Leeds

A static var compensator (SVC) rated at 300 Mvar inductive to 270 Mvar capacitive supplied by Hitachi Energy was commissioned in 1988 in the Leeds 345 kV substation of Niagara Mohawk Power Company near Catskill, N.Y. The compensator, which was installed on a turn-key basis, performs the dual task of providing dynamic voltage control as well as power oscillation damping for a double circuit 345 kV transmission system stretching some 300 kilometers (185 miles) from the Marcy substation near Utica, N.Y. to East Fishkill, where power is fed into Con Edison’s New York City cable network. With this investment, the power transfer capability from the north into the New York area has been boosted by a considerable amount.

While the New York Power Authority (NYPA) was the overall responsible organization for the Marcy South Project, the utility operating in the Leeds area – Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation (NMPC) – was given the task of implementing the SVC in the system. The SVC was commissioned during the summer months, coinciding with an all time record breaking power load due to unusually hot weather conditions in the area.