5th & 6th Feb, 2007 at India Trade Promotion Organisation - Pragati Maidan, New Delhi, India

Prospects of Bulk Power EHV and UHV

Transmission
V. Ramaswami, D. Retzmann*, K. Uecker
Siemens, Germany

ABSTRACT
Deregulation and privatization pose new challenges for high voltage transmission systems. System
elements are loaded up to their thermal limits, and power trading with fast varying load patterns is
contributing to an increasing congestion. In this respect, interconnection of separated power systems
may offer important technical, economical and environmental advantages. For the interconnections,
innovative solutions will be essential to avoid congestion and to improve system stability. HVDC
(High Voltage Direct Current) and FACTS (Flexible AC Transmission Systems) provide the necessary
features to avoid technical problems in the power systems, they increase the transmission capacity and
system stability very efficiently and they help to prevent cascading disturbances. HVDC and FACTS
will play an important role for the system developments, leading to Smart Grids with better
controllability of the power flows.
For some countries, UHV transmission solutions with AC voltages of 1000 kV and DC systems with
800 kV are in the planning stage. This will increase the transmission capacity for AC links up to
10_GW and for DC systems up to 5 - 6 GW. UHV transmission will be applied in emerging countries
like India and China, to serve their booming energy demands efficiently. In the paper, benefits of bulk
power transmission solutions with HVDC and FACTS for system enhancement and grid
interconnection are depicted and UHV technology issues for AC and DC are discussed. Prospects of
high power electronics in future grid developments are presented.
KEY WORDS:
Power System Interconnection, System Stability, Blackout Prevention, Increase of Transmission
Capacity, Prospects of UHV Solutions, Power-Flow Control, Short-Circuit Current Limitation,
Parallel Operation of HVDC and FACTS

*dietmar.retzmann@siemens.com

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1. PERSPECTIVES OF POWER SYSTEM DEVELOPMENTS

The development of power systems follows the need to transmit power from generation to the
consumers. With an increased demand for energy and the construction of new generation plants, first
built close and then at remote locations from the load centers, the size and complexity of power
systems have grown. Examples of large interconnected systems are the Western and Eastern European
systems UCTE (installed capacity 530 GW) and IPS/UPS (315 GW), which are planned to be
interconnected in the future, ref. to Fig. 1.

UCTE Synchronous Interconnections:

f [mHz]

Frequency & Power

15

Frequency

Inter-Area Oscillations with Magnitudes up to

1000 MW

Damping Measures necessary

Spain

-100

Poland

-5

P [MW]

-200

-15
-25

-300

-35

(border
to France)
Germany

-45

(border to France)

Active Power France-Germany

-400

(one 400-kV
system)

-55
-65

-500

-75

-600
0

t [s]

15

12

Signals: simulated & measured by WAMS

the 1st Step for

System Extension
The Interconnection
CENTREL to UCPTE

a)

1st UCTE Synchronous Zone

In synchronous Operation with 1st Zone
2nd UCTE Synchronous Zone

NORDEL

In synchronous Operation with 2nd Zone

b)

Zone 1 & 2 resynchronized since 10-10-2004

since then, the Risk of

large Inter-Area Oscillations in
UCTE has been increased *

IPS/UPS
c)

UCTE - 1

* depending on
the actual Load
Flow Situation

UCTE - 2

Options for Grid

Interconnection
Turkey

AL MAGHREB

c)
Fig. 1: UCTE Steps a) & b) for Interconnection of Zones 1, 2 and further Options c)
2/20

However, with an increasing size of the synchronous interconnected systems, the technical and
economical advantages diminish. This is related to problems regarding load flow, inter-area power
oscillations ([1], ref. Fig. 1a) and voltage quality. If power is to be transmitted through the
interconnected system over longer distances, transmission needs to be supported. This is, for example,
the case in the UCTE system, where the 400 kV voltage level is in fact too low for large cross-border
and inter-area power exchange. Bottlenecks are already identified, and for an increase of power
transfer, advanced solutions using HVDC and FACTS need to be applied. Large blackouts in America
and Europe confirmed clearly, that the favorable close electrical coupling might also include risk of
uncontrollable cascading effects in large and heavily loaded interconnected systems [3].
Such an enhancement scenario for power transmission systems is depicted in Fig. 2.

