ABB scoops $24m SEC power deal

ABB wins power deal for Saudi Electricity Company. (Getty Images)

Power giant ABB has won an order worth $24 million from the Saudi Electricity Company (SEC), the country’s national power transmission and distribution operator, to strengthen the grid in the central region of Saudi Arabia.

The installation of a static var compensator (SVC) will provide reactive power support to mitigate voltage instabilities and help prevent black-outs. SVC is part of ABB’s family of flexible alternating current transmission systems (FACTS) technologies, which improve the capacity, security and flexibility of power transmission systems, and makes a valuable contribution to the development of smarter grids.
“This environmentally friendly solution will improve grid stability, improve power quality and help secure power supply. The installation is an important component of SEC’s overall power grid expansion program, which we are proud to be a part of,” said Martin Gross, head of ABB’s Grid Systems business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division.
The turnkey solution, expected to be completed by 2013, includes design, supply, installation and commissioning.
By enhancing power capacity in existing grids, FACTS technologies allow more power to reach consumers with minimal environmental impact, lower investment costs and shorter implementation times than the traditional alternative of building new power plants and transmission lines. They also help address voltage and frequency stability issues and enable the transmission system to run more efficiently. ABB is a global leader in the growing field of FACTS, and has more than 800 such installations in operation or under construction across the world.
 

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