华能牵头研制的单机容量最大国产化海上风电机组完成总体设计

4月8日召开的中国电机工程学会海上风电技术专委会2023学术年会信息显示，中国华能牵头研制的18MW国产化直驱型、半直驱型海上风电机组已于近日完成总体设计，即将开展国产化关键部件制造，这是目前世界单机容量最大的海上风电机组，整机国产化率将超过90%。

中国华能发挥创新联合体产学研用协同作用，联合中国海装、东方风电等风电制造企业，针对18MW国产化直驱型、半直驱型海上风电机组120米级超长柔性叶片高线速度下的空气动力学特性开展深入研究，突破国产化碳纤维材料、主轴承设计技术和制造工艺，形成了高可靠性的轻量化传动链方案，提出了能够适应海上复杂恶劣环境的主控和并网控制策略。该机组有望于2024年实现整机下线，届时将实现叶片、主轴承、主控PLC系统、变流器等关键部件的全国产化。

当前，我国海上风电正处于高速发展时期，截至2022年底，我国海上风电累计装机达到3051万千瓦，占全球海上风电总装机的近50%，已成为全球海上风电装机容量最大、风电机组制造数量最多的国家。“双碳”目标下，我国海上风电正在加快规模化、集约化开发，从近海浅水区逐步走向深远海，海上风电已成为全球电力科技竞争的新高地。但海上风电机组叶片碳纤维材料、主轴轴承、主控PLC系统等关键部件因较高技术难度仍被外国垄断无法实现国产，严重制约了我国海上风电的高质量发展。

2021年以来，中国华能发挥旗下华能清洁能源技术研究院技术创新优势，履行央企担当、践行“链长”责任，牵头组建海上风电技术联合体，打造国家海上原创技术策源地，加强原创前瞻性技术布局与“卡脖子”核心技术攻关，在海上风电技术领域不断取得新突破新成果。该院先后牵头研制了5MW国产化高速永磁型、7MW国产化直驱型和11MW国产化直驱型风电机组，形成了覆盖主流技术路线、适应东部多个沿海地区的国产化风电机组系列产品，为行业打通了一条风电机组国产化设计、制造、测试验证产业链条，为我国摆脱国外技术依赖、实现自主技术提升积累了成功经验。

据华能清洁能源技术研究院董事长李卫东介绍，风电机组国产化批量应用后，可使风电机组成本下降10%，有力推动了我国海上风电平价进程。同时可避免极端时期外国对我国的技术和产品封锁，保障我国能源安全，助力实现“双碳”目标。

来源：中国能源报

中国光伏发电直流接入电解铝生产用电取得重大突破

4月11日，分布式光伏直流产业创新发展大会在云南省昆明市召开。记者从会上获悉，光伏发电直流接入电解铝生产用电取得重大突破，将为国内绿电转化和新型电力系统提供经验和示范。

当天会议，以分布式光伏直流系统在工业场景下应用为主题，业内专家从绿色能源、高耗能产业能源方案调整、分布式光伏直流系统在工业场景下应用的标准化、分布式光伏直流接入电解铝母排系统的技术特点与产业价值等方面展开研讨。

据悉，由国家电投集团云南国际电力投资有限公司、国家电投集团科学技术研究院和云南铝业股份有限公司共同研发的分布式光伏直流接入电解铝母排技术，已成功运用于光伏直流电直接供给铝冶炼生产项目，意味着光伏发电直流接入电解铝生产用电取得重大突破。

该技术不仅减少逆变、整流过程中的电能损耗，并大幅提高电解铝行业的可再生能源利用水平，为大规模绿电直供电解铝行业提供技术支持。

此外，该技术可同步拓展至其他有色金属冶炼行业，将产生巨大的社会、经济和环境效益，对深入推进绿色能源与绿色先进制造业深度融合具有重要意义。

 来源：中国新闻网

新疆超高压电网建设创造最长跨越

4月10日，随着N4601—N4602号铁塔输电导线最后一个间隔棒安装完成，伊犁—博州—乌苏—凤凰Ⅱ回750千伏输电线路工程成功跨越独山子大峡谷，线路跨越档距达到1346米，成为新疆超高压电网建设史上最长的一次跨越。

伊犁—博州—乌苏—凤凰Ⅱ回750千伏输变电工程是新疆750千伏主网架西天山环网的重要组成部分。工程线路长度约427.5千米，新建铁塔910基、换位子塔12基。工程全线涉及跨越作业多，共跨越铁路、公路、电力线路、公益林、河流等196处，独山子大峡谷就是其中一处。

独山子大峡谷是国家AAAA级旅游景区。该峡谷是天山雪水冲出天山后，切割独山子向西南方向倾斜的平原形成的神奇峡谷。峡谷呈南北走向，长约2万米，谷宽800—1000米，深度可达200米。

考虑到峡谷两端距离长、跨度大，为确保输电线路建成后离地安全距离及线路下方220千伏及以下电力线路的安全运行，建设时在峡谷两侧采用高92.4米、重127.07吨的“超高”“超重”输电铁塔，这两基塔的高度和重量是其他铁塔的2倍。同时，采用联合防震形式可保证工程投运后安全稳定。

“为保证谷底电力线路、公路不受输电线路施工影响，我们多次到现场踏勘测量，经反复对数据核算论证，决定改变以往附加横担和承载索封通网的方式，充分利用峡谷高差，采用峡谷顶端对峡谷底部地对地封网形式，以此减少‘狭管效应’带来的风力影响，同时增强封网的稳定性，最大限度地保护电力线路及公路不受影响。”工程业主项目副经理王伽介绍说。

截至目前，伊犁—博州—乌苏—凤凰Ⅱ回750千伏输电线路工程主体建设任务基本完成。

来源：科技日报  作者：吴涛 李俊 朱彤

山西省首个智慧变电站一体化应用平台落户太原

近日，国网太原电力公司变电运维人员利用马庄变电站智慧系统开展例行巡视工作，巡检效率较以往提升了3倍以上。据介绍，220千伏马庄变电站智能运检模式是我省首个基于数字孪生技术的智慧变电站一体化应用平台。

220千伏马庄变电站完成智慧改造后，一方面通过吊轨机器人巡视、无人机巡视等多种方式，替代了70%至80%的变电设备人工巡视；另一方面，变电站应用磁感应传感器等双确认技术，完成一次、二次设备“一键顺控”全覆盖，倒闸操作时间从1小时缩短至5分钟并且操作正确率达100%。

来源：太原日报  作者：于健

浙江省湖州市德清县第二座电力智慧开关站投运

近日，位于德清县体育中心的智慧开关站正式投运，海量数据通过传感器等智能设备传送至配电自动化主站。

智慧开关站采用“云-管-边-端”的架构，利用配电自动化主站，汇集开关站内的设施及环境运行数据，覆盖电力设备监测、环境监测、安防门禁、智能巡检等应用场景，可实现集中监控、告警分级处理等功能。

“温度、湿度、烟感、水浸等微环境可以实时监测，千里之外也能对现场了如指掌，真正实现了‘状态全感知、云端可巡检’的运维模式。”国网德清县供电公司运检部主任蔡金明介绍，这是继凤栖开关站后，全县投入使用的第二个智慧开关站。运行后，预计设备故障停机时间和故障率将大大减少，设备使用寿命以及供电稳定性也能得到相应提升。

相比传统开关站的运维，智慧开关站不仅打破了人工巡检的限制，还能研判设备运行趋势，加强风险的事前防范，缩短故障处置时间，从而提升整体运维效率及质量，提高管理水平。

据悉，今年以来，国网德清县供电公司加快新型电力系统建设，不断加强数字化牵引，力争在地信亚运核心区打造泛亚运配网数智综合示范场景，智慧开关站的投运便是一个缩影。“智慧开关站的投运是一个起点，接下来，公司将不断深化应用，逐步将智慧开关站覆盖至县域82个配电站房，全方位推进高质量配电网建设，切实提高电网安全运行水平。”公司相关负责人表示。

希腊批发电价降至84周来最低

希腊上周平均批发电价降至每兆瓦时106.49欧元，环比下降17.13%，为过去84周的最低纪录，反映出市场需求不足的现实。同期欧洲其他国家平均批发电价为每兆瓦时54至133欧元。值得注意的是，希腊上周可再生能源日平均发电量达58吉瓦时，占总体发电组合的52%；天然气发电占比为20%左右；净进口电力占15%；褐煤发电占比为11%；水电占2%。

波黑2022年电力生产减产

波黑2022年的发电量为15035.96 吉瓦时 (GWh)，比2021年减少2019吉瓦时，即11.8%。根据国家电监会（SERK）的数据，全年用电量为12058吉瓦时，同比减少0.9%。

国家电监会表示，2022年水文形势比2021年明显恶化，水电站发电量为4459吉瓦时，同比减少1855吉瓦时，即29.4%。火电厂的发电量为9629吉瓦时，同比减少192吉瓦时，即2%。在各大火电厂中，只有斯塔纳里火电厂创造了自2016年投产以来的最高年产量，达到2128吉瓦时，其他火电厂均出现减产。

波黑2022年电力盈余为2978吉瓦时，与保加利亚一并成为东南欧仅有的电力盈余国家。

2022年，波黑电力出口3947吉瓦时，同比减少36.1%；电力进口868吉瓦时，同比减少37.6%。

俄堪察加半岛居民点恢复供电

堪察加主要电力供应商“Kamchatskenergo”新闻处表示，堪察加半岛的电力工程师已恢复两个居民点的电力供应，这些居民点因严重的火山灰断电。

新闻处称：“所有住宅楼和社会设施已通电，电力供应是根据标准电路图进行的。”

希韦卢奇火山喷发始于当地时间4月11日清晨(莫斯科时间4月10日傍晚)。半岛东部的几个村庄被火山云覆盖。建议居民非必要不离开住所。俄紧急情况部指出，火山云可能会飘到俄罗斯堪察加边疆区首府堪察加彼得罗巴甫洛夫斯克。据科学家介绍，克柳奇村的火山灰系60年来最强。

希韦卢奇火山是堪察加中最大的火山之一。该火山离克柳奇镇50公里，距离堪察加彼得罗巴甫洛夫斯克市450公里。

湖南湘西格万输电线路顺利投运

4月8日凌晨，江西水电承建的格山-万溶江一回、二回线改接峒河、自治州220千伏线路工程三次送电冲击试验全部成功，宣告格万线开π形成的4条220千伏线路已全部投运。

项目工程为湖南省湘西自治州500千伏变电站配套220千伏输变电工程，是湖南电网“西电东送”主要通道，全长41.28千米，铁塔共95基，全线跨越220千伏电力线2次、110千伏电力线10次、35千伏电力线2次、电气化铁路2次、高速公路2次。地形以山地、高山为主，地表裸露岩石达85%，沿线海拔高程208～524米，地形起伏较大，给施工带来较大的困难。

工程建设以来，项目建设团队针对线路特点提前谋划，积极应对山区湿润气候多雨特点，克服山高路险、岩石坚硬、跨越密集、植被茂盛等诸多不利施工因素，采用多点爆破、索道运输、索道封网等施工工艺，较好的保护了线路沿线的生态环境，保障了湘西地区薄弱电网的安全稳定运行，按照业主既定工期提前完成项目履约。

项目投运后，可实现湘西500千伏电网满负荷运行，为张吉怀高速铁路提供高质量供电服务，进一步强化湘西电网的供电能力和供电可靠性，助力湖南边远山区经济发展。

来源：江西水电  作者：刘亚鹏

广东上线电力市场零售数字化平台 一万四千家企业上网“淘电”

“‘淘电’，就像在购物网站上购买商品一样，售电公司是卖家，在平台上创建店铺，我们是买家，可以在平台上选店铺、选套餐、比价。”广东省广晟控股集团有限公司主管温一帆打开广东电力市场零售平台微信小程序，向记者讲述“淘电”心得。

在广东，越来越多中小型工商业用户正在或即将进入电力市场购电，南方电网广东电网公司通过打造数字化售电平台，提供透明化比价购电、便捷化在线交易等服务。

自2022年底广东电力市场零售平台上线以来，截至2023年3月31日，广东电力市场共36187家电力用户与158家售电公司通过零售平台签订2023年零售合同。截至目前，广东年度零售交易中，已有超过1.4万家市场化用户通过“创新零售”方式完成交易。

广东作为中小企业和个体工商户大省，中小企业、个体工商户分别超过630万户、830万户。国家发展改革委鼓励支持10千伏及以上的工商业用户直接参与电力市场，原本没有进入市场的中小工商业用户面临两个选择：由电网代理购电或选择售电公司入场。

“数量众多、需求各异的中小工商业用户入市，对电力市场和用户本身都是挑战。”广东电力交易中心市场管理部经理谭伟聪介绍，搭建为中小用户找售电公司、为售电公司找用户的平台成为解决之道。

以前因为用电体量小，缺乏专职人员负责电力交易，所以中小型工商业用户更倾向于由电网代购电。但如今通过零售交易平台，不仅能快速了解市场的价格动态等热点信息，还可同时向一家或多家售电公司发起私人定制邀约，并可对心仪套餐进行试算，套餐详情、价格等差异一目了然。

“过去，找客户需要不少营销成本，所以我们更愿意把精力放在大客户身上。”广东粤电电力销售有限公司销售主管崔雨鸣透露，现在通过零售平台，售电公司可自行设置不同参数值的电力套餐，零售平台根据参数值匹配相应等级用量的客户，使供需双方适配更高效。

据广东电力交易中心分析结算部统计，今年以来，共有71家售电公司上架了231个零售套餐，其中单个套餐最高销量达到443笔。

“跟网上购物有‘五星好评’一样，我们也给‘卖家’设置了信用评级，避免‘卖家’虚假宣传、误导用户入市。”广东电力交易中心市场管理部专责谢宇霆表示，电力交易零售平台作为第三方平台，可以让电力用户看到各家售电公司的信用评级，作为购电时的参考因素，从而保护中小用户的权益；同时零售平台具备全方位零售市场运营管理服务功能，实现市场主体交易情况实时监控，针对交易方式、签约情况，辅助交易管理人员进行数据分析，做好交易风险预判与警示。

“下一步广东电网将持续优化升级零售平台功能，完成零售交易即时通信、售电端小程序等功能开发，完善零售平台操作界面等；同时开展零售市场交易行为分析及服务策略研究，提升零售平台运营服务与管理水平，推动更多企业上网‘淘电’。”广东电网相关负责人表示。

到 2047 年，印度 9% 的电力将来自核能

负责原子能和太空事务的联邦国务部长(独立负责人)Jitendra Singh 4月9日表示，到 2047 年，近 9% 的电力可能来自印度的核资源。

辛格在孟买与原子能部巴哈原子研究中心（BARC）的一组高级科学家举行的审查会议上表示，核能发电的增加将有助于在2070年前实现净零目标。

截至2月28日，核电装机容量为6.78吉瓦，占全国总装机容量的1.6%。

原子能部的一份声明说，兼任科学技术国务部长(独立负责人)的辛格表示，原子能部制定的其他目标是到 2030 年实现 20 吉瓦的核发电容量，这将是一个重要的里程碑，这将使印度成为仅次于美国和法国的世界第三大原子能生产国。

