POWERGRID India appoints RXPE (RXHK since 2017) for breakthrough power electronics solution

RXPE has won a landmark contract from Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd (POWERGRID) to design and build the world's largest* STATCOM installations. The objective is to improve the voltage profile and dynamic stability of India's power transmission system.

RXPE will provide three STATCOM stations, each with an overall dynamic reactive compensation capacity of -550MVar to +425MVar.

The operating functions of the STATCOM stations include: steady state voltage control of 400kV bus, balance steady state voltage at 400kV bus, dynamic over-voltage control, transient and dynamic stability control, damping of power oscillations and damping of subsynchronous oscillations. They will be strategically deployed at three 400kV substations in the Western region of India: Solapur, Satna and Aurangabad.

The project has a fast-track 24-month completion target and involves coordinated support from RXPE's India and UK facilities. UK engineering teams will oversee design elements to optimise the integration of each STATCOM with its substation and the wider network. Project management will be handled from India with the assistance of a partner organisation, and one of the units will be assembled locally in New Delhi.

STATCOMs are a key enabling technology for developing power networks, synchronising electricity transmission in irregular conditions. Based on Voltage Source Converter (VSC) technology, STATCOMs use low-voltage modules in series to realise a high voltage output. In addition to the core STATCOM, each installation will include shunt reactors, a shunt capacitor, associated coupling transformers and 400kV equipment.

"Regulating power transmission to ensure supply meets demand is a complex task, especially in rapidly urbanising populations where requirements can be unpredictable," says Lalit Tejwani, Country Manager at RXPE (India). "These large-scale STATCOM installations will push the boundaries of power electronics engineering to help overcome India's enduring power challenges."

POWERGRID (www.powergridindia.com) is the Central Transmission Utility (CTU) responsible for bulk power transmission of electrical energy to utilities and users across India. It is also responsible for interconnecting regional grids and operating and maintaining the National Electrical Grid.

* The largest STATCOMs commissioned to date are four ±200 MVAR units deployed at a 500kV substation of the China Southern Power Grid. These were also designed and manufactured by RXPE (RXHK since 2017).