Extensions of Interconnected Systems

Increased Power Exchange among the
Interconnected Systems
Transmission of large Power Blocks over long
Distances * (Hydro Resources, Solar Energy)
Renewable Energy Resources at favorable
Locations *
**by
byuse
useof
ofHVDC
HVDC/ /FACTS
FACTSfor
forremote
remoteInfeed
Infeed

Fig. 2: Enhancement of Transmission Systems

Additional problems are expected when renewable energies, such as large wind farms, have to be
integrated into the system, especially when the connecting AC links are weak and when there is no
sufficient reserve capacity in the neighboring systems available [2].

Tomorrow:

Today:

G
G

G
G

G
G

Use of Dispersed Generation

Load Flow will be fuzzy

Fig. 3: Perspectives of Transmission and Distribution Network Developments

3/20

In the future, an increasing part of the installed capacity will, however, be connected to the distribution
levels (dispersed generation), which poses additional challenges on planning and safe operation of the
systems, see Fig. 3. In such cases, HVDC and FACTS can clearly strengthen the power systems and
improve their performance.

2. SOLUTIONS FOR SYSTEM INTERCONNECTION

The idea of embedding huge amounts of wind energy in the German grid by using HVDC, FACTS
and GIL (Gas Insulated Lines) is depicted in Fig. 4. Goal is a significant CO2 reduction through the
replacement of conventional energy sources by renewable energies, mainly off-shore wind farms.
Main problem of such large scale wind energy integration is its fluctuating availability, as shown in
Fig. 5. It means, a significant amount of reserve capacity will be needed somewhere in the system, and
- by using HVDC and FACTS - both load and generation reserve sharing will be enabled [6].
However, this scenario needs further investigations regarding the investment costs and UCTE system
stability.

AC or DC
Cables

Long-term: 30 - 50 GW
platform

incl.
Baltic Sea &
On-Shore

platform

Medium-term
Planning

GIL in Tunnel
to avoid 40-50
Cables nearby
the Coasts

2020

4 x GIL, 4 x SVC, 2 x HVDC

Source: DENA Study 02-24-2005

Fig. 4: Integration of large Off-Shore Wind Farms by means of HVDC and FACTS
Based on the global experience with large blackouts, strategies for the development of large power
systems go clearly in the direction of hybrid transmissions, consisting of DC and AC interconnections,
including FACTS [6].
Such hybrid interconnected systems offer significant advantages, both technically and in terms of
reliability [5]. Fig. 6 shows schematically such a hybrid system using HVDC and FACTS. Power
exchange in the neighboring areas of interconnected systems can be achieved by AC links, preferably
including FACTS for increased transmission capacity and for stability reasons. The transmission of
large power blocks over long distances should, however, be utilized by the HVDC transmissions
directly to the locations of power demand [5].
HVDC can be implemented as direct coupler the Back-to-Back solution (B2B) - or as point-topoint long distance transmission via DC line. The HVDC links can strengthen the AC interconnections

4/20

at the same time, in order to avoid possible dynamic problems which exist in such huge
interconnections. These options for HVDC application are depicted in Fig. 6.

Additional Reserve Capacity is

required

This will be a strong Issue in the German Grid Development

Problems with Wind Power Generation

o Wind Generation varies strongly
o It can not follow the Load Requirements

Source: E.ON - 2003

Fig. 5: Network Load and aggregated Wind Power Generation during a Week of
maximum Load in the E.ON Grid
System
G
System
A

System
B

System
C

System
D

System
E

System
F

Large
LargeSystem
SystemInterconnections,
Interconnections,using
usingHVDC
HVDCand FACTS
HVDC - Long Distance DC Transmission
HVDC B2B - via AC Lines
High Voltage AC Transmission & FACTS
DC the Stability Booster and
Firewall against Blackout