他指出，目前印度在运行的反应堆数量上排名世界第六，在包括在建反应堆在内的反应堆总数上排名第二。

辛格进一步表示，原子能正被用于不同领域的应用，包括延长农产品和苹果等水果的保质期，使用最新技术治疗癌症和其他疾病等。他说，印度向世界展示了和平利用核能的方式。

最近，他告知议会，政府已批准在印度五个邦安装 10 个核反应堆。这位部长说，政府已经邀请公共部门承担反应堆的安装工作。

这位部长最近在 Lok Sabha 的书面答复中说：“政府已经为安装核反应堆安排了 PSU，否则这项工作将完全由专门的政府机构完成。”

盘点2009电气设备行业运行轨迹

       编者语：2009年是金融危机阴影笼罩的一年。扩大内需、应对危机，是2009年经济运行中的重要主题，电力设备制造企业也因市场环境、相关产业的变化而经历起起落落。梳理过去一年内的新闻，希望能以此反映电力设备行业的发展轨迹。

  1、设备制造企业应对金融危机
  事件：金融危机爆发后，海外市场需求大幅萎缩，国内市场需求也受到一定程度影响。
  在金融危机中，设备制造企业主要面临三大风险：资金和生产场地紧张、订单大量减少、原材料价格大幅度波动。这些因素给企业生产造成了较大影响。
  相关报道  2009年1月15日《出口退税率提高 缓解企业出口压力》，2月5日《2008年电工行业经济运行分析及2009年预测》，6月18日《金融危机孕育产业发展机遇》。
  点评：为缓解企业出口压力，财政部和国家税务总局提高了部分技术含量和附加值高的机电产品的出口退税率。国家还出台装备制造业调整振兴规划，通过重点支持自主创新产品等方式，推动装备制造企业的转型升级。
  出口退税政策的调整，刺激了相关产品出口，可以在一定程度上稳定我国经济增长速度。但是，出口退税毕竟是政府的临时性补贴政策，而且可能会产生种种弊端。因此，对于企业而言，最重要的任务仍然是加快研发拥有自主知识产权的产品，通过产品升级，规避市场风险。

  2、电力设备企业走出国门
  事件：电力设备企业“走出去”的外部环境愈加复杂。好消息是，7月9日，中国光彩事业国际投资集团有限公司与俄罗斯电网股份公司签署经贸合作备忘录，计划邀请国内电力设备商参与改造俄罗斯电网。俄方估计，此项改造工程将在10年内为国内企业带来200亿美元的利润。坏消息是，11月底，印度政府考虑通过相关法律手段，限制来自中国的电力设备。目前，印度政府已开始搜集相关数据。
  相关报道  2009年8月6日《电网改造：众多电力设备商“报名”俄罗斯项目》，12月10日《如何看待印度限制中国电力设备进口》。
  点评：企业走出国门的思维应更灵活。对于俄罗斯电网设备改造大单，很多国内企业准备不足。并不是中国设备制造企业的技术实力不够，而是很多企业都没意识到俄罗斯的巨大潜力。目前仅有少数企业在俄罗斯直接开展了业务，大部分企业都把目光瞄向了印度、东南亚等国家和地区。
  企业都去了印度，结果导致印度政府不得不考虑限制措施。有句话说，“国际竞争国内化，国内竞争国际化”。国内企业控制不了国外企业在国内与之竞争，但却可以避免在国外与本国企业激烈竞争。

  3、建设智能电网引发新需求
  事件：2009年4月，国家电网公司提出全面建设坚强智能电网的目标，国内智能电网发展由此进一步加快。2009年9月17日，在国务院新闻办举行的发布会上，科技部党组书记、副部长李学勇说，在新能源发展方面，要发展智能电网，要解决相应的配套问题。智能电网战略已经成为国家战略不可分割的部分。这个宏伟目标需要国内众多电力设备制造企业的产品作支撑，设备制造企业为适应智能电网发展要求，已经开始新一轮的产品研发。
  相关报道  2009年2月19日《智能电网进入公众视野》，6月25日《电工仪器仪表产业有望搭上智能电网快车》，9月24日《电网智能化 设备厂商分享投资大餐》。
  点评：据有关研究机构估计，智能电网建设将带来巨大投资机会。以美国为例，为了将现有电网改造为智能电网，对电网基础设施的改造将花费数千亿美元，而全球智能电网的相关产品产值可达每年200亿美元。
  建设智能电网，最主要的是对设备提出新要求，如果还是传统的设备，就实现不了智能电网。因此，传统的输变电设备怎样适应用户建设智能电网的要求，这就涉及输变电设备如何优化升级，如何技术创新。这将给我们带来无法预计的自主创新空间。
  建设坚强的智能电网，设备制造是关键。按照国家电网公司提出的三阶段实现智能电网的规划，留给设备制造企业的时间已不是很多，设备企业需要再加一把劲儿。

  4、特高压发展带动设备技术进步
  事件：2009年1月，1000千伏特高压交流试验示范工程投入商业运行；2009年年底，向家坝—上海±800千伏特高压直流输电工程经过紧张建设，完成了第一阶段建设目标。在特高压电网建设中，国家电网公司态度明确，即提高国产化率。全球市场上处于“第二集团”位置的中国输变电制造企业，正在向世界最顶尖的输变电制造企业发起挑战。
  目前，我国企业已自主研制成功了世界上首套1000千伏、300万千伏安分相单体式特高压变压器和电压等级最高、容量最大的1000千伏、96万千乏并联电抗器等关键设备，实现了我国输变电设备制造技术的全面升级。
  国际金融危机爆发以来，经济增长减缓使社会用电量大幅减少，传统电力设备的市场需求出现较大萎缩，我国电力装备制造业因此受到巨大影响。  
  面对严峻的市场形势，我国部分电力设备制造龙头企业的收入却不降反升。国内电力制造业依托特高压项目进行技术自主创新，在很短时间内缩小了与ABB、西门子等世界电气巨头的差距，某些方面甚至实现了超越。
      相关报道  2009年3月26日《特高压激励我们树立更高目标》，6月4日《输变电制造“第二集团”崛起》，10月22日《特高压工程拉动我国电力装备制造业升级》。
  点评：2009年是特高压工程快速发展的一年，同时也是电力设备制造厂商技术水平快速提升的一年。特高压工程提高了设备国产化率，大大提升了电力设备制造企业的自主创新能力。例如，在特高压交流示范工程建设中，除了一只1000千伏变压器套管，其余设备全部都是首次研制的国产设备；在特高压直流工程建设中，国产化设备也有广泛应用，国产化6英寸晶闸管的使用就是如此。
  国内有100多家电工装备企业参与了特高压项目。具备特高压设备的供货能力和运行业绩，就意味着企业掌握了前沿技术，获得了技术优势，进而带来竞争优势。
  全球金融危机的出现，又给世界输变电设备制造行业带来了一次重新“洗牌”的机会。全球金融危机发生后，除中国以外的新兴市场，由于受新的大型电力基础设施项目减少和新产能投资减少的影响，输变电设备的订单量大幅萎缩，能否得到中国市场已成为全球输变电制造企业兴衰的关键。这给了国内输变电制造行业一个前所未有的崛起机遇。

  5、加强设备知识产权保护
  事件：2009年4月15日，争执了近三年的正泰集团股份有限公司诉施耐德电气低压(天津)有限公司及其母公司法国施耐德电气公司专利侵权纠纷一案尘埃落定，施耐德公司与正泰公司达成全球和解协议，正泰公司获得1.575亿元的赔偿金。
  能否把知识产权作为有效的竞争手段，考验着企业的经营和生存能力，也关系着输配电设备制造企业的长远发展。这是一起中国本土企业市场竞争的经典案例。
  相关报道  2009年5月14日《正泰PK施耐德：知识产权的十年之争》，5月28日《低压电器行业：产品发展趋势面临抉择》，7月2日《出口压力加大国产低压电器如何“突围”》。
  点评：正泰与施耐德持续十多年的恩怨，对于我国电力设备制造企业，尤其是低压电器制造企业颇有启示。
  现阶段，我国很多设备制造企业的研发设计能力不足，缺乏自主创新能力。拥有自主知识产权产品的企业不多，很多企业的技术与生产设备落后。
  正泰的案例说明，对于电力设备企业，尤其是生产低压电器的企业，应谨记一条十分重要的原则：自主创新，掌握标准。通过消化吸收进行再创新，通过创新来掌握标准和提高标准，这是我国电力设备制造企业当前应该赶快做的事情。

  6、核电技术装备大发展
  事件：石油、天然气、煤炭等传统能源的供应形势日趋严峻。在沉寂了20年后，2009年，世界核电产业进入复苏期。据悉，未来10年，美国拟增加6000万千瓦核电装机容量；法国计划更新目前运行的58台核电机组；印度规划核电装机容量提高近1800万千瓦；而我国的核电装机容量有可能达到7000万千瓦以上。保守估计，仅国内需求，就将带来4000亿元的建设总投资、2000亿元的设备投资、数百亿元的核电用输变电设备投资。国内众多的输变电设备制造企业，也开始纷纷进军核电设备领域。
  相关报道  2009年3月5日《核电技术装备自主化，将迎来发展的第二高峰》，4月16日《火电设备市场趋冷 制造企业面临转型》，5月21日《输变电制造业分享核电盛宴》。
  点评：输配电企业进军核电，带来两个疑问。一是核电市场是否会挤占输配电市场的供货空间？二是输配电设备质量能否进一步提高？
  核电的发展，离不开设计国产化和建立自己的核电技术标准。对于这些进军核电的输配电设备制造企业而言，这意味着它们不但要提供产品，还要以核电产品的安全、可靠、先进为基础来进一步带动常规输变电产品的研发和市场体系，提升技术管理水平，最终提升常规输变电设备质量。
  设备制造厂商产能饱和是当前影响电网建设进度的一个重要因素。在短期内，核电产品的订单很有可能会导致本已饱和的制造任务更加繁重。虽然制造厂家会根据工期情况，尽力合理安排，但一旦有突发事件，仍可能措手不及。从长远看，部分厂家会因此进一步扩充产能，这对未来缓解输变电设备制造的紧张情况会有好处。

人才成为中国发电设备制造业发展瓶颈

       
   “吸纳人才就像谈恋爱，要彼此都看上对方。”全国人大代表、东方电气集团公司董事长王计11日接受中新社记者采访时这样总结自己的“人才经”。人才是中国发电设备制造业发展的瓶颈。
  东方电气集团是中国最大的发电设备制造和电站工程承包特大型企业之一。作为将东方电气引领到“新能源”时代的董事长，王计在谈及时下热门的新能源发展、产能过剩等问题时，频频提及的一个词是“人才”。
  王计说，中国发电设备制造业走过了一个“用市场换技术，用技术培养中国的企业”的发展道路。目前，中国发电设备的制造水平是世界一流的。但是，要进一步技术创新就必须解决人才问题。
  “企业发展到某个阶段才可以吸引相应水平的人才”，王计笑称，“吸纳人才就像谈恋爱，要彼此都看上对方，让一个小学生跟大学生谈恋爱肯定谈不起来。”
  王计说，中央人才工作协调小组制定的关于实施海外高层次人才引进计划的意见已让中国多家企业受益。目前，东方电气在海外人才吸纳方面，“有目标、有接触，但形成一致意见还有一定过程”。他又打比方说，“双方看着挺合适，但也可能弄不到一块去。”
  关于近段时间媒体关注的新能源“产能过剩”问题，王计反驳说，“不是产能过剩，而是投资过剩”。目前国内风电企业有千台生产能力的只有3家，而市面上的风电设备生产企业有70多家。王计再次把该问题的解决办法归结到人才上，他说，“市场是最有力的手段。没有人才、管理基础、先进技术，那些企业肯定会死掉。”

国产首台1000kV特高压交流出线装置近日在常州研制成功

       2009年12月25日，在常州研制的国产首台1000kV特高压交流出线装置连同BKDF-240000/1000并联电抗器一次通过所有规定试验项目，全部合格，无局放。
       2009年9月，由国家电网公司规划指导，中国电力科学研究院、保定天威、西安、特变电工沈阳、衡阳和常州英中电气组成了联合研制小组，研制开发1000kV特高压交流出线装置，揭开了特高压出线装置的国产化研制开发序幕。
       常州市英中电气有限公司对1000kV特高压交流出线装置国产化的研制开发工作极为重视，接到研制任务后立即组织成立研制攻关领导小组，开展研制攻关工作。
       在公司攻关领导小组的统一领导下，技术，质量部门根据1000kV特高压出线装置的技术要求，编制了特高压出线装置作业指导书、检验规范及检验记录表格；绘制了专用工装模具数十台（套）；并根据新产品研制需要，添置了专用测试仪器。质量部门除了对研制产品的另部件进行了仔细的过程检验和基础检测外，还对进厂的原材料－纸浆、湿纸板的、生产用水及作业环境进行了严格、全过程的检验控制；对研制的所有的另部件进行了全面理化性能检验；运用各种先进的检测设备和装置对出线装置成品进行了周密而细緻的检测，确保了出线装置各项性能完全符合技术规范的要求。
       1000kV特高压交流出线装置的国产化研制工作于12月8日结束，并立即发运到保定天威，由保定天威将出线装置组装到BKDF-240000/1000并联电抗器中。
       研制期间，国家电网公司有关部门还多次组织了专家组到常州，视察、检查研制工作进程，并对研制工作的各个方面进行了全面评估和督促，对研制工作过程中所存在及应该注意的问题提出了许多极为宝贵而中肯的意见与建议。
       中国电力科学研究院、保定天威、西安、特变电工沈阳等单位组织了专家组驻厂对整个研制过程进行了严格监造和技术指导，确保了研制工作顺利进行。

电子变压器走技术进步之路

                                                         “有电就有变压器”，随着电子产品应用的不断丰富，电子变压器行业的前景将更加美好。

      未来，我国电子变压器行业将呈现以下几个发展态势：

  第一，体制改革深化加速经济增长。

       随着国家鼓励支持非公有制经济有关政策的进一步落实，非公有制企业异军突起并呈现快速发展的势头，这些企业带动了行业科技水平的提高，拓宽了销售渠道，促进了市场繁荣，增强了行业的经济活力。预计“十一五”末，行业总产量可达50亿只以上，产品销售收入370亿元以上，利润18亿元以上。 

  第二，出口创汇增长促进企业管理加强。

  我国加入WTO以后，电子变压器国际市场基本处于稳定状态，2007年电子变压器出口贸易值在13亿美元左右，在“十一五”期间，电子变压器出口将有所增长，预计可达20亿美元，将继续保持顺差。
  出口创汇要求企业必须执行绿色环保法规并制造出不含有害物质的“绿色”产品。企业将加快在“绿色”工艺技术上的进程，在“绿色”材料零件运用、无铅化组装技术的改进等方面提出新课题，并予以实施。

  第三，市场经济将推动行业技术进步。

  电子变压器企业必将在今后的发展中走技术进步之路。传统的老产品尽管有市场，有产量，但利润空间已很小，也不可能形成强劲的竞争力，变压器的主要利润点在于新一代高端产品，无源集成技术的迅速崛起，微型片式整机产品全面升级换代，为变压器企业提供了实现跨越式发展的技术切入点。

  近年来电子变压器产业的发展前沿，如功率铁氧体材料、软磁合金材料、非晶结晶磁性材料、纳米合金磁性材料、压电陶瓷、纳米绝缘材料等都取得卓有成效的发展，这为电子变压器行业技术进步创造了良好条件，电子变压器将随着整机微型化的需求，向高频化、低损耗、片式的方向发展。

