| Transmission & distribution
on multiple circuits, especially in contingency scenarios (N-1).
ISA TRANSELCA proposed deploying SmartValves to resolve congestion on five 220 kV circuits. The national planning agency, UPME, selected Smart Wires’ APFC solution as the preferred option and included it in the national expansion plan.
SmartValve offered shorter lead times and avoided the lengthy permitting and disruption to communities associated with alternative network options. Its modular nature also provides ISA TRANSELCA with the flexibility to adapt the installation over time as system needs evolve. By deploying SmartValves across five circuits at two sites to push power off overloaded circuits and onto circuits with spare capacity, ISA TRANSELCA can unlock over 300 MW of extra capacity on the existing grid to support the
connection of new renewable power generation and improve capacity utilisation of new infrastructure in the area.
“Our collaboration with ISA TRANSELCA exemplifies how strategic investments in APFC can optimise grid capabilities and expedite the adoption of renewable energy,” said Joaquin Peirano, General Manager for the Americas at Smart Wires. “Following the successful completion of the CO-COST project last year, this new project leverages our partnership to bring reliable, scalable solutions to address the challenges of modern energy distribution.” A unique feature of the project is that the SmartValves at the Nueva Barranquilla substation are housed indoors to provide a durable solution in a highly corrosive environment, caused by proximity to heavy industry and the sea. This indoor deployment is made possible due to the
flexibility of SmartValve, says Smart Wires, which means that the layout can be optimised for the space available.
Smart Wires notes it has been active in Colombia for the past five years, starting with a pilot project with Empresas Públicas de Medellín (EPM) in 2021 and followed by several large- scale projects, with EPM, Enlaza-GEB, and ISA TRANSELCA. These projects have already helped unlock over 1.2 GW of firm transmission capacity, “improving access to clean, reliable, affordable electricity for consumers across Colombia,” says Smart Wires.
Headquartered in the Research Triangle of North Carolina, Smart Wires says it has unlocked a total of over 3.8 GW of grid capacity, with SmartValve™ deployed by over 25 utilities around the world, including in Europe and Australia, as well as the USA and Latin America.
Offshore HVDC, a milestone for RWE
RWE has reported achievement of a major milestone in the delivery of its flagship Sofia offshore wind farm with the successful installation of the AC to DC offshore converter platform (OCP). Successful installation of the OCP keeps the 1.4 GW projecton track to be fully operational in 2026.
The massive OCP structure, constructed over two and a half years and requiring more than 13 million hours of work, was loaded out from Batam Yard in Indonesia and transported to the North Sea. It is thought to be the largest offshore wind converter platform of its type in the world. The installation was carried out by
Heerema, using its Sleipnir heavy lift vessel, as a subcontractor to the GE Vernova/Seatrium consortium responsible for the OCP. The platform, equivalent in height to an 11-story building and weighing over 13 000 tonnes, was lifted onto the jacket structure, marking the largest lift in offshore wind history. The jacket structure, a welded tubular space frame, was first placed to support the topside facilities, which include supports for conductors, risers, and the topside itself.
The Sofia offshore wind farm, located on Dogger Bank, 195 km off the northeast coast of the UK, will employ 100 Siemens Gamesa
14 MW wind turbines. The power will be transmitted via subsea export cables to landfall in Redcar, Teesside, some 220 km away. Operations and maintenance activities for Sofia will be managed from RWE’s new offshore wind operations base, the ‘Grimsby Hub,’ which also supports RWE’s Triton Knoll offshore wind farm. RWE is also developing in the region its two Dogger Bank South projects which, together, have a potential installed capacity of around 3 GW.
As RWE’s largest offshore wind farm to date, Sofia represents a critical component of the UK’s renewable energy future.
The biggest lift in offshore wind history: installation of the 13000 t offshore converter platform for the Sofia wind farm (photo RWE)
www.modernpowersystems.com | October 2024 | 39
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