Countermeasures
against large
Blackouts

Fig. 6: Large Power System Interconnections - Benefits of Hybrid Solutions

5/20

3. DEVELOPMENTS IN THE FIELD OF HVDC

In the second half of last century, high power HVDC transmission technology has been introduced,
offering new dimensions for long distance transmission. This development started with the
transmission of power in an order of magnitude of a few hundred MW and was continuously increased
to transmission ratings up to 3 GW over long distances by just one bipolar line. Transmission
distances over 1,000 to 2,000 km or even more are possible with overhead lines. Transmission power
of up to 600 - 800 MW over distances of about 300 km has already been implemented using
submarine cables, and cable transmission lengths of up to about 1,300 km are in the planning stage. By
these developments, HVDC became a mature and reliable technology.
During the development of HVDC, different kinds of applications were carried out. They are shown
schematically in Fig. 7. The first commercial applications were HVDC sea cable transmissions,
because AC cable transmission over more than 60-80 km is technically not feasible due to reactive
power limitations. Then, long distance HVDC transmissions with overhead lines were built because
they are more economical than transmission with AC lines. To interconnect systems operating at
different frequencies, Back-to-Back (B2B) schemes were applied. B2B converters can also be
connected to long AC lines (Fig. 7a).

Can be
connected
to long AC
Lines

a)

b)

a) Back-to-Back Solution
b) HVDC Long Distance Transmission
c) Integration of HVDC into the AC System
Hybrid Solution

c)

Fig. 7: Types of HVDC Transmissions

A further and for the future very important application of HVDC transmission is its integration into the
complex interconnected AC system. Fig. 7c depicts this idea for both B2B as Grid Power Flow
Controller (GPFC) - and for long-distance point-to-point transmission. The reasons for these hybrid
solutions are basically lower transmission costs as well as the possibility of bypassing heavily loaded
AC systems.
Typical configurations of HVDC are depicted in Fig. 8. In Fig. 9, an overview of both standard and
extended operating ranges of HVDC is given. While using the full control range of HVDC up to 90O,
the B2B can feature FACTS functions, e.g. fast voltage control, in the same way as an SVC. As
indicated in the figure, this new idea of GPFC as a FACTS B2B has been successfully applied in a
project at Lamar substation, USA [4, 7].
The major benefit of the HVDC (in comparison with FACTS), both B2B/GPFC and LDT, is its
incorporated ability for fault-current blocking, which serves as an automatic firewall for Blackout
prevention in case of cascading events, which is not possible with FACTS.

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Power & Voltage Control

Fault Current Blocking

Back-to-Back - the short Link ...

Filters

Filters

fA = 50 Hz

Rating LDT:

a)

Example

130
130 kV
kV 800
800
300

MW
300 MW 4000
4000

fB = 60 Hz

... or with Cable/Line - the

Long Distance
Transmission

B2B - Rating:
13,8
13,8 kV
kV 550
550

MW

1200
30
30 MW 1200

up to 1000 - 4000 km

HVDC-LDT - Long Distance Transmission

B2B - The Short Link
Submarine Cable Transmission

Back-to-Back Station

AC
60 Hz

b)

AC

AC
50 Hz

AC

AC

AC
DC Line

DC Cable

HVDC - High Voltage DC Transmission: It forces P to flow

z

Standard with Thyristors (Line-Commutated Converter)

AC/DC and DC/AC Conversion by Power Electronics

HVDC PLUS (Voltage-Sourced Converter - VSC)

HVDC can be combined with FACTS

V-Control included
Fault-Current
Blocking

c)

V1
G~

Benefits of
HVDC in a
synchronous
AC System

Long Distance OHL Transmission

Slow Functions

I1
Q1

P
and

V2
I2
Q2

L and C

G~

Slow Functions

L and C
Fast Functions

Fig. 8: HVDC Configurations

a) Basic Scheme
b) Technologies
c) Control Features

Power & Voltage Control

Fault-Current Blocking

7/20

The Firewall
for Blackout
Prevention

Fig. 9: HVDC Operating Ranges and the new GPFC Solution as FACTS B2B

Clean Energy from Platforms & Islands

with VSC Technology

Fig. 10: DC with VSC HVDC PLUS

HVDC PLUS (Fig. 10) is the preferred technology for interconnection of islanded grids to the power
system, such as off-shore wind farms. This technology provides the so-called Black-Start feature
using self-commutated voltage-sourced converters (VSC). Voltage-sourced converters do not have the