大批核电站开工将会带动核电设备需求

       我国核电产品供应商分为两部分:一是大型设备提供商东方电气(600875)、上海电气(601727)和哈电集团。他们主要向中核集团、中广核等核电站的建设方提供组装好的常规岛或核岛设备。其次是材料商如生产阀门的中核科技(000777),吊篮制造商海陆重工(002255),铸锻件公司中国一重、中国二重等。
  光大证券(601788)研究员袁瑶表示,东方电气等国内大型重工制造商从2010年开始会有核电业绩释放,“一个采用东方电气产品的核电站开建后,会先向东方电气打10%的预付款。设备安装后,投资方会再付款50%～60%,如果安装施工后并且试运行没问题的话,最后再结清所有余款。”东方电气总裁温枢刚也曾告诉本报记者,东方电气的核电发展期将从2011年开始,“去年前三季度公司在手的订单大约是140亿元人民币。
  虽然一部分的核电设备——堆内构件、控制棒驱动系统、主管道都已经实现了国产化,但如堆内构件只有上海电气下属的机床厂才能制造,这种高度垄断也将给个别企业带来相当大的发展机会。

变压器在国内的新进展

       近年来，电源中电子变压器所用的铁心材料和导电材料价格连续上涨，上游原材料形成卖方市场。作为下游的电子变压器的电源用户，可以在全球范围内选择和采购，形成买方市场。处于中间位置的电子变压器行业，只有走技术创新之路，才能摆脱这种两头受气的困境。然而，在成熟的电子变压器行业里，技术创新比较困难。但是每一个细小环节的改进，就可以带来新的理念和新的产品。
  走技术创新之路，要时刻记住要达到的目的。电源中的电子变压器，象所有作为商品的产品一样进行任何技术创新，都必须在具体使用条件下完成具体功能中，追求性能价格比最好。现在的电源产品，普遍以“轻、薄、短、小”为特点向小型化和便携化发展。电子变压器必须适应作为用户的电源产品对体积和重量的要求。同时，电子变压器的原材料(铁心材料和导电材料)价格上涨。因此，如何减小体积和重量，如何降低成本，成为近年来电子变压器发展的主要方向。
  硅钢是工频电源中电子变压器大量使用的铁心材料。要减少电子变压器中的铁心用量，必须提高硅钢的工作磁通密度(工作磁密)。硅钢的工作磁密既决定于饱和磁通密度，又决定于损耗。因为效率是电子变压器的重要性能指标，现在，为了节能，许多电源产品都提出待机损耗要求。电子变压器的铁心损耗是待机损耗的主要组成部分，因此，都对电子变压器的效率或损耗提出明确的严格要求。
  近年来，取向和无取向冷轧硅钢价格上涨，卷绕式环形铁心，相比于R型、CD型和EI型铁心，由于消耗材料少，可以节约20%以上的铁心材料成本，扩大了电子变压器中的使用范围。卷绕式环形铁心可以充分发挥取向冷轧硅钢的性能，与无取向冷轧钢相比，工作磁密要高得多。同时不象R型、CD型和EI型的铁心那样，可以充分利用硅钢材料，不会有边角废料，材料利用率可以达到98%以上。
  作为电子变压器一大类的工频变压器，采用工作磁密高的铁心材料后，可以不减少铁心截面和体积，而是减少线圈匝数，减少用铜量。在现在铜材价格远远高于铁心材料的情况下，可能是更好的一种设计改进方案。
  软磁铁氧体是中、高频电源中电子变压器大量使用的铁心材料，和金属软磁材料相比，软磁铁氧体的饱和磁密低，磁导率低，居里温度低，是它的几大弱点。尤其是居里温度低，饱和磁密Bs和单位体积功率损耗Pcv都会随温度变化。温度上升，Bs下降，Pcv开始下降，到谷点后再升高。因此在高温条件下，只要Bs保持较高水平，就可以把工作磁密Bm选得高一些，从而减少线圈匝数，降低用铜量和成本。高温高饱和磁密软磁铁氧体材料，还可以扩大电子变压器使用的温度上限到120益甚至150益。例如，汽车用电子设备中的高频电子变压器，在外界温度条件变化大和发动机室发热的高温条件下工作，就必须采用高温高饱和磁密软磁铁氧体。软磁复合材料(SMC)是上世纪90年代开发出来的新型软磁材料，其出发点是想把金属软磁材料的工作频率向MHz级和GHz级扩展，因此将金属软磁材料与其他高电阻材料，如石英、陶瓷、高分子材料等复合在一起，只要控制金属软磁材料的体积百分数在逾渗极限以下，就有可能保持软磁特性，又减少各种高频率损耗，成为一种新的软磁材料——软磁复合材料，取英文名称的第一个字母，简称SMC材料。
  软磁复合材料中的磁性粒子可以是纯铁、镍、钴金属、铁镍合金、铁镍钼合金、铁铝合金、铁基非晶合金、铁基纳米晶合金和软磁铁氧体经过粉碎后制成的粉末。非磁性物体可以是二氧化硅等绝缘体，硅树脂、聚乙烯、环氧树脂等高分子材料作粘接剂和硬脂酸等作润滑剂。磁性粒子和非磁性物体混合后，可以经过绝缘处理、压制成形、烧结等工艺加工成磁粉芯，也可以采用现在的塑料工程技术，注塑成各种复杂形状的磁芯。软磁复合材料的优点是密度小，重量轻，生产效率高，成本低，产品一致性好。缺点是由于磁粒子之间被非磁性物体隔开，磁性阻断，磁导率现在一般都在100以内，最近报导通过纳米技术和其他措施，已开发出磁导率超过1000的软磁复合材料，最大可达6000。
  高分子软磁复合材料近年来发展迅速，在国外已用这种材料制造高频电源变压器和电感器，并建立相应的分析理论和设计程序。据作者所知，国内虽然进行了高分子软磁材料的研究开发，但是还未见到用于电源中电子变压器的报道。
  现在，国内正在开发用于电源中电子变压器的各种铝导线。一些企业已经开发出铜包铝导线，铜线在外层，占面积15%，总比重为3.63g/cm3，考虑趋表效应和邻近效应，这种铜包铝导线的电阻率比纯铝线会小不少，而成本增加不多，是一种充分发挥铜和铝效果的复合材料。
  近年来另一值得注意的发展趋势，是选用温度指数高、耐热等级高的180聚酯亚胺QZY漆包线和220聚酰亚胺QYZ漆包线，导线允许的电流密度增大，导线直径减少，用铜量减少，铁心窗口面积减少,用铁量也同时减少，可以降低整体成本。特别是对要求体积小的高频小功率电源变压器，采用耐热性更好的漆包线,更能显出技术经济效益。
  电源技术和电力电子技术中包含的交流电压变换技术，是一种“纯粹的”电子变压器，也能把低压变成高压进行升压变换，或者把高压变成低压进行降压变换，其主要方法是采用电力电子技术提高电能变换频率，从而缩小电路中的变压器和电感器的体积，并不是取消其中的变压器和电感器。以前，对这种把电力电子电路和电子变压器结合起来的方法，没有引起足够的重视。近年来，随着电力系统要求减少输入和输出谐波，提高网侧功率因数，实现“绿色变换”的呼声日益高涨，国内外开展了“电力电子变压器”的研究，才兴起了研究开发热潮。研究如何用电力电子技术对电力进行变换和控制，用电力电子变压器代替传统的电磁式配电变压器。现在已有单相变换和三相变换等多种电路形式，这种电力电子变压器不但可以用于高压大电流电力领域，也可以用于高压或低压小电流领域，例如一些高压电源发生器和小功率调压电源等。
  我国从事电子变压器研究、开发生产的单位已超过2000家，其中有国营、民营和外资企业。世界上最大的电子变压器生产厂家美国普思公司和世界上最大的软磁铁氧体生产厂家日本TDK公司都在我国设有生产基地。世界上许多先进的电子变压器技术、生产工艺和产品都在我国汇集在一起。面对这样一个多种化的平台，技术交流是大有可为的。

《电力变压器能效标识实施规则》研讨会在北京召开

       2009年8月12日中国标准化院能效标识管理中心在北京组织召开了《电力变压器能效标识实施规则》研讨会。来自机械节能中心、沈阳变压器研究院、中国电力科学研究院、国际铜业协会（中国）、保定天威保变电气股份有限公司等代表共15人参加了会议。
         电力变压器是能效标识计划实施的第五批产品目录中的一类产品，于今年年初组织起草和研究，目前已形成征求意见稿。这次会议主要是针对前期的反馈意见和实施规则相关内容进行讨论。
        会议由中国标准化研究院资源与环境标准化研究所赵跃进高工主持，介绍了《电力变压器能效标识实施规则》前期研究情况和下一步的工作计划，预计9月初组织审定和报批，力争今年年底之前发布。
       会上各参会专家和代表逐条分析和讨论了这类产品能效标识实施规则前期的反馈意见和实施规则相关内容，重点讨论了实施规则中标识的适用范围、标识信息的标注、标识的加施方式、标识备案单元划分等问题，基本达成一致意见，并根据讨论情况对实施规则相关内容作了适当修改和完善。

人大代表建议：特高压产品研制列入国家支持项目

11月23号，浙江省输配电设备行业协会2011年度联络员工作会议在江召开，省输配电设备行业协会名誉长李新连、樊祥荣，省输配电设备行业协会会长翁浙敏等参加会议，我市领导赖瑞洪、徐正洪、王卫明到会祝贺。

智能电网的关键词：数字化变电站

11月23号，浙江省输配电设备行业协会2011年度联络员工作会议在江召开，省输配电设备行业协会名誉长李新连、樊祥荣，省输配电设备行业协会会长翁浙敏等参加会议，我市领导赖瑞洪、徐正洪、王卫明到会祝贺。

机电产业是我市重点培育的特

我国首台特高压交流升压变压器通过全部试验验证

11月23号，浙江省输配电设备行业协会2011年度联络员工作会议在江召开，省输配电设备行业协会名誉长李新连、樊祥荣，省输配电设备行业协会会长翁浙敏等参加会议，我市领导赖瑞洪、徐正洪、王卫明到会祝贺。

机电产业是我市重点培育的特

浙江省输配电设备行业协会会议在我市召开

11月23号，浙江省输配电设备行业协会2011年度联络员工作会议在江召开，省输配电设备行业协会名誉长李新连、樊祥荣，省输配电设备行业协会会长翁浙敏等参加会议，我市领导赖瑞洪、徐正洪、王卫明到会祝贺。

机电产业是我市重点培育的特色产业之一，省输配电设备行业协会将我市列为重点联系基地，申达电气集团等我市36家输配电企业以团体会员身份加入省协会，并有申达电气等家企业成为协会副会长单位。依靠省输配电设备行业协会大平台，我市输配电产业转型升级、提升发展接受了许多有效信息，大大提高了江山输配电产业在全省的影响力和知名度。

HD Hyundai Electric secures $223m transformer deals with U.S. and EU

HD Hyundai Electric, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai, has secured contracts worth approximately $223 million to supply eco-friendly electric equipment in the United States and Europe.

The company has struck a deal worth $164 million with US energy firm Xcel Energy to provide electric power transformers, marking the largest contract for a single product since the company’s spinoff from Hyundai Heavy Industries in 2017. These transformers will be delivered from 2025 to 2027 to power plants under construction in Colorado, Minnesota, and Texas.

Additionally, HD Hyundai Electric has secured a $61 million contract with Danish offshore wind power company Semco Maritime to supply transformers for offshore substations and relevant equipment. This marks the Korean firm’s first deal in the European offshore wind power market.

Source: Korean Herold

Photo: Flickr

NGCP Activates Toril Substation’s 100 MVA Power Transformer

The National Grid Corporation of the Philippines (NGCP) has energized a 100 MVA power transformer at its Toril substation in Davao City, marking a significant milestone in the second phase of its Mindanao Substation upgrading program.

This initiative is part of the Mindanao Substation Upgrading Project 2 (MSUP2), under which NGCP plans to upgrade 10 substations across various regions. The goal is to ensure uninterrupted operations even during outages, thereby boosting the grid’s overall reliability. The first phase of MSUP had a project cost of P5 billion, while the second phase is budgeted at P5.56 billion.

Source: BW-Online

Image: Wiki

M&I Materials launches “world’s first” regenerated ester transformer fluid

M&I Materials has announced a new addition to its MIDEL range of ester transformer fluids – MIDEL Regen synthetic ester.

The fluid delivers the established K-class and biodegradable benefits of synthetic ester but is derived from in-service fluid which would otherwise be scheduled for disposal, according to a press statement.

Barry Menzies, Managing Director, MIDEL Global, commented: “The existence of MIDEL Regen puts synthetic ester and MIDEL firmly at the forefront of sustainability in the transformer fluid industry, and we are proud to be finally bringing it to market. The regeneration of used MIDEL 7131 synthetic ester into MIDEL Regen will allow transformer owner/operators to avoid incinerating or disposing of end-of-use fluid from their ageing transformer fleets.”

MIDEL Regen meets the electrical and chemical performance parameters of IEC 61099, the standard for new synthetic ester transformer fluids. Ahead of an adjacent standard for used ester being agreed, the first OEMs and private end users of MIDEL Regen have already taken delivery of the first shipments of the new fluid.

According to M&I Materials, the superior oxidation resistance of synthetic ester over its natural counterparts, such as those made from rapeseed and soybean, is what enables the regeneration process of end-of-use MIDEL 7131 synthetic ester into MIDEL Regen.

This can take place as assets are being decommissioned or at the end of the fluid’s initial useful life. Using MIDEL Regen helps to make transformers even greener while also delivering fire safety (K-class, high fire point >300°C), biodegradability, extended transformer life and the option to run at a higher temperature, for a standard lifetime.

Image, source: M&I Materials

TenneT Acquires Hollandse Kust Offshore Power Platform

Transmission system operator TenneT has officially taken control of the Hollandse Kust (noord) platform.

This milestone was marked by the signing of the Taking-Over certificate, following successful project engineering, procurement, construction, offshore installation, and hook-up, according to a press release.

This platform is the first of three projects completed by the joint venture between Equans and Smulders for TenneT. The construction of the other two platforms, Hollandse Kust (west Alfa) and (west Beta), is underway and expected to be completed by late 2023 and mid-2025 respectively.

The project has demonstrated a strong commitment to environmental consciousness. The joint venture worked with a supply chain focused on minimizing environmental impact, and the platform’s substructure features eco-friendly solutions, including “fish hotels.”

Guus Siteur, project lead HKN platform at TenneT, hailed the timely delivery of this high-quality project, attributing it to effective collaboration between all parties involved.

In 2020, TenneT TSO B.V. awarded the joint venture contract for the engineering, procurement, construction, offshore installation, connection, and testing of the offshore transformer station for the Hollandse Kust (noord) wind farm zone. The joint venture also holds the contract for TenneT’s Hollandse Kust (west Alpha), and the Hollandse Kust (west Beta) platforms.

Source, photo: Tennet

Ganz maintains transformers at Egypt’s Esna Power Plant

Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd. has begun a significant service project at the Esna Power Plant, one of Egypt’s key hydroelectric facilities, to be carried out over the course of 2023.

The first phase of this project, which concluded in May, involved the maintenance of a 16.8 MVA hydrogen generator. Ganz Transformers, a company that specializes in the manufacturing of transformers, high-performance electric motors and generators, as well as servicing high-voltage devices, led this maintenance effort.

The following phases of the project, scheduled for completion by the end of the year, will see Ganz Transformers’ technicians refurbishing two additional generator units.

