawaska high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link, that connects the grids of New Brunswick and Hydro Québec in southeast Canada. The order was booked in the second quarter of 2014.
The project scope includes installation of ABB’s MACH control and protection system and the upgrade of the valves and valve cooling system. ABB’s MACH system is the world’s most extensively deployed control solution for HVDC and flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS) installations, with over 1,100 such systems in operation throughout the world. The back-to-back converter station has been in operation for more than 25 years and the modernisation is expected to significantly improve grid reliability and help reduce maintenance needs. The new station is scheduled to go into full operation in 2016. “This upgrade will enhance power availability, reduce outages and improve grid reliability in the region”, said Claudio Facchin, head of ABB’s Power Systems division.
ABB has built up significant experience in upgrade of HVDC links around the world as many such installations are coming of age. This is the twenty-first major HVDC modernisation project and the fifteenth upgrade of control and protection systems awarded to ABB since 1990.