8/20

need for a driving system voltage; they can build up a 3-phase AC voltage via the DC voltage at the
cable end, supplied from the converter at the main grid.
In Fig. 11, the benefits of using power electronics for system enhancement are summarized and a
comparison of switching frequencies of line-commutated thyristor devices and self-commutated VSC
are depicted. Conventional equipment (e.g. breakers, tap-changer transformers) offer very low losses,
but the switching speed is very low. Power electronics can provide high switching frequencies up to
several kHz, however, with an increase in losses. From Fig. 11, it can be seen that due to less
converter losses the preferred solution for Bulk Power Transmission is in fact the line-commutated
thyristor technology. The todays losses of high power voltage-sourced converters with high switching
frequencies are within the range of 4 - 5 %, which is too much for large bulk power DC transmission
projects.

More Dynamics for better Power Quality:

z

Use of Power Electronic Circuits to control P, V & Q

Parallel and/or Series Connection of Converters

z Fast AC/DC and DC/AC Conversion
z

Transition from slow to fast

4-5 %

Thyristor

GTO

IGBT / IGCT

1-2 %
Switching
Frequency

> 1000 Hz
< 500 Hz

50/60 Hz

Losses

On-Off Transition 20 - 80 ms

The Solution for Bulk Power Transmission

Fig. 11: Use of Power Electronics for FACTS & HVDC Transient Performance and Losses
4. UHV TECHNOLOGIES FOR BULK POWER TRANSMISSION
Bulk Power UHV AC and DC transmission schemes over distances of more than 2000 km are
currently under planning for the connection of various large hydropower stations in China [4, 10, 11].
Ultra high DC voltage (up to 800 kV) and ultra high AC (1000 kV) are the preferred voltage levels for
these applications to keep the transmission losses as low as possible.
In India, there are similar prospects for UHV DC as in China due to the large extension of the grid [4,
8, 9]. AC long distance transmission, however, will be implemented in India by EHV levels of up to
800 kV, including FACTS. The road-map for Indias hybrid bulk power grid developments are
depicted in Fig. 12. Indias energy growth is about 8-9 % per annum, with an installed generation
capacity of 124 GW in 2006 (92 GW peak load demand), ref. to [8, 9]. The installed generation
capacity is expected to increase to 333 GW by 2017 [8].
Fig. 13 depicts how the ideas of hybrid bulk power interconnections are reflected in China's UHV grid
developments. Focus is on interconnection of 7 large inter-provincial grids of the Northern, Central
and Southern systems via three bulk power corridors which will built up a redundant backbone for
the whole grid. Each corridor is planned for about 20 GW transmission capacity which shall be
realized with both AC and DC transmission lines with ratings of 4 - 10 GW each (at +/- 800 kV DC

9/20

and 1000 kV AC, ref. to the figure). Therefore, each corridor will have a set-up with 2 - 3 systems for
redundancy reasons. With these ideas, China envisages a total amount of about 900 GW installed
generation capacity by 2020. For comparison, UCTE and IPS/UPS together sum up to 850 GW today.

HVDC SYSTEMS BY 2011-12

NR
BHIWADI

DADRI

2500 MW
60 00 M
W

1500
MW

RIHAND
AGRA

500
MW

NER

BALIA

50 0

BISHWANATH
CHARIYALI

MW
SASARAM

ER

VINDHYACHAL

WR

CHANDRAPUR BHADRAVATI

1000
MW

Back-to-Back: 6 x

TALCHER

( 4,000 MW)

1500 MW
2X500MW
GAZUWAKA

PADGHE

0M

20
KOLAR

Main
Grid

HVDC BIPOLE
HVDC BACK-TO-BACK

Source: Brazil-India-China Summit Meeting on

HVDC & Hybrid Systems Planning and
Engineering Issues, July 2006, Rio de Janeiro,
Brazil

SH

N&
ANDAMA
R
NICOBA

SR

K
LA
WE
AD
EP

a)