DTEK opens wind farm in Ukraine amid war

The world’s only wind farm being built in a major conflict zone has been officially opened today by DTEK, Ukraine’s largest private energy company.

Phase I of the Tyligulska Wind Power Plant (WPP), which lies just 60 miles (100 km) from the frontline in the Southern region of Mykolaiv, is already generating green power. The plant’s 19 turbines have an installed capacity of 114 MW, generating up to 390,000 kWh, enough to power 200,000 households a year.

The decision to build Tyligulska WPP was taken in 2020 as part of DTEK’s strategy to expand its renewables portfolio. The project will eventually boost DTEK’s green energy capacity from 1 GW to 1.5 GW.

DTEK has invested $200 million in the construction of this first phase. The project is one of the first to deploy 6 MW Enventus turbines from Danish manufacturer Vestas. 

Phase II plans envisage adding up to 64 turbines to raise the potential output to 500 MW. That will make Tyligulska the largest WPP in Eastern Europe, providing secure energy for homes and businesses in the south of Ukraine.

DTEK’s plans to expand Tyligulska as part of the company’s broader strategy to achieve net zero emissions by 2040 and help Ukraine become a clean energy exporter to the European Union. Those plans remain dependent on DTEK securing an additional $450 million in funding, both from foreign investors and crucially from state-backed international financial institutions.

Source, Photo: DETK

U.S. Utility Implements Strategic Measures to Counter Transformer Shortages

Texas-based public power utility, Austin Energy, revealed on May 17 its approach to managing supply chain disruptions, which prominently includes revising equipment specification standards and widening sourcing strategies.

Last year, the utility faced significant issues when the delivery of transformers plummeted by 90% in the third quarter compared to the first. To tackle such disruptions, Austin Energy has developed a focused approach involving four essential strategies:

1. Identifying Crucial Supplies: By developing a Material Resource Plan, the company aims to predict future demand, recognize incoming supplies, and discover alternative sources to cover potential shortages.
2. Modifying Equipment Specification Standards: The public utility is increasing the adaptability of material standards to enhance the probability of locating supplies and fulfilling customer demands.
3. Broadening Sourcing Methods: The strategy involves seeking equipment from beyond the US borders and adjusting supplier contracts to discover more avenues for supplies.
4. Streamlining Processes: Improving customer communication regarding lead times and permitting customers to procure their equipment, given it’s compatible with Austin Energy’s system, are part of this strategy.

Stuart Reilly, the interim general manager of Austin Energy, stated, “We foresee these global supply scarcities to persist for a while, and we’re exhaustively exploring all options to meet our customers’ requirements.”

In Q1 2023, transformer deliveries reached the highest mark in a single quarter over the past five years. The schedules for the next two quarters indicate even larger figures, with more than 2,500 transformers ordered in Austin Energy’s name.

The company is encouraging current suppliers to explore refurbished equipment and additional sources for new transformers. Furthermore, they’re implementing more repair-in-place activities for pad-mounted equipment to prolong its service life.

However, Austin Energy warns that nationwide supply chain disruptions might endure due to labor shortages and soaring demand for electrical steel, sheet aluminum, magnet wire, switches, fuses, and other components. This, in turn, could significantly extend the lead times for transformers.

As per the American Public Power Association, distribution transformer procurement times for public power utilities like Austin Energy have escalated from 2-3 months to over a year.

Photo: Austin Energy

GOES MMI Index drops by minimal 0.23% amidst supply chain issues

Month-over-month, the GOES (Grain Oriented Electrical Steel) MMI has once again traded within a narrow range, showing only a minor dip of 0.23%.

This slight decrease in the index is indicative of the continuing challenges facing the industry due to persistent supply chain issues.

The persistent shortages in the GOES market, particularly in relation to transformer availability, have been an ongoing concern for the past year, Metal Miner reports. Current lead times for new transformers can stretch up to a full year, a situation that varies depending on the company and source.

In light of these shortages, industry resource MetalMiner has offered advice on navigating these issues in their free article, “The 5 Biggest Cost-Saving Sourcing Tactics”. The publication emphasizes the importance of understanding market trends and GOES price forecasting to prevent being exploited by sellers during the acquisition of electrical steel.

Moreover, the scarcity of transformers and electrical steel has had a significant impact on utility companies, with 20% having to delay their electrical grid projects. The dwindling inventory of replacement equipment has also aggravated the situation. The inadequate supply of distribution system transformers could potentially lead to the complete abandonment of certain grid projects, thereby further disrupting the sector.

Photo: Eurofer

Ester-based insulating fluids in transformers for data centers: The right choice?

Using biodegradable, fire-safe ester-based insulating fluids in electrical transformers can directly contribute to greener, more efficient, more reliable and less expensive data centre operations, according to a whitepaper published by manufacturer M&I Materials.

Using biodegradable, fire-safe ester-based insulating fluids in electrical transformers can directly contribute to greener, more efficient, more reliable and less expensive data centre operations, according to a whitepaper published by manufacturer M&I Materials.

Barry Menzies, managing director for MIDEL commented “Data centres consume copious amounts of power 24/7/365 – and more are being built to serve the “always-on” demands of data storage and transmission. But they could and should be greener. One way to help achieve this goal is to install power conversion equipment that maximises energy efficiency, while reducing overall costs associated with transformers for these facilities.

“In our whitepaper we discuss how transformers using MIDEL ester fluids (as opposed to mineral oil) are the right choice for data centres, from environmental, sustainability, cost, and reliability perspectives.”

The whitepaper also examines the critical issue of operational uptime. As key components of power control infrastructure for these facilities, transformer reliability is critical. Power failure is the biggest cause of outages at data centres – The American Society of Civil Engineers has charted the rising cost of US data centre outages, growing from $505,000 in 2010 to $740,000 in 2016, or roughly $8,800 for each minute that the data centre experiences an outage. Accordingly, increasing reliability through the use of MIDEL-filled transformers is explored.

Other topics include a comparison of MIDEL-filled transformers to Cast-Resin and Dry-Type transformers regarding energy efficiency. Reducing transformer Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) with MIDEL is also explained.

The company makes the MIDEL brand of ester transformer fluids, first launched in the 1970s.

Source, photo: MIDEL

HSM Offshore Energy wins substation contract for Danish THOR wind farm

HSM Offshore Energy has been awarded a 1 Gigawatt Offshore High Voltage Substation contract for Denmark’s largest THOR offshore wind farm.

HSM Offshore Energy, located in Schiedam, The Netherlands is awarded the engineering, procurement, construction, installation and commissioning of the offshore high voltage substation and its jacket foundation.

RWE will build the Thor wind farm off the Danish west coast – approximately 22 kilometres from Thorsminde on the west coast of Jutland. The wind farm will consist of 72 wind turbine generators (WTG’s).

HSM Offshore Energy together with its key subcontractors Iv-Offshore & Energy for engineering and GE Renewable Energy for the MV/ HV package are responsible for the engineering, construction, installation and offshore commissioning of the less than 3000mt Topside and 2500mt Jacket structures.

Based on our experience and technical know-how we created a highly efficient design for RWE’s Thor substation and jacket. This reduces the use of structural steel and the energy needed during manufacturing – with steel sourcing and fabrication in Europe.

Thor will be Denmark’s largest offshore wind farm to date. Thor would be capable of producing enough green electricity to supply the equivalent of more than one million Danish households.

Source, photo: HSM Offshore Energy

TVA pledges more transparency after lack of notice it empowered CEO to make plant decisions

By JONATHAN MATTISE Associated Press

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — The nation’s largest public utility on May 9 pledged to be more transparent after it took months to disclose that a general budget vote by its board last year also gave the CEO the final decision over several proposed natural gas power plants.

The Tennessee Valley Authority’s board announced the transparency changes during its quarterly meeting in Nashville. The decision followed an August meeting in which the federal utility’s board cast the budget vote that quietly gave President and CEO Jeff Lyash the final say over the projects, including the replacement of the aging coal-fired Kingston Fossil Plant with a natural gas plant.

The public didn’t find out about those provisions until documents with specific details were released several months later, some via public records request, said Amanda Garcia, a senior attorney with the Southern Environmental Law Center.

The decision stood in contrast to a more publicized vote in May 2023 when the board, with a new majority selected by President Joe Biden, took back the final decision-making authority on the Kingston plant. Lyash had been granted the authority for Kingston and the natural gas switch at Cumberland Fossil Plant, both in Tennessee, when the board had a majority picked by former President Donald Trump.

“One of the changes the chair asked me if I would do, which I can, is to take the resolutions, precisely what is being voted by the board, and make those resolutions publicly available, get them on the website rapidly after the meeting,” Lyash told The Associated Press.

Board member Michelle Moore, who was absent but had a statement read on her behalf, said some decisions are better delegated to the CEO because they span years and multiple board cycles, but others require board decisions because of “exceptional, regional and even national significance.” Additionally, Lyash said the board maintains oversight authority when the CEO is the decision maker.

TVA’s plans to open more natural gas plants have drawn the ire of advocates who want a more aggressive move away from fossil fuels and into solar and other renewables. They note that even with six of nine board members appointed by Biden, TVA is off track to meet the Biden administration’s goal of eliminating carbon pollution from power plants by 2035 to try to limit the effects of climate change.

Several of its proposals for new natural gas plants have received criticism from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, including a warning that its environmental review of the Kingston project doesn’t comply with federal law.

Southern Environmental Law Center staff attorney Trey Bussey said the transparency changes should have been in place “before TVA decided to spend billions of dollars on new gas plants and pipelines — not after,” adding that the board can still halt the buildout of gas plants. In April, the law center said it recently found out that the board had given decision-making power back to the CEO.

Although TVA has not embraced renewables, the utility still says a majority of its energy is carbon-free because 42% comes from nuclear and another 9% is from hydropower. Purchased wind and solar make up another 4% of its energy portfolio. The utility currently produces 1 megawatt of its own solar and has 20 megawatts of battery storage. The Kingston project includes another 3-4 megawatts of solar and 100 megawatts of battery storage. TVA estimates that the new gas plant will produce 1.68 million tons (1.52 million metric tons) of greenhouse gases a year, noting that it is a steep decline from Kingston’s current emissions.

TVA says its power mix was at 55% last fiscal year, with a goal of net-zero emissions by 2050. The utility has said it intends to build 10,000 megawatts of solar by 2035. Its solar goals have hit some snags, including supply chain issues, interest rates and land costs, according to Lyash.

As the region grows in population and TVA looks to add power plants, the utility says it also has a goal of reducing consumption by 30% over the next decade through energy efficiency and demand response programs.

TVA provides power to 10 million people across seven Southern states.

SaskPower adding more generation as part of $1.6 billion plan

5.10.2024

Canadian utility SaskPower plans to invest in new generation as part of a $1.6 billion modernization plan during the 2024-25 fiscal year.

The $710 million in investments includes the construction of the Aspen Power Station Project and the Ermine and Yellowhead expansions.

The Aspen Power Project will be a 370 MW natural gas combined-cycle (NGCC) plant. The project is expected to come online by Spring 2028. Burns & McDonnell was recently announced as the EPC contractor.

SaskPower is adding a simple cycle natural gas turbine to the Ermine Power Station. This will be the facility’s third turbine and will produce an additional 46 MW of power. It is expected to be in-service in May 2025.

The utility is also adding 46 MW at the Yellowhead Power Station through the facility’s fourth turbine. The unit is expected to be in service in December 2025.

SaskPower this year will also commission the Great Plains Power Station near Moose Jaw, begin operating the province’s first battery energy storage system near Regina, and add 200 MW of renewable energy capacity from the Bekevar Wind Energy Project near Kipling.

The $1.6 billion modernization plan also covers grid maintenance and upgrades, growth projects, smart meter deployments and more. The capital investment represents an increase of $433 million over 2023-24.

“This record investment is a sign of our government’s commitment to a growing economy and strong communities powered by reliable, sustainable electricity,” Minister Responsible for SaskPower Dustin Duncan said. “Major projects such as the Aspen Power Station will also directly fuel economic growth in our province though the participation of local companies.”

All planned capital expenditures for 2024-25 include:

• $508 million to maintain and upgrade transmission, distribution and generation assets
• $710 million on new generation, including the Aspen Power Station Project and the Ermine and Yellowhead expansions
• $311 million in growth projects, including connecting new customers to the grid; and
• $67 million in strategic investments that will allow SaskPower to continue with smart meter deployment and continue work on projects such as the Regina Operations and Maintenance Complex.

“The clean energy transition is the most significant change SaskPower has ever experienced, and investments are required to navigate it successfully,” said Rupen Pandya, SaskPower President and CEO. “As we look to the future, our investments will continue to be focused on strengthening our electricity system and moving to lower-carbon generation options.”

Last year, the Government of Canada returned some C$174 million ($128.8 million) of carbon pollution pricing proceeds through the Future Electricity Fund to advance a handful of clean electricity projects being undertaken by SaskPower.

The province of Saskatchewan used the money to implement new smart-meter technologies and support upgrades to electricity infrastructure through the Distribution Rural Rebuild and Improvement Program. Funding will also contribute to refurbishing the E.B. Campbell Hydroelectric Station.

The Smart Meter Deployment Project is intended to support electrical grid modernization and improve grid reliability and resilience by deploying smart meter technologies to residential homes across the province. Smart meters would provide ratepayers with greater access to energy consumption data to help modify behaviors and reduce overall energy consumption. Meters would provide SaskPower with real-time electricity consumption and power outage updates, thereby eliminating much of the need for physical travel and the associated greenhouse gases.

Legal challenges fly over EPA power plant rules

OPG expects nuclear construction on first SMR to begin in 2025

Great River Energy Uses ‘Magic Balls’ To Improve Power Line Capacity

March 22, 2024 by Jake Hertz

According to Great River Energy, this initiative comes when the demand for electricity is expected to nearly double over the next 30 years, posing a formidable challenge for grid operators across the United States. Traditionally, the discrepancy between potential electricity production and the actual capacity to distribute it has led to significant inefficiencies, with many operators resorting to costly and time-consuming infrastructure expansions. However, Great River Energy's approach, enhancing the existing infrastructure’s efficiency through real-time data analytics and dynamic line rating, presents an innovative and scalable solution.

 

A More Reliable Grid

As demand growth and regulatory changes increase pressure on the power grid, Great River Energy's proactive measures, facilitated by Heimdall Power’s technology, exemplify the forward-thinking needed to navigate the future of energy distribution. This partnership not only sets a precedent for utilizing existing infrastructure more effectively but also underscores the crucial role of technology in achieving sustainability and efficiency in the energy sector.

All-in-One Planning Tool Speeds DER Proposals for Engineers

December 14, 2023 by Shannon Cuthrell

Dynamic Line Rating Tech Aims to Maximize Transmission Capacity

November 30, 2023 by Shannon Cuthrell

Supreme Court’s Chevron ruling creates power sector uncertainty: Moody’s

Published July 12, 2024

The U.S. Supreme Court’s decision to eliminate the deference courts have given federal agencies under the Chevron doctrine creates uncertainty for the utility and power sector, Moody’s Ratings said on July 11, 2024. Joey Ingelhart via Getty Images

The U.S. Supreme Court’s June 28 decision to overturn the Chevron doctrine creates legal and regulatory uncertainty for regulated utilities, according to Moody’s Ratings.

