ABB is to enable the world’s largest digital substation with the upgrade of one of the biggest air insulated substations ever built. Its contract is with the Belarus ministry of Energy, and its transmission utility Mogilevenergo.
As part of the upgrade, the substation will be equipped with digital technology that “enhances controllability and reliability while optimising operating costs.” ABB will supply protection and control equipment, an ABB Ability MicroSCADA (supervisory control and data acquisition) system and a digital process bus, which enables interoperable communication between vendors through Ethernet cables instead of hard wiring, saving cost and space.
As part of the project, ABB will also supply digitally enabled high voltage products like fibre optics current sensors (FOCS-FS) and disconnecting circuit breakers (DCBs) to the project’s engineering and procurement company RIKO.
Belarus, a country with more than nine million people, sharing borders with five countries, is experiencing growing electricity demand and its power grid is evolving to meet this need. Digital technology is considered to be a key pillar in coping with future changes related to both power generation and demand, enabling unprecedented visibility of assets and systems and the efficient harnessing of extensive volumes of data. It also enables the easy integration of information technology) and operational technology systems, allowing operators in control centres to interpret changes in key factors in real time and as a result prevent critical failures.
