ABB to build transmission and distribution substation in Brazil

2011-9-6

Friday, Sep 02, 2011

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group will, build a new transmission and distribution substation in the state of Amazonas, in northwestern Brazil for the state-owned power utility company Eletrobras Amazonas Energia.

ABB will build the air-insulated switchgear (AIS) outdoor switchyard Mauá III in Manaus, the capital city of Brazil’s largest state. Key ABB products to be supplied include power transformers, high-voltage switchgear rated at 230 kV (kilovolt), 138 kV and 69 kV, circuit breakers, disconnecting switches, instrument transformers, surge arrestors, as well as medium-voltage equipment and auxiliary systems.ABB will also install a substation automation system compliant with the global IEC 61850 communications standard, and equipped with the latest protection and control products.

As part of the turnkey project, worth about $20 million, ABB is responsible for the design, engineering, supply, erection, commissioning and start-up of the substation, including civil works. The project is expected to be completed by 2012.

“The substation will enhance the capacity and reliability of the grid and improve supply of electricity through the Manaus power system to industrial, commercial and residential consumers,” said Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB's substations business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division.

Substations are key installations in the power grid that facilitate the efficient transmission and distribution of electricity. They include equipment that protects and controls the flow of electrical power. ABB is the world’s leading supplier of air- and gas-insulated substations covering a range of voltage levels up to 1,100 kV.

Eletrobras Amazonas Energia is part of the Eletrobras Group, Latin America’s biggest power utility company and the tenth largest in the world.

ABB (www.abb.com) is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve their performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 130,000 people.