“The potential for protracted court proceedings, continued ambiguity in Congressional legislation, uncertainty over post-2024 election priorities and planning for generation needs will be more challenging for regulated utilities and other power companies,” Moody’s said in a comment released Thursday.

Even so, it’s unlikely the Chevron decision will significantly affect regulated utility investment plans because most environmental and carbon reduction requirements are driven by state mandates, according to the ratings agency.

“We expect most utilities to maintain their high levels of capital spending as they continue to focus on reducing carbon emissions, furthering their progress toward net-zero targets and investing in system resilience,” Moody’s said.

The Chevron doctrine, established in a 1984 Supreme Court decision, said courts should defer to agency interpretation of federal statutes when the laws were ambiguous.

Ending the Chevron doctrine may lead to court challenges of some regulations, potentially triggering “lengthy and cumbersome” legal proceedings, according to Moody’s.

“Heightened litigation will likely slow the regulatory process until the courts speak,” Moody’s said in a comment on how the ruling could affect multiple sectors. “This burden of statute interpretation may overwhelm lower courts, causing delays and potential inconsistencies.”

The Supreme Court’s decision may reduce the ability of federal agencies to respond to emerging developments, according to the ratings agency.

“In the event of a divided Congress failing to provide timely clarity on regulations or enforcements, courts and states may step in to fill the void,” Moody’s said. “This could also lead to states reestablishing their own regulations.”

The ruling may make it harder for the federal government to address climate change, according to Moody’s.

“Absent new legislation, weakened agency power makes it less likely that the [United States] will meet its stated climate goals, raising the risk of heightened climate-related physical risks over the long term,” Moody’s said.

The ruling makes it more likely courts will reverse the Environmental Protection Agency’s rule to cut carbon dioxide emissions from power plants and its auto emissions rules, which were expected to drive growth in electric and hybrid vehicles, according to the credit ratings agency.

“The lack of clarity on future EPA mandates increases uncertainty and makes it more difficult for power companies to determine their most appropriate and cost-effective generation mix,” Moody’s said.

A reduction in the authority of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission would be “credit negative” for companies that build transmission lines and those that rely on them to deliver power, Moody’s said.

The court’s ruling may also delay or interfere with pending Inflation Reduction Act-related clarifications from the Treasury Department and the Internal Revenue Service, according to the ratings agency.

The power sector is waiting for guidance on issues such as the definition of gross receipts or total revenues for calculating the nuclear production tax credit, determination of eligibility for the domestic content bonus credit and issues related to the corporate alternative minimum tax, Moody’s said.

FERC approves ISO New England’s long-range transmission planning process

“The lack of clarity on future EPA mandates increases uncertainty and makes it more difficult for power companies to determine their most appropriate and cost-effective generation mix,” Moody’s said.

Dive Insight:

Commenters on New England’s proposal, including LS Power and NextEra Energy, said the proposed competitive solicitation process would limit nonincumbent transmission projects, but FERC ultimately overruled those concerns.

Even if the LTTP approach does make it more difficult for nonincumbent transmission developers to submit comprehensive proposals than it would be for incumbent transmission owners, “such potential difficulty does not render the proposed LTTP Phase 2 Changes unjust and unreasonable or unduly discriminatory or preferential,” the commission said.

FERC said the tariff changes would likely maximize the chances that longer-term transmission solutions “are ultimately developed, reducing the likelihood that the process will terminate because submitted Longer-Term Proposals that each address only some of the transmission needs in the [request for proposals] cannot be combined in a manner that addresses all of the identified needs.”

FERC also approved an “alternative cost allocation method” for a long-term transmission upgrades.

“The incremental costs associated with meeting any longer-term needs beyond those necessary to address any reliability or market efficiency needs included in the RFP would be allocated to the New England state or states that voluntarily assume those costs,” the commission said.

The commission directed the New England grid operator to make a compliance filing within 30 days.

The LTTP process “will allow the region to implement transmission system upgrades based on the results of longer-term transmission studies such as the recent 2050 Transmission Study,” ISO New England said in a Wednesday blog post.

“Many elements” of LTTP Phase 2 are aligned with FERC’s recent Order 1920, which also addresses regional transmission planning, the ISO said.

FERC issued Order 1920 in May, requiring transmission providers to conduct long-term, scenario-based transmission planning, and requiring the use of certain factors, such as expected demand growth and resource mixes, to develop transmission plans that look ahead at least 20 years.

The New England grid operator said it “expects to begin discussions on this order later in 2024, and will continue to work with states and other stakeholders to ensure the region’s transmission system maintains its current high standard of reliability,” 

The LTTP tariff changes are the result of a process that began in 2020, when the New England States Committee on Electricity called for the grid operator to take a longer view of transmission planning. FERC accepted changes resulting from the first phase of the process in 2022, including a mechanism allowing states to request the ISO perform system planning analysis beyond a 10-year planning horizon.

10 Northeastern states agree to collaborate on interregional transmission development

周二，十个州宣布了合作计划，在“互惠互利的机会上增加东北部三个不同规划区域之间的电力流动，并评估海上风电基础设施的需求和解决方案”。哈尔伯格曼通过盖蒂图片社

潜水简介：

• 周二，美国东北部的十个州宣布了一项史无前例的谅解备忘录，共同致力于规划和开发“强大的区域间输电基础设施”。
• 他们在一份联合新闻稿中表示，从缅因州到马里兰州的各州将寻求“互利的机会，以增加东北部三个不同规划区域之间的电力流量，并评估海上风电基础设施的需求和解决方案”。
• 各州同意分享技术数据、征集指南、监管更新、战略计划、项目状态报告、研究结果等。谅解备忘录不包括费用分摊条款，并规定所有国家都应对自己的费用负责。

潜水洞察：

根据各州的公告，这个多州集团在过去一年中一直在与美国能源部合作，以制定协议的结构和范围。

“当我们面对气候变化的挑战时，我们知道我们无法作为单个州应对这一威胁，”马萨诸塞州能源和环境事务部长丽贝卡·泰珀在一份声明中说。“通过这样的合作伙伴关系，我们将能够为东北地区的居民推进更具成本效益的输电项目。”

谅解备忘录由康涅狄格州、特拉华州、缅因州、马里兰州、马萨诸塞州、新罕布什尔州、新泽西州、纽约州、罗德岛州和佛蒙特州签署。

这些州还表示，他们计划制定一项战略行动计划，以“促进海上风电区域间输电项目的发展”。

该合作组织表示，该计划将：

• 包括确定项目障碍和解决这些障碍的备选方案;
• 给予外部参与的机会;
• 协助各国就海上风电输电设备的技术标准进行协调，“以确保未来项目在不同地点和不同时间上线时的灵活性和互操作性，同时随着行业的成熟，保持地区互连的能力。

马萨诸塞州欧洲经济区副部长兼联邦和地区能源事务特别顾问杰森·马歇尔（Jason Marshall）说：“我们现在的集体规划将确保我们最大限度地利用基础设施进行投资，这些基础设施是满足未来几十年电力系统需求的基础。

该地区的国家为开发海上风电资源制定了积极的目标，希望在为消费者节省资金的同时实现电网脱碳。马萨诸塞州、康涅狄格州和罗德岛州联合部署9吉瓦的海上风电项目，到2030年，Synapse Energy Economics代表塞拉俱乐部（Sierra Club）发布的一份报告显示，到2030年，该州的纳税人平均每年可为纳税人节省6.3亿美元。

美国能源部在4月份的一份报告中表示，美国海上风电行业正处于“拐点”，并准备“起飞”。

“有利的基础设施将是升空的关键，”美国能源部表示。“这包括关键的供应链环节：港口和船舶的可用性将决定美国市场的年度部署潜力，并且需要在组件供应链中进行广泛的扩张，以支持美国和国外不断增长的需求。”

马萨诸塞州在区域能源系统方面开展合作的努力处于领先地位。2023 年，该州要求美国能源部召开并领导全国第一个 10 个州的合作。今年6月，新英格兰各州联盟向美国能源部（DOE）的电网创新计划（Grid Innovation Program）提交了一份申请，以支持“新英格兰电力”（Power Up New England）项目。与纽约一起，这些州提交了另一份清洁复原力链接项目的申请，以将两个地区之间的传输能力提高多达1,000兆瓦。

电网创新计划通过美国能源部（DOE）105亿美元的电网弹性和创新伙伴关系计划进行管理。奖励的上限为 2.5 亿美元，除非项目有大量的输电投资，在这种情况下，他们可以获得高达 10 亿美元的投资。各州表示，这两个新英格兰项目都有资格获得更高的投资水平。

新泽西州公用事业委员会主席克里斯蒂娜·古尔·萨多维（Christine Guhl-Sadovy）表示：“随着我们继续发展蓬勃发展的海上风电产业，同时利用其巨大的环境和经济效益，我们还将继续与我们的区域合作伙伴合作，建立一个越来越可靠和有弹性的输电网络。

FERC approves capacity solicitation plan for $2.4B RioSol transmission project

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a plan on July 5, 2024, to sell capacity on the $2.4 billion RioSol transmission project, set to run about 550 miles between New Mexico and Arizona. Edush 通过 Getty Images

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission approved a plan on Friday to sell capacity on the $2.4 billion RioSol transmission project, set to run about 550 miles between New Mexico and Arizona.

FERC also granted Southwestern Power Group, or SWPG, the project’s developer, the right to sell capacity at negotiated rates on the roughly 1,600-MW merchant line, which would run next to the under-construction SunZia transmission line. SWPG sold the SunZia project to Pattern Energy in 2022.

SWPG, owned by MMR Group, is co-developing the 500-kV, alternating current project with the New Mexico Renewable Energy Transmission Authority. The project includes at least five substations along its route so power can be moved on and off the line.

SWPG hired Energy Strategies to run the solicitation process, which the company expects to start in the fourth quarter this year, according to FERC. SWPG plans to use customer commitments from the solicitation to finance the project, the agency said.

Pattern Energy Group subsidiary Pattern Renewables intends to participate in the solicitation, according to FERC. 

Agua Fria Energy, an SWPG affiliate, is developing wind, solar and energy storage projects in New Mexico and Arizona and may also seek transmission service on the RioSol project by participating in the open solicitation process, according to FERC. If Agua Fria takes part in the solicitation, SWPG committed to showing the affiliate wasn’t given special treatment, the agency said.

Meanwhile, on Friday the California Independent System Operator asked FERC to approve an agreement that would allow the SunZia transmission project to be integrated into the grid operator’s interconnection and transmission planning process.

In May, the CAISO board approved SunZia Transmission’s application to become a “participating transmission owner” in the grid operator’s territory.

Pattern Energy’s SunZia subsidiary is building a 552-mile high-voltage, direct-current transmission project that is designed to connect up to 3,021 MW of wind generation in New Mexico, with 2,131 MW set for delivery to California via the Palo Verde substation, CAISO said. SunZia expects to energize the project in December 2025, according to the grid operator.

FERC okays NextEra Lake Erie capacity sale

Separately, on Monday FERC conditionally confirmed that capacity can still be sold on the Lake Erie Connector project between Canada and Pennsylvania at negotiated rates, even though the project was sold to a NextEra Energy subsidiary by an ITC Holdings subsidiary.

NextEra bought the project from ITC on Jan. 31, according to FERC. If built, the project will be operated by the PJM Interconnection.

The 1,000-MW, 72-mile merchant transmission project is slated to run between Nanticoke, Ontario, and Erie County, Pennsylvania, connecting the PJM and Ontario wholesale power markets, FERC said.

Texas restoration efforts underway after Hurricane Beryl leaves 2.7M customers without power

A utility worker restores a damaged power line after Hurricane Beryl made landfall as a Category 1 storm in Texas. Brandon Bell/Getty Images via Getty Images

Dive Brief:

• Hurricane Beryl hit the Texas coastline Monday morning as a Category 1 storm, killing several people, knocking out power to 2.7 million customers around Houston and spawning tornadoes that caused more outages in Louisiana and Arkansas.
• CenterPoint Energy was hardest hit, with more than 2.26 million electric customers losing power at the storm’s peak. The utility, which serves about 2.8 million customers, said it expects to restore service to 1 million customers by the end of Wednesday.
• Entergy Texas reported approximately 247,000 customers without power on Monday evening. Southwestern Electric Power Co. reported about 23,000 customers without power in parts of Arkansas, Louisiana and Texas.

Dive Insight:

CenterPoint is making progress on power restoration, but its estimates mean about 1 million customers could remain without power after Wednesday as temperatures in the Houston area are expected to reach the mid-90s.

“We understand how difficult it is to be without power for any amount of time, especially in the heat,” Lynnae Wilson, senior vice president of CenterPoint’s electric business, said in a statement. “We are mobilizing all of our available resources, as well as mutual assistance resources from other utility companies, to begin the process of quickly and safely restoring power to our customers.”

Along with launching a damage assessment, CenterPoint said its crews have begun a “cut-and-clear process, which allows crews to identify and isolate areas of damage to more quickly restore customers along sections that are not impacted.” The utility also said it is considering rolling out mobile generators to provide power to certain critical facilities, such as cooling centers, healthcare facilities, first responder locations, senior centers, and educational centers.

The utility also provides gas service, but said there was no significant impact to the company’s gas system in south Texas, along the Texas Coast and across the Greater Houston area.

CenterPoint filed a system resiliency plan with Texas regulators in April, laying out a plan to spend more than $1.4 billion on system hardening efforts from 2025-2027, including tower and pole upgrades, coastal resiliency and voltage conversion projects. Over the past five years, it has spent nearly $1.5 billion in capital expenditures on resilience-related projects, according to the application.

The Texas House State Affairs Committee had been scheduled to discuss the plan yesterday, but that hearing was canceled as Beryl approached, energy analyst and Stoic Energy President Doug Lewin noted on X.

According to the plan, CenterPoint experienced only one extreme weather event from 2019-2023 that impacted more than 1 million customers. “Since then, there have been two, including today,” Lewin said.

Entergy said its damage assessments are still ongoing but “initial reports show lightning, high winds and downed vegetation caused significant damage to Entergy Texas transmission equipment.” A total of 34 substations lost power, the utility said in a 6:30 p.m. update, marking “a significant increase from the 17 substations without power around noon.”

“The company anticipates that it will take several days to fully restore power,” Entergy said.

Southwestern Power, at about 5 p.m., said its electric system was impacted by “multiple confirmed tornadoes across the ArkLaTex area” and that “additional outages could occur until SWEPCO’s transmission system is stabilized.”

“Customers should prepare to be without service for an extended period,” the utility said.

Elida Castillo, program director of environmental justice group Chispa Texas, said continued investment in the fossil fuel industry is contributing to an increase in climate-related disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and extreme heat waves.

More than 42 GW of gas capacity have been proposed for Texas, reflecting increased electricity demand associated with growth in population and industry, including data centers and electrification. 

“There is a connection between the two that we cannot ignore. Especially when communities, primarily frontline communities of color, are often the first impacted yet the last to receive much-needed resources,” Castillo said in a statement.

Berkeley Lab releases interactive decision framework for integrated distribution grid planning

US transmission policy in H1 2024 focused on spurring new lines, optimizing existing infrastructure

A YIMBY approach to the transmission buildout

Stakeholder-driven transmission siting can happen once communities realize what is on the table.

By Robin Allen

“Rainbow and Power Lines at the Palo Alto Baylands” by Don DeBold is licensed under CC BY 2.0

Robin Allen is a senior fellow with the Niskanen Center Climate department.

