Hitachi Energy, along with consortium partner Kanonaden Entreprenad Mälardalen AB, will deploy Sweden’s largest-ever power quality solution for Svenska kraftnät, with the aim of increasing the capacity of existing transmission lines and increase the country’s renewable energy consumption from hydro and wind resources in northern Sweden.
The consortium order is worth USD 300 million (3 bn SEK), for which Hitachi will install up to ten series compensation systems, expected to be operational by 2030. This technology is said to be cost-effective and eco-efficient, as it improves the power transfer capacity of existing power lines. No figure for the increase in power flow has been offered, but it is said to be enough to serve an additional one million households.
Niklas Persson, MD of Hitachi Energy´s business unit Grid Integration. “Our compensation systems will reliably transfer renewable power from northern generation sources to the southern urban areas, the country´s economic engine. This will mitigate one of the Swedish grid’s main challenges of transmission line losses …”
By installing series compensation systems at one or more suitable points in a power grid, it is possible to increase the transmitted power by up to 50 % through new and existing power lines, and improve the voltage stability in the grid.
This order follows the multi-million-dollar order received in August this year from Svenska kraftnät to provide critical energy infrastructure such as power transformers and shunt reactors to strengthen the Swedish grid. Hitachi Energy’s ongoing investments in Sweden include a $330 million USD investment, part of the company’s recently announced plans to invest $6 billion globally, in expanding manufacturing capacity, engineering, digital, R&D, and partnerships, by 2027. Hitachi Energy is significantly expanding and modernising its flagship factories in Ludvika and Smedjebacken.