Bipole : 6 x ( 13,500 MW)

LEGEND

MW

1 00

00

KOLHAPUR

DC

b) DEVELOPMENT OF CHICKEN NECK AREA

50 GW Hybrid:

CK
N NE
HICKE

AREA

10 GW AC
40 GW DC
EX

IS

10
Up t o

G
TIN

C
GW A

6 -7 x
VD
800 k

VD
800 k

F UT U

DC
6 GW

VD
800 k

RE

800 k

V DC

Fig. 12: Grid Developments in India [8, 9]

a) System Overview including the Chicken Neck Area
b) Hybrid Solutions in the Chicken Neck including UHV DC

10/20

The benefits of the large hybrid power system interconnections in India and China are clear:

Increase of transmission distance and reduction of losses - using UHV and EHV
HVDC serves as stability booster and firewall against large blackouts
Use of the most economical energy resources - far from load centers
Sharing of loads and reserve capacity
Renewable energy sources, including large wind farms and solar fields can much more easily
be integrated

However, using the 1000 kV AC lines, there will be in fact stability concerns: if for example such an
AC line - with up to 10 GW transmission capacity - is lost during faults, large inter-area oscillations
might occur. For this reason, additional large FACTS controllers on the UHV AC lines for stability
support are in discussion in China.

Transmission
Capacity of
DC: 4-6 GW
each Corridor
will be 20 GW Solutions:
800 kV DC &
nx
in 2020

North Corridor

1000 kV AC

AC: 6-10 GW

3 x 20 GW
the installed
Generation
Capacity will
be 900 GW
Central Corridor
Sources:

South Corridor

Fig. 13: Perspectives of Grid Developments in China - AC & DC Bulk Power

Transmission from West to East via three main Corridors [12]
Specific issues for the necessary UHV technology developments are depicted in the following, as seen
from the Siemens perspective [4, 12]. It is obvious that the UHV insulation requirements will lead to a
huge increase of the mechanical dimensions of all equipment, including PTs, CTs, breakers,
disconnectors, busbars, transformers and reactive power equipment. Some main equipment does not
require detailed investigations since existing technology basically enables to extrapolate from lower
voltage applications. An example for this type of equipment is the DC thyristor valve which is based
on a modular design. Additional thyristor levels to be connected in series are well feasible and do not
require any conceptual changes. However, for other equipment it has to be verified to which extent
existing technology and know-how are adequate for design and manufacturing process. This includes
the following equipment:

AC grid transformers and DC converter transformers including bushings

AC and DC wall bushings

11/20

DC smoothing reactors
AC reactive power equipment, including FACTS
AC breakers and disconnectors
DC bypass switches and DC disconnectors
AC and DC measurements

Regarding shunt-connected FACTS controllers, there are no specific additional efforts necessary for
the medium voltage equipment at the secondary side of the grid transformers. For series connected
FACTS, if applied, efforts will be needed for a robust construction of the platforms matching the
required seismic performance.
Converter transformers are one of the very important components for UHV DC application. It is well
understood that the existing technology and know-how of converter transformers can manage higher
DC voltages. Yet, there are critical areas which need careful consideration and further development in
order to keep the electrical stresses at a safe level. Above all the windings and the transformer internal
part of bushings on the valve side of the converter transformers with the barrier systems and cleats and
leads require very careful attention.
In the following, design aspects for key UHV DC equipment are outlined. From Figs. 14-15 it can be
seen that for transformers the bushings will be a major issue with regard to mechanical dimensions,
including transportation to site.