The thorny problem of overcoming opposition to the extensive buildout of transmission infrastructure, which the nation needs to achieve its reliability and climate goals, has so far been considered only from a top-down perspective.

Planners and developers typically believe they must persuade, cajole, incentivize and sometimes coerce local communities into accepting new high-capacity power lines. However, a careful review of recent projects suggests an entirely different model: stakeholder-driven transmission, where communities proactively seek out transmission developers to host these projects.

Where will that demand come from? It will stem from the growing recognition that a transmission corridor can be reimagined as a broader infrastructure corridor, offering local communities vital new services beyond improved energy service.

Not only is there significant money on the table in projects that connect new generations to load centers, but there is also now a clear record of communities making actual deals to benefit from those funds.

Why all this money on the table for states willing to partner with developers — i.e., why have states and stakeholders been granted significant co-located infrastructure in exchange for state support of the transmission line? “Money on the table” comes from two significant sources. First, there are typically sizable price differences in wholesale electric generation prices between U.S. regions — merchant transmission developers can arbitrage these differences to finance new lines. Second, developers save significant time and money if states facilitate the siting and permitting process. Such cooperation can free up funds for stakeholders to use on desired co-located amenities. 

As I show in a just-released report from the Niskanen Center, recent history provides plenty of examples of deals, incentives and accommodations made to facilitate lines. These include burying lines, offering line co-ownership, providing special funds, siting in existing corridors and agreeing to alternate routes. 

Some specific examples: in some instances, developers are willing to pay the higher costs of burying high-capacity transmission — for example, SOO Green HVDC Link and Champlain Hudson Power Express — to obtain line approval. In Missouri, Invenergy increased the amount of power deliverable to the state from 500 MW to 2,500 MW. This incentivized the Missouri Public Service Commission’s approval of its proposed Grain Belt Express line. Southern California Edison granted the Morongo Band Tribe an option to invest up to half the total construction cost for the West of Devers Project, allowing the tribe to earn revenues well into the future.

AEP, Exelon challenge PJM interconnection pact for Amazon data center at Talen nuclear plant

The 2,475-MW Susquehanna nuclear power plant in Salem Township, Pennsylvania. American Electric Power and Exelon filed a protest on June 24, 2024, with federal regulators over a proposed interconnection service agreement that would facilitate the co-location of an Amazon data center next to the power plant. The image by Jakec is licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0

Dive Brief:

• A potentially precedent-setting proposal that would facilitate the co-location of an Amazon data center at Talen Energy’s Susquehanna nuclear plant in Pennsylvania could lead to cost shifting that harms utility customers, American Electric Power and Exelon said Monday while asking the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to hold a hearing on the issue.

• If FERC declines to hold a hearing, the agency should reject the non-conforming interconnection service agreement, or ISA, between the PJM Interconnection, Susquehanna Nuclear and PPL Electric Utilities, in part because it would allow the data center to take advantage of PJM’s transmission system without paying for it, according to the protest filed Monday at FERC. The ISA could shift up to $140 million in transmission costs onto other PJM customers, AEP and Exelon said.

• “Should large quantities of load rush to co-locate with generation on terms that bear even a resemblance to the ISA at issue here, PJM capacity markets will have steadily decreasing volume as the capacity resources flee to serve load that uses and benefits from — but does not pay for — the transmission system and the ancillary services that keep the system running,” AEP and Exelon said. “This will harm existing customers.”

Transformer Crisis: Delays Slow Renewables Progress

2 days ago by Devin Partida

Wind turbine nacelle interior. Image used courtesy of Adobe Stock

Transformer Shortage Causes

A National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) study reveals how severe the transformer shortage has become. Some transformers now face two-year lead times—a fourfold increase over pre-2022 averages—and prices four to nine times higher than the previous three years. These concerns may become more extreme, as NREL expects transformer capacity demands to rise by 160% to 260% over 2021 levels.

This shortage stems from several related factors. First and most notably, the power sector is still trying to catch up to pent-up pandemic-era demand. As construction slowed at the height of social distancing concerns and economic cutbacks, the industry could not produce and install new transformers. Now that global electricity demand is reaching pre-pandemic levels, these backlogs have grown faster than manufacturers’ ability to recover.

Supply chain issues have exacerbated the shortage. Aluminum, copper, and other metals face supply volatility amid rising electronics manufacturing. Many materials also come from regions with sustainability or sociopolitical concerns. Manufacturing labor shortages and general supply chain disruptions have hampered productivity, further extending lead times.

 

Impact on Renewable Energy

Renewable projects have faced mounting difficulties as transformer prices and lead times have skyrocketed. Large-scale battery projects for wind and solar installments now take 12 to 18 months to complete, roughly six months longer than usual.

Installing renewable infrastructure is also becoming increasingly challenging. Many utility companies rethink their priorities due to rising prices and limited material availability. Renewables, often more expensive to implement, are an easy target for cutbacks amid these constraints.

These tightening budgets and stricter approval measures are more impactful in light of the sector’s recent growth. The Inflation Reduction Act (IRA) had previously increased renewable demand by providing more economic incentives. Similarly, the White House planned to build 500,000 electric vehicle chargers along U.S. highways.

These previous demand drivers mean the sudden spike in prices and lead times is more disruptive by comparison. Even though transformer issues affect the energy industry as a whole, the once-fast-growing renewable segment experiences the brunt of the downturn.

 

How the Renewable Energy Sector Can Respond

While the transformer shortage is challenging, all is not lost for the renewable energy sector. One promising solution is to pivot to recycled transformers rather than relying on new equipment. Roughly 99% of transformer materials are recyclable or reusable. Consequently, renewable projects could restore old hardware to overcome availability gaps and long lead times.

Supply chain restructuring can also help, especially in the long term. Sourcing from domestic transformer suppliers instead of international companies can shorten lead times and reduce the likelihood of logistics delays. This may entail higher initial costs, but the resulting payback from faster renewable growth will compensate for it over time.

Automation and workforce reskilling programs can help domestic manufacturers ramp up their capacity. This shift may take additional public-private partnerships and other forms of government support. While these steps will take time to produce meaningful results, organizations must pursue them now to ensure they can meet future demand.

 

Renewables Are Growing, but Challenges Remain

Renewable energy is finally reaching a point where it can compete with fossil fuel electricity sources. This shift is crucial for the fight against climate change, but it is not guaranteed. The industry must recognize its most pressing challenges and adapt accordingly to make the most of this opportunity.

Overcoming the transformer shortage is key to sustained renewable energy growth. Significant challenges remain, but change is possible if organizations know where to start.

The first phase of the Armenian substation renovation project has been completed

Source: China Electrical Engineering Corporation
Keywords: Substation, Power Engineering, Power Construction

On June 27th, the first phase of the Zovuni 220kV/110kV/10kV substation renovation project in Armenia, which is currently being carried out by China National Electric Corporation, was completed with power transmission. At this point, the first phase of the project has successfully completed the renovation of 9 110kV intervals, two transformers, and corresponding 10kV intervals.



The Armenian substation renovation project officially came into effect in September 2021. With the strong support of the company, the project department made every effort to promote the project progress. The project design approval was completed in May 2022, and the construction permit project was successfully obtained at the end of 2022. The first phase of equipment installation work was completed in February 2024.



In order to ensure the smooth power transmission in the first phase, the project department actively developed a commissioning and power transmission plan with the owner, local power grid company, supervisor, construction party, and manufacturer, coordinated with technical service personnel of various subcontractors for on-site cooperation, and adjusted the plan in real time according to the problems encountered on site. After more than two months of commissioning work, the project obtained the power transmission permit by the end of May 2024, effectively ensuring the smooth power transmission in the first phase.

The successful completion of this milestone has been highly appreciated by the owner and all parties involved in the project, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent renovation work. The project department will continue to promote the spirit of teamwork and spare no effort to ensure the smooth progress of the project, and repay the trust and expectations of the owner with excellent results.

Pakistan's Sukikunari Hydropower Station has the conditions for grid connected power generation

Source: China Water North Corporation
Keywords: hydropower station, hydropower unit, hydropower generation

Recently, the first unit of Pakistan's Sukykhnari (SK) hydropower station has completed all electrical tests and is ready for grid connected power generation. This marks a crucial step forward for the SK project towards its COD schedule goal.



SK Hydropower Station is located on the Kunhar River in the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Province of Pakistan, 265 kilometers away from the capital Islamabad. It is a long tunnel, ultra-high head water diversion hydropower station. The water head is over 900 meters, and the power station is equipped with four impulse type units, with a total installed capacity of 884 megawatts. It is the impulse hydropower project with the highest water head and the largest single unit installed capacity undertaken by our company so far. The main construction contents of the project include water storage dams, diversion tunnels, underground powerhouses, etc. After the completion of the hydropower station, it will play a comprehensive role in power generation, irrigation, flood control and other benefits, which is of great significance for benefiting local people, improving people's livelihoods, and promoting local economic development.

The SK hydropower project is one of the key projects prioritized for implementation in the China Pakistan Economic Corridor, and has received high attention from the governments and various sectors of society of China and Pakistan. As the EPC general contractor and designer of the SK project, our company's leadership has always attached great importance to this project, equipped with elite personnel from various specialties, carefully designed by domestic designers, and actively cooperated with on-site design representatives to efficiently and high-quality complete various engineering drawings and on-site technical optimization drawings, laying a solid foundation for the smooth progress of the project.

Successful trial operation of the South Russia 4 hydropower station units in Laos

Keywords: hydropower station, hydropower generation, clean energy

On July 6th, at 17:30 local time, the first unit of China National Heavy Machinery Industry Corporation's Laos Nam Ngum 4 hydropower station successfully completed a 72 hour trial operation.



Before the trial operation, China Heavy Machinery carefully organized and conducted a comprehensive and detailed inspection of the first unit with various participating units, and completed a series of tests including the first manual start-up, overspeed, automatic start stop, generator current and voltage boosting, current and voltage boosting with main transformer and high-voltage equipment, as well as load carrying and load shedding. During the trial operation period, China National Heavy Duty Truck Group will closely cooperate with the Lao National Power Company, the Lao Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, the Lao National Power Dispatch Center, the Lao Electric Power Technology Research Institute, the Lao National Power Company Unit Debugging Expert Working Group, and other parties to implement a 24-hour duty system. Professional personnel will be arranged to be on duty at key positions to monitor the operating parameters and conditions of the units in real time. During this period, the first unit continued to operate at full load of 80MW, with stable and reliable operation of the main engine, electrical and auxiliary equipment, which was highly recognized by the Lao personnel.

The Nam Ngum 4 hydropower station in Laos is located on the main stream of the Nam Ngum River in the northern part of the country. It is a drainage type hydropower station equipped with three mixed flow units with a single capacity of 80MW, with a total installed capacity of 240MW. The project is financed by the Export Import Bank of China and is a key project of the "the Belt and Road" initiative, which has attracted great attention from the Chinese and Laotian governments and local people.

At present, the commissioning work of the remaining two units is also steadily progressing. After all three units are put into operation, it is expected to provide Laos with over 872 million kilowatt hours of clean energy annually, reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 576000 tons, and have a positive impact on Laos' energy development plan, socio-economic development, and local livelihood improvement.



China National Heavy Machinery Industry Corporation will uphold the core value of "customer first", spare no effort to achieve the goal of grid connected power generation for projects, and create a green and intelligent model project for the "China Laos Economic Corridor".

Inject new momentum! Kazakhstan's largest clean energy power station officially starts construction

Keywords: clean energy, gas power station, gas generator set

At the place where the "the Belt and Road" initiative was initiated

Jointly contracted by China Electric Power Construction Corporation

Kazakhstan's largest clean energy power station

——Kazakhstan CHP2 Gas Power Plant EPC Project

Formally commence construction

It will effectively promote the development of clean energy in Kazakhstan

Add new momentum to China Kazakhstan cooperation



Recently, the largest clean energy power station in Kazakhstan, the CHP2 gas-fired power station EPC project in Kazakhstan, which was jointly led by Shandong Electric Power Construction Company, a subsidiary of China Electric Power Construction Corporation, and other units such as Hebei Institute, has officially started construction.



The project is located in the northwest of Almaty city and is the renovation project of Almaty No.2 Thermal Power Station. With a total installed capacity of 600 megawatts, it is the largest energy project under construction in Kazakhstan, responsible for providing power and heating for production and daily life in Almaty city.



After the project is put into operation, the pollutant emissions of Almaty No.2 Thermal Power Station will be reduced by about 90% compared to the old factory, which will have a positive and far-reaching impact on improving energy conservation and emission reduction benefits, improving the ecological environment, and promoting economic structural transformation in Kazakhstan.

Sign up! Contract for the Restoration Project of Jibei-I Hydropower Station in Ethiopia

Keywords: hydropower station, hydropower generation, clean energy

Recently, China Energy Construction Gezhouba Group signed a contract with Ethiopian National Electric Power Corporation for the restoration project of the Jibei-I hydropower station.



Project location

The project is located approximately 270km west of the southern part of Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, and only 50km away from the largest city in the southwest of Oromia Region, Jima City. The main engineering content includes the design, supply, installation, updating, repair, and on-site testing of equipment such as butterfly valves, expansion joints, and pressure steel pipes, as well as the training of power station operators.

Due to the damage of the butterfly valve and pressure pipeline downstream of the spillway bottom hole of Jibei-I hydropower station, and the inability of the conical valve at the outlet to operate normally, the dam lost its water discharge function. The implementation of this repair project can not only ensure the safety of the Jibei-I hydropower station itself, but also ensure the normal power generation of the downstream Jibei-II and Jibei-III cascade power stations, avoiding the serious consequences of 23% of users in Ethiopia experiencing a one-year power outage. It is of great significance for the stability of the Ethiopian national power grid and ensuring the socio-economic development of Ethiopia.



The successful signing of this project further consolidates and deepens the trust and cooperation relationship between the company and Ethiopian National Electric Power Company, and is also another important achievement of the company in the Ethiopian market.

The EPC project of CHP-2 gas power station in Kazakhstan has officially started construction

Keywords: clean energy, gas power station, Dongfang Electric

Kazakhstan is located in the hinterland of the Eurasian continent and is the largest landlocked country in the world in terms of land area. It is rich in natural resources such as oil, gas, and minerals, and is a must pass place on the ancient Silk Road.    

On July 1st local time, the EPC project of the Kazakhstan Almaty No.2 (CHP-2) gas-fired power station, jointly contracted by Dongfang International, a subsidiary of Dongfang Electric Group, Shandong Electric Construction First Company, a subsidiary of China Power Construction Group, and Hebei Institute, officially started construction. This project is currently the largest clean energy power station in Kazakhstan and the first gas turbine combined cycle power station constructed by a Chinese enterprise in Kazakhstan.


Project conceptual design diagram

As a major livelihood project for energy conservation and emission reduction in Kazakhstan, the project will build a 600 MW gas turbine combined cycle cogeneration unit to replace the original coal-fired power plant. After completion, it will reduce carbon dioxide emissions by about 3 million tons (a decrease of about 56%), avoid air emissions of particulate matter and nitrogen oxides, and significantly improve urban air quality. It will effectively promote the development of clean energy in Kazakhstan, improve the local ecological environment, and promote the transformation of the local economic structure.



Group photo of groundbreaking ceremony

 

Since the signing of the project, Dongfang Electric Group has actively established an EPC contractor consortium performance project control mode and decision-making mechanism, accelerated integration with the owner, local government, and the public, jointly launched the "Hundred Day Campaign", and made every effort to promote project commencement, injecting new vitality and adding new momentum to China Kazakhstan cooperation.

