HVDC control upgrade in Scandinavia.

ABB has commissioned the upgrade of the control and protection system of the Skagerrak 3 HVDC link between Norway and Denmark. The installation and commissioning time was only four weeks to minimize outage time.

In addition to the system upgrade, the delivery included control of the bipolar configuration of Skagerrak 3 and Skagerrak 4. The former transmission link was delivered by ABB in 1993. The latter, currently under construction by ABB, will be delivered later in the year. In 2007, ABB also delivered an upgrade of the control systems of the adjacent Skagerrak 1 and Skagerrak 2 HVDC links.

"This upgrade reinforces ABB’s focus and commitment to supporting customers throughout the lifecycle of the products and systems it delivers," said Hanspeter Faessler, head of ABB’s Grid Systems business, a part of the Power Systems division. “It also underlines the company’s emphasis on growing its service business.”

ABB has significant experience in delivering HVDC system upgrades around the world. Since 1990, the company has been awarded 20 major upgrade projects, including 15 major upgrades of control and protection systems.

ABB pioneered HVDC technology 60 years ago and has been awarded around 90 HVDC projects representing a total installed capacity of more than 95,000 MW, which accounts for about half of the global installed base.

The MACH system is the world's most extensively deployed control system for HVDC and FACTS with over 1,100 installations in operation. It is extensively used across a range of installations from small, highly demanding HVDC Light links, to large HVDC power transmission system, with power ratings of over 6,400 megawatts (MW).

The Skagerrak 3 HVDC link, owned by the Danish transmission system operator, Energinet.dk, and the Norwegian equivalent, Statnett, stretches over 240 kilometers and crosses the Skagerrak Strait. It enables transmission between the mainly hydroelectric-based Norwegian system and the wind and thermal power-based Danish system.