Existing Technology and KnowHow can well manage higher DC

Voltage Stresses
Transformers for 800 kV HVDC
System are within existing
Manufacturing Capabilities
Transportation Limits and Converter
Configuration will determine Type
and Size
R&D in Progress in specific Fields

Works for 800 kV DC Transformer

Fig. 14: Transformer for UHV DC In the State of Development
An example of the complete HVDC station layout is given in Fig. 16. Main idea of this concept is to
use two 12-pulse converters with 400 kV DC operating voltage each and then to connect them in
series in order to achieve the desired 800 kV arrangement.
A major benefit of this solution will be a smaller size of the converter transformers, if transportation
restrictions exist. Furthermore, it increases the redundancy of the transmission: each of the 4
converters of plus and minus pole can be bypassed and the assigned DC line will be operated at
400_kV reduced voltage level.
Due to this, the single line diagram of +/- 800kV UHV DC converter station will be mostly the same
as a +/- 500kV HVDC converter station. A configuration of two 12 pulse-groups per pole has also a
long term operation experience worldwide. It means there is no basic new concept to be developed.
The arrangement of the valve-units in two 400 kV valve halls per pole is outlined in Fig. 17.

12/20

800 kV DC Bushing in Test Field

Fig. 15: UHV DC Bushing at Test Lab TU Graz Austria

Main benefit will be the use of proven modular technologies by just expanding them to the new
application.
This is also valid for the AC and DC control and protection schemes. However, the measurements will
need to be adapted to the higher voltage level.
The 800 kV DC concept can be summarized as follows:

UHV DC Valves using proven modular Design

based on existing Technology and Know-How
for DC Voltage 800 kV
Valve Tower Configuration: Double or
Quadruple Valve
Proven existing LTT Technology
Based on the above discussions and descriptions, the following conclusions can be made for the design
of UHV AC and DC bulk power transmission systems:
Regarding the main equipment, UHV DC systems of up to 800 kV and UHV
AC systems of up to 1000 kV are technically feasible
In general, UHV equipment can be designed and manufactured on the basis of existing
technologies
For most of the station equipment only some or even no R&D is anticipated
UHV DC applications are also in discussion for bulk power long distance transmission projects in
other regions of the world, e.g. South America and South Africa [12].

13/20

Transformer Bushings

400 kV DC

800 kV DC

Each Pole can be operated with 400 kV DC

DC Neutral

800 kV-Valve Group

400 kV-Valve Group

DC Line

N-1 Criteria: Redundancy through Bypass-Breakers

Fig. 16: Fully redundant HVDC Scheme with two 400 kV 12-Pulse Converters per Pole

DC Neutral

400 kV DC

400 kV Valve Hall

400 kV DC

to 800 kV DC Line

Ready for Transmission

800 kV Valve Hall
Fig. 17: Valve Hall Configuration for 800 kV HVDC

14/20

5. PROJECTS FOR SYSTEM ENHANCEMENT WITH HVDC

5.1. Gui-Guang HVDC Project China
The 3000 MW +/-500kV bipolar Gui-Guang HVDC system (Fig. 18) with a transmission distance of
980 km was build to increase the transmission capacity from west to east [12]. It is integrated into the
large AC interconnected system. In the same system there is also an already existing HVDC scheme in
operation. Both DC systems operate in parallel with AC transmission in this grid.
In addition to that, Fixed Series Compensation (FSC) and Thyristor Controlled Series Compensation
have been used in the system. Due to long transmission distances, the system experiences severe
power oscillations after faults, close to the stability limits. With its ability to damp power oscillations,
HVDC essentially contributes to reliable operation of the system [4, 12].

2004

View of the Thyristor-Module

Rating:
Voltage:

3000 MW
500 kV

Contract: Nov. 1, 2001

Project completed
terminated 66 Months
Months
ahead of Schedule by Sept. 2004
Thyristor: 5" LTT with integrated
Overvoltage Protection

Fig. 18: Geographic Location and Main Data of Gui-Guang HVDC Project - China
5.2. HVDC Project Neptune - USA
After the 2003 blackout in the United States, new projects are smoothly coming up in order to enhance
the system security.
One example is the Neptune HVDC project. Siemens PTD has been awarded a contract by Neptune
Regional Transmission System LLC (RTS) in Fairfield, Connecticut, to construct an HVDC
transmission link between Sayreville, New Jersey and Long Island, New York. Because new overhead
lines can not be built in this high density populated area, power should directly be brought to Long
Island by HVDC cable transmission, by-passing the AC sub-transmission network.
Neptune RTS was established to develop and commercially operate power supply projects in the
United States. By delivering a complete package of supply, installation, service and operation from
one single source, Siemens is providing seamless coverage of the customers needs. The availability of
this combined expertise fulfills the prerequisites for financing these kinds of complex supply projects
through the free investment market.