The first unit of the largest hydropower station in Cote d'Ivoire has successfully operated

Keywords: hydropower station, hydropower generation, clean energy, hydropower unit

On June 5, 2024, the first unit of the Geshipo Popoli hydropower station under construction in Cote d'Ivoire officially completed a 72 hour trial operation, and the H9000 computer monitoring system was put into operation synchronously with the first unit.

Boboli Hydropower Station is the second hydropower station in C ? te d'Ivoire to use the H9000 monitoring system of Beijing Zhongshuiko Hydropower Technology Development Co., Ltd. after the Subei Hydropower Station. It is located in the middle and lower reaches of the Sassandra River in southwestern C ? te d'Ivoire, with the Subei Hydropower Station upstream and the Pudupuri Hydropower Station downstream. It is the third level hydropower station in the Sassandra River Basin cascade development.

The power station is equipped with three 37.63MW bulb type tubular units, with a total installed capacity of 112.9MW. The reservoir has a storage capacity of 82 million cubic meters, a normal water level of 106 meters, a dam crest elevation of 108.50 meters, a dam crest width of 9.0 meters, a maximum dam height of about 23.5 meters, and a designed annual power generation of 554 gigawatt hours. The main buildings include earth rock dams, spillways, and power plants.

The Boboli Hydropower Station adopts the H9000 V4.5 computer monitoring system developed by Beijing Zhongshui Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. The engineers of Beijing Zhongshui Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. overcame difficulties such as heavy construction tasks and difficult conditions, promoted the spirit of dedication, diligence, and responsibility, and carried out various debugging without any hesitation. Currently, the installation and debugging of the central control room, Unit 1, plant and switch station backup self switching and public systems, air compressor control system, fire control system, leakage pump control system, high-pressure oil control system and its supporting automation components have been successfully completed, ensuring the smooth operation of the first unit and subsequent units. The project party, China Hydropower Fifth Bureau, specially sent a thank-you letter to the company's professional team and high-quality products. Thank you for the service!

Beijing Zhongshui Science and Technology Development Co., Ltd. will continue to work hard and provide high-quality and efficient services for the operation of subsequent units. We will cooperate with all parties involved in the construction to jointly create a milestone high-quality project.

The SVC system of the Wangji project substation in Zimbabwe has been successfully put into operation

Keywords: Beijing Kerui Substation, Power Construction

On June 17, 2024 local time, the SVC device of Sherwood B substation in Zimbabwe's Wangji Phase III project was successfully put into operation with electricity. The Wangji Project in Zimbabwe is the largest infrastructure construction project in Zimbabwe in the past 30 years, which was signed by the leaders of China and Zimbabwe. It is also a key project of China's assistance to Africa in building the "the Belt and Road". SVC is an important equipment in this project, and Beijing Kerui Borun participated in the supply of some core equipment for the SVC device. Its successful operation plays a very important role in supporting the safe operation of the transmission network in Zimbabwe and southern Africa.



Figure 1 Zimbabwe project site

SVC， One of the important equipment in flexible AC transmission systems, it mainly relies on the fast regulation capability of high-power power electronic converter technology to achieve functions such as voltage stability control and power oscillation suppression in the power grid. In the project, the product was successfully connected to the 330kV transmission system in southern Africa, which includes two sets of TCR, two sets of TSC, and FC branches, with a total output capacity of 423Mva. In addition, the company has adopted a new generation control platform based on high-speed digital processing and high-speed communication technology. The control system adopts a dual redundant configuration to ensure high response speed and reliability of the device.



Figure 2: Professional Team Working in Zimbabwe

To ensure the system is put into operation once, the company attaches great importance to it and has specially dispatched a core team to the overseas site. At the same time, there is a professional technical support team in China, and domestic and foreign debugging teams are making every effort to organize and develop a "unified coordination, distributed access, and smooth transition" debugging plan. After several days of intense on-site debugging, the system successfully passed various acceptance tests such as live impact, capacity range, regulation characteristics, auxiliary control functions, and thermal operation, effectively ensuring the smooth operation of the project.



Figure 3: Communication between the project site and the client

The successful operation of the primary electrification of the SVC system of Sherwood B substation of Wangji Project in Zimbabwe is a successful practice of Beijing Keriboron SVC products in the African power grid, and also another important expansion of our company's SVC projects abroad, such as South Korea, Türkiye, Iran, Indonesia, Malaysia, Vietnam, etc. Next, the Beijing Kerui Borun Wangji project team will continue to maintain high combat effectiveness, work closely together, and provide comprehensive and high-quality solutions to African users with professional technology and services.

The water pressure test of the bifurcation branch pipe of Batang Hydropower Station was successful

Keywords: Batang Hydropower Station, Hydroelectric Power Generation, Electric Power Construction

At 1:30 am local time on June 17th, with the instruction to stop the pressure transmitted through the intercom, the overall water pressure test of the super large branch pipe of the Batang Hydropower Station in Indonesia, which was constructed by the Tenth Bureau of Hydroelectric Power, was successfully completed. This marks a significant achievement in the technical research of the project and lays a solid foundation for ensuring the project's timely power generation and operation.



The hydraulic test of the ultra large branch pipe in the tunnel of this project is a key node project of the project construction. The overall hydraulic test method is adopted, which includes one main branch, two auxiliary branches, a branch pipe connection section, and four branch pipes. The ultra large branch pipe is made of Q690SD high-strength steel material, with a common cutting ball diameter of 9.12 meters, a total weight of 8500 tons, and a water filling volume of 6750 cubic meters.



The project team began precise deployment and coordinated several months in advance, completing high standard preparatory work such as the layout of filling and drainage pipelines, the laying of stress and strain gauges, and the establishment of emergency support systems. After 10 days of uninterrupted pressure, they successfully achieved a water pressure of 3.7 megapascals and maintained it for 30 minutes.



After joint inspection, all data are better than the design requirements, fully reflecting the significant achievements of the project department in the application of "four new" technologies, the development of new quality productivity, as well as the CO2 welding process adopted in the manufacturing, installation and welding of branch pipes, and the welding application of submerged arc welding in rib plates and other positions. This provides favorable conditions for the subsequent installation and effective performance of the steel pipe main body of the project, and is of great significance for the improvement of the company's pressure steel pipe manufacturing and installation business skills and core competitiveness in the field of ultra large metal structures and special high-strength steel.





It is reported that Batang Toru Hydropower Station is located in Batang Toru Town, the middle and lower reaches of Batantoru River in the south of North Sumatra Province, Indonesia. It is an important project for the national development of the "the Belt and Road", and also the largest hydropower project under construction overseas by PowerChina.

The total installed capacity of the power station is 510 megawatts, with a total storage capacity of 2.58 billion cubic meters and a designed rated head of 275.86 meters. After the completion of the project, the annual power generation will reach 2070.53 gigawatt hours, which can greatly alleviate the power shortage problem on most of Sumatra Island and benefit millions of people.

高温导致巴尔干地区多国电网崩溃

Keywords: power safety, power supply, transmission lines

Many parts of the world have recently experienced high temperatures and scorching heat. In the Balkans, the heatwave is still ongoing, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius visible everywhere. Affected by the high temperature weather, multiple countries experienced power supply problems and widespread power outages on June 21st.

Extreme high temperatures have occurred in many parts of the Balkan region this week, with temperatures exceeding 40 degrees Celsius in many areas. Relevant departments of various countries have issued high temperature warnings, reminding people to prevent heatstroke and cool down.



Due to historical reasons, the power grids of multiple countries in the Balkans are interconnected. The Montenegrin government announced on the 21st that the country's power distribution system experienced power supply problems for several hours that day, and large-scale power outages also affected countries such as Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Albania. Affected by power outages, there were varying degrees of traffic paralysis on the 21st in cities such as Sarajevo, the capital of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and Split, a coastal city in Croatia. The traffic lights on the street have stopped operating, and the tram has also been shut down due to a lack of power.



The specific reason for this power outage is not yet fully understood. The State Electricity Company of Bosnia and Herzegovina stated that the power outage was caused by issues with the regional distribution lines; The Albanian State Power Company has explicitly stated that the "extreme heat" caused the widespread power outage. Industry insiders suggest that the surge in electricity demand in various countries due to the impact of high temperatures, leading to the collapse of the power grid, is a more likely cause of this large-scale power outage.



Danko Blajevic, Director of Operations of the Croatian Transmission System: I don't want to jump to conclusions, but preliminary information shows that the power grid between Greece and Albania is starting to collapse, and then the lines have changed. But this is still speculation and unverified information.



Minister of Energy and Mining of Montenegro, Sasha Muyovic: The problem is partly due to a significant increase in daily load, and partly due to very high temperatures. When these two factors are combined, there will be a situation where power cannot be supplied normally, that is, the line will be overloaded and cause faults.

The water pressure test of boiler No. 9 in the Rabota project in Indonesia was successful once

Keywords: power construction, thermal power generation, power engineering

On June 15th, the water pressure test of boiler 9 in the Rabota project in Indonesia was successful, and boiler 9 officially entered the insulation stage of the furnace body. On the same day, the steel inner cylinder of Project 9 was successfully lifted into place, and the construction of the chimney inner cylinder was successfully completed.



Before the hydrostatic test, the project department conducted a detailed inspection and verification of the test conditions, completion of inspection items, and defect closure with the owner, supervisor, etc. to ensure the success of the hydrostatic test in one attempt. The chimney of the project consists of two parts: a concrete outer cylinder and a steel inner cylinder. The concrete outer cylinder is 144 meters high, the starting elevation of the base is 30.35 meters, and the diameter of the steel inner cylinder is 5.3 meters. It is constructed from the base at 30.35 meters to 150 meters, with a total height of 119.65 meters. A single steel inner cylinder weighs 116.3 tons. Three 220 ton hydraulic jacks are arranged on the 135 meter bearing platform for overall lifting. The 9th steel inner cylinder that was lifted into position this time is also the last inner cylinder among the 3 steel inner cylinders. Through the joint efforts of all parties, the construction of the 9th steel inner cylinder has been successfully completed.

Philippine Mint Transmission Line Project Completed Tower Foundation Construction

Keywords: transmission lines, power engineering, power construction

On June 16th, the construction of the tower foundation for the Mint 230 kV transmission line in the Philippines was completed.

The Peppermint Power Transmission Line Project in the Philippines is located in the southwest of Peppermint Island. The project involves the construction of a new 230 kV double circuit four split overhead transmission line on the same tower, consisting of 74 towers with a total length of approximately 21.1 kilometers.

The Installation Branch of Water and Electricity Seventh Bureau is responsible for the design, supply, transportation, construction, testing, completion and handover of this project. As of now, the completion rate of foundation construction is 100%, the completion rate of tower assembly is 98%, and the tensioning construction has entered the accelerated sprint stage.

The first 250mva transformer in Namangan, Uzbekistan has been successfully put into operation

Keywords: China Electrical Equipment Transformer Power Construction

Recently, the 220 kV/250 kV megavolt ampere transformers at the Sardur substation in Namangan, Uzbekistan were successfully powered. Shandong Electric Power, a subsidiary of China Electrical Equipment, supplied 30 transformers to the substation, including 4 220 kV, 2 110 kV, and 24 distribution transformers.



News website of Namangan Regional Power Grid Company in Uzbekistan



The Saldor substation is one of the important power nodes in Namangan, providing stable power supply for surrounding industries, agriculture, commerce, and residential life. The current substation equipment is mostly old equipment, with a transformer capacity of two 125 megavolt ampere transformers. With the socio-economic development of Namangan, the load of the Saldor substation continues to increase, and it is necessary to further improve the transformer load rate. The State Grid Corporation of Uzbekistan has requested a capacity increase and replacement of the main transformer, increasing its capacity from 125 megavolt amperes to 250 megavolt amperes. The operation of this transformer provides strong support for the production and daily electricity consumption of residents in Namangan Island, further enhancing the safe and stable operation and load supply capacity of the Namangan Island power grid to meet future load demands.

During the project promotion process, due to the fact that Uzbekistan's power equipment uses GOST standards, which differ significantly from common IEC and GB standards, Shandong Electric International Marketing Center actively communicated with foreign clients, strengthened cooperation, and formed a design team to study technical solutions and GOST standards. After two months, the GOST technical standard conversion was successfully completed. At the same time, electromagnetic scheme design is strictly carried out in accordance with GOST standards. Through multi physics field simulation analysis, the distribution of magnetic field, electric field, and temperature field of the product is simulated under various working conditions, and the product structure is optimized to have the characteristics of low loss, high overload capacity, and high reliability. Continuously improving the design scheme to ensure meeting customer requirements has achieved project and technological breakthroughs for the enterprise in Central Asia.

Shandong Denko Electric relies on its layout and brand advantages in overseas markets to accelerate the expansion of overseas business and promote the implementation of globalization strategies. At present, the supply of all transformer equipment for the first phase of the renovation of Uzbekistan's main power grid has been successfully completed, and has won the trust of customers with high-quality products and services. It has been listed as a comprehensive strategic partner and high-quality supplier of Uzbekistan's Ministry of Energy in 2030.

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National Grid of the UK announces the largest power grid renovation plan in history!

Keywords: UK power grid renovation, electricity industry

National Grid, a leading enterprise in the field of energy transmission and distribution, plans to make a strategic investment of up to ￡ 66 billion in its power network over the next five years. This move aims to promote the release of economic growth, while also advancing the digitization and decarbonization process of the power system.

In its recent annual performance report as of March 31, 2024, the UK's national power supply company clearly stated that half of this investment will be dedicated to strengthening and optimizing the company's grid operations in the UK.

In addition, to ensure the smooth implementation of the investment plan, the company has simultaneously announced a ￡ 7 billion fully underwritten allotment option issuance plan. The plan will effectively raise the necessary funds by issuing stocks to existing shareholders. National Grid emphasized in its official press release that this move is in line with its strategic plan to build an "excellent and pure power network business". Specifically, the company will invest up to 80% of its capital to specifically support the steady development of its power network business.

John Pettigrew, CEO of National Grid, said, "Today, we announced this significant investment plan, marking a solid step forward in driving the energy transition on both sides of the Atlantic. As governments and regulatory agencies around the world increasingly prioritize achieving net zero emissions goals, our confidence and awareness of the medium-term investment plan are also growing. To this end, we have developed a new five-year financial framework, with an expected investment scale of nearly twice that of the past five years

In the UK, State Grid will invest ￡ 23 billion in the construction of transmission networks, aimed at ensuring the healthy operation of grid assets and addressing the system upgrade needs brought about by the increasing number of offshore and onshore power generation connections. At the same time, the company will increase its investment in 17 Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Projects (ASTI).

Keywords: UK power grid renovation, electricity industry

National Grid, a leading enterprise in the field of energy transmission and distribution, plans to make a strategic investment of up to ￡ 66 billion in its power network over the next five years. This move aims to promote the release of economic growth, while also advancing the digitization and decarbonization process of the power system.

In its recent annual performance report as of March 31, 2024, the UK's national power supply company clearly stated that half of this investment will be dedicated to strengthening and optimizing the company's grid operations in the UK.

In addition, to ensure the smooth implementation of the investment plan, the company has simultaneously announced a ￡ 7 billion fully underwritten allotment option issuance plan. The plan will effectively raise the necessary funds by issuing stocks to existing shareholders. National Grid emphasized in its official press release that this move is in line with its strategic plan to build an "excellent and pure power network business". Specifically, the company will invest up to 80% of its capital to specifically support the steady development of its power network business.

