Stabilizing the grid in northwest Brazil
The Rio Madeira HVDC system is a 6,300 MW ± 600 kV high-voltage direct current transmission system in Brazil built to export electricity from new hydro power plants on the Madeira River in the Amazon Basin to major load centers in southeastern Brazil and a 800 MW back-to-back station located in the northwest.
A consortium consisting of two companies in the Abengoa Group, Inabensa S.A (Spain) and Abengoa Construção Brasil Ltda (Brazil) awarded Hitachi Energy contracts to supply the power equipment for three HVDC stations. The delivery is part of the Brazilian government's Program to Accelerate Development (PAC).
Brazil's power system is about 95 percent hydroelectric. Main load centers are in coastal regions, especially in the southeastern state of São Paulo.
Hitachi Energy provided two 3,150 MW HVDC converter stations, and an 800-MW HVDC back to back station.
The 800 MW back-to-back HVDC station transmits power to the surrounding AC network in northwest Brazil. This installation includes capacitor commutated converter (CCC)-type back-to-back converters instead of conventional converters for local electrical loads, providing continuous and even control of voltage and power in the weaker power networks of northwest Brazil.
| Main data | |
|---|---|
| Commissioning year: | 2013 |
| Configuration: | Back-to-back |
| Power transmitted: | 2 x 400 MW |
| Application: | Connecting remote generation Interconnecting grids |