15/20

Siemens and Neptune RTS developed the project over three years to prepare it for implementation. In
addition to providing technological expertise, studies, and engineering services, Siemens also
supported its customer in the projects approval process.
In Fig. 19, highlights of this innovative project that are typical for future integration of HVDC into a
complex synchronous AC system are depicted

Ed Stern, President of Neptune RTS: High-Voltage Direct-Current

Transmission will play an increasingly important Role, especially as it
becomes necessary to tap Energy Reserves whose Sources are far away from
the Point of Consumption
Customer:

Neptune RTS

End User:

Long Island Power

Authority (LIPA)

Location:

New Jersey: Sayreville

Long Island: Duffy Avenue

Project
Development:
Supplier:

NTP-Date:

07/2005

PAC:

07/2007

Consortium
Siemens / Prysmian

Transmission:

Sea Cable

Power Rating:

600/660 MW monopolar

Transmission Dist.:

82 km DC Sea Cable
23 km Land Cable

Fig. 19: Geographical Location and Main Data of Neptune HVDC - USA
5.3. East-South Interconnector - India
The grid in India has been developed to regional power systems which were operating asynchronously
[6]. Later interconnections between regional systems have been made by AC and Back-to-Back
HVDC. The first HVDC long distance transmission was Rihand-Delhi which is integrated into the
400_kV AC system.
The HVDC East-South interconnection (commercial operation in 2003) uses both advantages, the
avoidance of transmission of additional power through the AC system and the interconnection of
power areas which can not be operated synchronously. Fig. 20 shows the geographical location of the
DC Interconnector and its main data. A view of the HVDC northern terminal in the state of Orissa is
given in Fig. 21.
In April 2006, Siemens has been awarded an order by Powergrid Corporation of India to increase the
transmission capacity of the East-South DC transmission from 2000 MW to 2500 MW. After the
upgrade is completed, it will be possible to make maximum use of the systems overload capacity. To
increase the capacity of the link, the Siemens experts have developed a solution known as Relative
Aging Indication and Load Factor Limitation (RAI & LFL). By these means, it will be possible to
utilize the overload capacity of the system more effectively without having to install additional
thyristors.

16/20

Talcher

Kolar

2003
Fig. 20: Geographic Map and Main Data of Indian East-South Interconnector

2500 MW
RAI & LFL: full Use of
Overload Capacity
without additional
Thyristors

2007
2003

2000 MW

DC Station Talcher State of Orissa

Fig. 21: Site View of Indian East-South Interconnector DC Station Talcher

17/20

5.4. Basslink HVDC - Australia

2005

Benefits
of HVDC

Clean & Low Cost Energy

over Long Distance suitable
for Peak-Load Demand
Improvement of Power
Quality
Improvement of local
Infrastructures

Hydro Plants for:

Base Load and
Energy Storage

flexible

Plus Wind
Power

Benefits of HVDC:
Clean Energy
CO2 Reduction
Cost Reduction

fuzzy

Covering Base and Peak-Load Demands

Fig. 22: Basslink HVDC for a Smart and flexible Grid
Fig. 22 gives an overview of the Basslink project in Australia, which transmits electric power from
wind- and hydro sources very cost-efficiently from George Town in Tasmania to Loy Yang in Victoria
and the same way back. This happens by means of HVDC via a combination of submarine cable (with

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295 km the longest submarine cable in the world up to now), land cables (8 km for reasons of
landscape protection) and overhead lines over a total transmission distance of 370 km. The nominal
power is 500_MW at a DC Voltage of 400 kV and a current of 1250 A. The overload capacity of the
transmission system is 600 MW during 10 hours per day.
Both Victoria and Tasmania profit from the interconnection of their networks:
During times of peak load Tasmania delivers green energy from its hydro power stations to Victoria,
while Tasmania can cover its base load demands out of the grid of Victoria during dry seasons when
the hydro-reservoirs are not sufficiently filled. Furthermore, the island of Tasmania receives access to
the power market of the Australian continent.
Tasmania intends to install additional wind farms to increase its share in regenerative energy
production. The figure shows that hydro power is perfectly suitable to be supplemented with the rather
fuzzy wind energy in terms of base load as well as through its ability to store energy for peak load
demands. Insofar, the DC link can contribute still more to the reduction of CO2 through the combined
use of regenerative energy sources.

6. CONCLUSIONS
Deregulation and privatization pose new challenges on high voltage transmission systems. System
elements are loaded up to their thermal limits, and wide-area power trading with fast varying load
patterns will contribute to an increasing congestion.

Power System Expansion

with Advanced Transmission Solutions

HVDC PLUS

Fig. 23: From Congestion, Bottlenecks and Blackout

towards a Smart Grid
Environmental constraints will also play an important role. The loading of existing power systems will
further increase, leading to bottlenecks and reliability problems. As a consequence of lessons

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learned from the large blackouts in 2003, HVDC and FACTS will play an important role for the
system developments, leading to Smart Grids (see Fig. 23) with better controllability of the power
flows.
UHV bulk power DC long distance transmission will be the preferred solution for emerging countries
like India and China to serve their booming energy demands efficiently.
7. REFERENCES
[1] H. Breulmann, E. Grebe, M. Lsing, W. Winter, R. Witzmann, P. Dupuis, P. Houry, T. Pargotin,
J. Zerenyi, J. Dudzik, L. Martin, J. M. Rodriguez, Analysis and Damping of Inter-Area
Oscillations in the UCTE/CENTREL Power System; Report 38-113, CIGRE Session 2000,
Paris
[2]

M. Luther, U. Radtke, Betrieb und Planung von Netzen mit hoher Windenergieeinspeisung
ETG Kongress, October 23-24, 2001, Nuremberg, Germany

[3] G. Beck, D. Povh, D. Retzmann, E. Teltsch: Global Blackouts Lessons Learned;

Power-Gen Europe, June 28-30, 2005, Milan, Italy
[4] U. Armonies, M. Husler, D. Retzmann: Technology Issues for Bulk Power EHV and UHV
Transmission; HVDC 2006 Congress Meeting the Power Challenges of the Future using
HVDC Technology Solutions, July 12-14, 2006, Durban, Republic of South Africa
[5]

D. Povh, D. Retzmann, E. Teltsch, U. Kerin, R. Mihalic: Advantages of Large AC/DC System

Interconnections; Report B4-304, CIGRE Session 2006, Paris

[6]

W. Breuer, D. Povh, D. Retzmann, E. Teltsch: Trends for future HVDC Applications;

16th CEPSI, November 6-10, 2006, Mumbai, India

[7]

G. Beck, W. Breuer, D. Povh, D. Retzmann: Use of FACTS for System Performance

Improvement; 16th CEPSI, November 6-10, 2006, Mumbai, India

[8]

R.P. Singh, New Projects on HVDC in India;

Brazil-China-India Summit Meeting on HVDC and Hybrid Systems Planning and Engineering
Issues, July 16-18, 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[9]

R.P. Sasmal, Planning Issues on HVDC Systems in India;

Brazil-China-India Summit Meeting on HVDC and Hybrid Systems Planning and Engineering
Issues, July 16-18, 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

[10] W. Ma, Main Aspects of UHVDC System Planning and Design;

Brazil-China-India Summit Meeting on HVDC and Hybrid Systems Planning and Engineering
Issues, July 16-18, 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
[11] Y. Zeng, Chinese CSG Experience on HVDC Transmission;
Brazil-China-India Summit Meeting on HVDC and Hybrid Systems Planning and Engineering
Issues, July 16-18, 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
[12] W. Breuer, M. Lemes, D. Retzmann, Perspectives of HVDC and FACTS for System
Interconnection and Grid Enhancement;
Part 1 DC and AC Technology Issues for Bulk Power EHV and UHV Transmission;
Part 2 Power System Expansion with Advanced Technologies Solutions for a Smart Grid
Brazil-China-India Summit Meeting on HVDC and Hybrid Systems Planning and Engineering
Issues, July 16-18, 2006, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

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