John Pettigrew, CEO of National Grid, said, "Today, we announced this significant investment plan, marking a solid step forward in driving the energy transition on both sides of the Atlantic. As governments and regulatory agencies around the world increasingly prioritize achieving net zero emissions goals, our confidence and awareness of the medium-term investment plan are also growing. To this end, we have developed a new five-year financial framework, with an expected investment scale of nearly twice that of the past five years

In the UK, State Grid will invest ￡ 23 billion in the construction of transmission networks, aimed at ensuring the healthy operation of grid assets and addressing the system upgrade needs brought about by the increasing number of offshore and onshore power generation connections. At the same time, the company will increase its investment in 17 Accelerated Strategic Transmission Investment Projects (ASTI).



In the field of power distribution, the company plans to invest approximately ￡ 8 billion over the next five years, mainly for asset replacement, system reinforcement, and the construction of new connections. This will help promote the development of new energy facilities such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, and promote the popularization of direct connection power generation methods.

In addition, in the US market, the company plans to invest ￡ 17 billion in New York and ￡ 11 billion in New England. Among them, 60% of the investment will focus on the field of power networks to increase efforts in renewable energy connectivity, transmission network upgrades, and digital capabilities, thereby promoting the in-depth development of energy transformation.

Pettigrew further pointed out, "With the support of a comprehensive financing plan including a ￡ 7 billion equity financing, we expect this capital investment to achieve an annual growth rate of approximately 10% in the group's assets, and is expected to achieve a significant increase in the compound annual growth rate of basic earnings per share from the 2024/25 baseline to 6-8%


In the field of power distribution, the company plans to invest approximately ￡ 8 billion over the next five years, mainly for asset replacement, system reinforcement, and the construction of new connections. This will help promote the development of new energy facilities such as electric vehicles and heat pumps, and promote the popularization of direct connection power generation methods.

In addition, in the US market, the company plans to invest ￡ 17 billion in New York and ￡ 11 billion in New England. Among them, 60% of the investment will focus on the field of power networks to increase efforts in renewable energy connectivity, transmission network upgrades, and digital capabilities, thereby promoting the in-depth development of energy transformation.

Pettigrew further pointed out, "With the support of a comprehensive financing plan including a ￡ 7 billion equity financing, we expect this capital investment to achieve an annual growth rate of approximately 10% in the group's assets, and is expected to achieve a significant increase in the compound annual growth rate of basic earnings per share from the 2024/25 baseline to 6-8%

The water diversion tunnel of Laos South Russia 4 hydropower station has been filled with water

Keywords: hydropower station, hydropower generation, clean energy

At 19:30 local time on June 10th, after 11 days of water filling, the water filling work of the diversion tunnel of China Heavy Machinery Laos Nam Ngum 4 hydropower station was successfully completed.



The total length of the diversion tunnel is 17.54km, and the total water filling capacity is 508719m?. The water filling process was completed in six stages, and pressure stabilization observations were conducted after each stage of water filling. Successful water filling is a multidimensional inspection of the safety performance, lining stress, and anti-seepage performance of the diversion tunnel, and lays a solid foundation for the subsequent water commissioning and power generation operation of the three units.

Before the water filling, the project department of Laos Nam Ngum 4 hydropower station developed a rigorous water filling plan and emergency response plan, carefully deployed the water filling work, and conducted comprehensive and detailed inspections of important parts such as civil engineering structures and metal structure installations. During the water filling period, the project department strictly inspected the dam, diversion tunnel construction support tunnel, factory area, and slopes along the tunnel in accordance with specifications and design requirements. After the tunnel was filled with water and stabilized, there was no deformation, collapse, or water seepage along the slope.

Unit 8 of Tanzania's largest hydropower station is connected to the grid for power generation

Keywords: hydropower station, hydropower unit, hydropower generation

Recently, Unit 8 of the Giuliano Hydroelectric Project in Tanzania successfully achieved its first grid connected power generation and 100% load shedding. This is the second unit successfully connected to the grid since the first unit of the project was connected earlier this year.



The Giuliano Hydroelectric Power Station is located downstream of the Rufiji River in Tanzania, equipped with nine 235 MW mixed flow generator sets, with a total installed capacity of 2115 MW. The project broke the record for the largest one-time export capacity of hydropower equipment by a Chinese domestic brand at that time.



As the largest hydroelectric power station under construction in Tanzania, this project will further optimize the energy structure of Tanzania's national power grid after completion, providing safer and more reliable green and clean electricity for the local area. The project team will take the lead in implementing the "leading strategy", anchor the annual target tasks, seize the golden period of construction, and make every effort to ensure that the units are put into operation and generate electricity on schedule.

Ukrainian Prime Minister: 50% of Ukraine's power generation capacity destroyed

Keywords: thermal power plant, power supply, power generation equipment

On June 7th local time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyjar stated that the situation in Ukraine's energy industry is very severe, with Russia destroying 50% of Ukraine's power generation capacity. The government is working hard to repair and try to activate more power generation equipment before the heating season.

Shimegar pointed out that currently only 27% of large thermal power plants are still operating. He stated that the government needs to strengthen the protection of the repaired power generation equipment.

About 60% of Germany's electricity in the first quarter came from renewable energy sources

Keywords: renewable energy, photovoltaic power generation, wind power generation

On June 6th local time, the latest data released by the German Federal Statistical Office showed that in the first quarter of 2024, Germany produced and inputted 121.5 billion kilowatt hours of electricity into the grid, of which 58.4% came from renewable energy sources. This is the quarter with the highest proportion of renewable energy generation in the first quarter since 2018.



Specifically, compared to the first quarter of 2023, traditional energy generation decreased by 25.4% year-on-year, while renewable energy generation increased by 11.6% year-on-year. Among them, wind power generation increased by 5 billion kilowatt hours, reaching 46.8 billion kilowatt hours, accounting for 38.5% of domestic power generation; Photovoltaic power generation increased by 1.4 billion kilowatt hours, reaching 8.1 billion kilowatt hours, accounting for 6.6% of the total power generation.

Regarding this, Thomas Grigolette, head of the Renewable Energy Department at the German Federal Office for Foreign Trade and Investment, believes that the proportion of climate friendly energy in Germany will reach nearly 60% in the first quarter of 2024, indicating that the continuous expansion of wind and solar energy is paying off and Germany is moving towards a climate neutral direction.

Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyjar: Russia destroys 50% of Ukraine's power generation capacity

Keywords: power generation capacity, energy industry, thermal power plants

On June 7th local time, Ukrainian Prime Minister Shmyjar stated that the situation in Ukraine's energy industry is very severe, with Russia destroying 50% of Ukraine's power generation capacity. The government is working hard to repair and try to activate more power generation equipment before the heating season.

Shimegar pointed out that currently only 27% of large thermal power plants are still operating. He stated that the government needs to strengthen the protection of the repaired power generation equipment.

Pakistan Tabara Hydropower Station Phase V Expansion Project

Keywords: Tabela Hydroelectric Power Station Hydroelectric Power Station Hydroelectric Power Generation

Recently, the steel bifurcation pipe manufacturing and pre assembly of the fifth phase expansion project of the Tabara Hydropower Station in Pakistan, designed by China Electric Power Construction Chengdu Institute, have been successfully completed. The Tabera steel bifurcation is currently the world's largest crescent rib steel bifurcation, with a steel engineering quantity of nearly 7500 tons for the bifurcation group, exceeding the steel consumption of the Eiffel Tower.



Tabera Hydropower Station

Chengdu Institute is responsible for the design of gates, pressure steel pipes, and auxiliary equipment for the expansion project of the fifth phase of the Tabera Hydropower Station. It is also another world-class super large steel bifurcation independently designed after the completion of the world's largest beam type steel bifurcation design for the fourth phase of the Tabera Hydropower Station, demonstrating Chengdu Institute's leading position in the field of pressure steel pipe, especially giant bifurcation design.

The fifth phase of the Tabera pressure steel pipe includes a main pipe, 5 branch pipes, 3 power generation branch pipes, and 3 flood discharge branch pipes. The diameter of the main pipe is 13 meters, the maximum design water head is 158 meters, and the maximum diameter of the crescent rib bifurcation pipe is 14.3 meters. The design of the steel bifurcation pipe group is also subject to the dual constraints of engineering quantity and head loss, in order to ensure that the project cost does not exceed the limit and the electricity output is maximized. Due to the accumulation of successful design experience in the fourth phase of Tabera, the design cycle of the fifth phase pressure steel pipe has been greatly shortened, and the approval time for engineers has been reduced from more than 2 years in the fourth phase to 12 months.

Due to the difficulty of designing and manufacturing this bifurcation pipe, in order to reduce the structural size of the bifurcation pipe and meet the manufacturing and transportation conditions, a crescent rib bifurcation pipe was ultimately adopted. The maximum plate thickness and rib thickness of the crescent rib bifurcation pipe are designed to be 66 millimeters and 130 millimeters, respectively. It is made of 600 megapascal high-strength steel and has a welding filling capacity of over 20 tons. The overall weight of the bifurcation pipe is about 675 tons, and the assembled dimensions are 20 meters x 19.7 meters x 15 meters.

The Tabera V hydropower station is located on the Tabera Dam, which was built in 1976. The project has functions such as irrigation, power generation, and flood control. The fifth phase expansion project will add 1410 megawatts of power generation capacity, and the total installed capacity of the Tabera hydropower station will reach 6298 megawatts, which is of great significance for increasing the proportion of clean energy in Pakistan, reducing dependence on fossil and imported energy, promoting energy structure optimization, and sustainable green development.

Unit 13 of the Three Gorges Brazil Ilia Power Station has been put into commercial operation

Keywords: Ilia Power Station, Hydroelectric Power Station, Power Construction

Recently, Unit 13 of the Three Gorges Brazil Ilia Power Station completed commissioning and was put into commercial operation, marking the completion of the second batch of technical renovation work for the Three Gorges Brazil "Large Hydropower" project.



▲ Ilia Power Station Unit 13 commissioning site

In November 2015, Three Gorges Group obtained a 30-year franchise for the Ilia and Zhubia power stations (collectively known as "Big Hydroelectric") in Brazil through bidding. In March 2016, Three Gorges Group organized an expert team mainly composed of Yangtze Power technical management personnel to evaluate large hydropower equipment, formulate equipment operation, maintenance and renovation plans, and participate in the Three Gorges Brazil "Big Hydropower" project in batches. This is also the first large-scale power station equipment renovation project independently implemented by Three Gorges Group overseas.



▲ Technical renovation members check the startup and commissioning data of the unit

The main content of this technological upgrade includes the upgrading and transformation of the main equipment of the large hydropower unit generator, mechanical auxiliary system, electrical auxiliary system, main transformer, monitoring system, etc. In order to ensure the smooth progress of technological transformation work, the Yangtze Power Technology Management Team fully leverages the core capabilities and technical advantages of large-scale hydropower station operation and maintenance management, and collaborates with sister units to promote the EPS project model, achieving full controllability and control of on-site construction management for technological transformation; Establish the awareness of "mainline construction period", refine task objectives, implement main responsibilities, and strengthen comprehensive quality management of large hydropower technological transformation projects; Strengthen on-site safety management, coordinate and carry out safety production work, and achieve "zero accidents" throughout the entire process of technological transformation. After unremitting efforts, the technical renovation work of two batches of 12 units has been successfully completed.



▲The coin stands upright on the running Unit 13 and can remain standing

In the future, under the unified deployment of the Three Gorges Group, Yangtze River Power will adhere to the "Three Gorges Standards", share the "Long Term Power Plan", steadily advance follow-up work according to plan, and provide escort for the safe and stable operation of Brazil's "large hydropower".

Power rationing throughout Ukraine, with over 50000 users experiencing power outages

Keywords: electricity supply, electricity demand, electricity load

On June 3rd, the Ukrainian Ministry of Energy announced that Ukraine will implement power supply restrictions and plans to import a large amount of electricity from European countries to alleviate power shortages. Currently, due to severe weather and the impact of attacks, over 55000 users in Ukraine are experiencing power outages.

The Ministry of Energy stated that recent attacks have caused difficulties in the energy system, and users can choose to generate electricity themselves or import it commercially to meet their electricity needs.

Indonesia's Jatigde Hydropower Station is put into commercial operation

Keywords: Jiatigide Hydropower Station, Hydroelectric Power Station, Hydroelectric Power Station

On May 25th local time, the Jiatigide Hydropower Station project in Indonesia, constructed by China Power Construction, successfully passed performance tests and reliability operation tests, and officially entered commercial operation.



The Jiatigide Hydropower Station project is located in Shuangmudan County, West Java Province, Indonesia. The main project includes the construction of a diversion tunnel, a surge shaft, a power plant, and the procurement and installation of hydroelectric generators. The power station has an installed capacity of 110 megawatts and an annual power generation of 450 million kilowatt hours. After completion, it will play an important role in ensuring the power supply security of the Java power grid in Indonesia and increasing the proportion of clean and renewable energy.

To ensure timely production, the project team planned ahead and organized carefully, formulated a power generation plan in advance, repeatedly optimized the commissioning plan, overcame various adverse factors, and orderly promoted key tests such as short-circuit test, no-load characteristic test, excitation characteristic test, etc., providing a solid guarantee for the smooth passing of performance test and reliability operation test.



The Jiatigide Hydropower Station is a follow-up power generation project of the Jiatigide Dam project undertaken by China Power Construction Corporation. The Jatigde Dam is the second largest water conservancy project in Indonesia. The reservoir provides irrigation water for 90000 hectares of farmland downstream, while also providing comprehensive benefits such as flood control, power generation, water supply, tourism, and fisheries, directly benefiting over 4.8 million residents.   On March 17, 2016, Indonesian President Joko Widodo inspected the site and found that the Shengtsen Jiatigode Dam project has become a model of economic and trade cooperation between China and Indonesia. The Jiatigide Hydropower Station has officially entered commercial operation, which will fully leverage the important role of the Jiatigide Dam in promoting economic development and improving people's livelihoods.

Interpretation: What is the relationship between fgOTN (Fine grained OTN) standard and OSU?

Keywords: Optical Transport Network Technology, OTN Technology, Power Equipment

In December 2023, the third plenary session of the 2022-2024 research period of the 15th Research Group (SG15) of the International Telecommunication Union Standardization Sector (ITU-T) was held in Geneva, Switzerland. The core standards for the overall, interface, and architecture of fgOTN (fine grain OTN) were agreed upon and officially released in March 2024, marking a new stage in the development of optical transport network technology.

Both fgOTN and OSU are optical transmission technology standards that have emerged to meet the development of intelligent services in recent years. This article introduces the relationship between fgOTN and OSU from the perspectives of the background, progress, positioning, and application of the standards.

Background of fgOTN and OSU standards

The business granularity of traditional OTN technology is too large, and the minimum hard pipeline granularity of ODUflex is 1.25G, mainly used to carry services with speeds greater than 1 Gbit/s. Faced with the demand for flexible bandwidth carrying of government enterprise dedicated line services by operators and the technical requirements of small particle hard pipeline in industry production networks, fine-grained OTN (fgOTN) technology and optical service unit (OSU) have emerged. The two technologies have different characteristics and meet the technical needs of optical communication network development in different scenarios.

FgOTN is aimed at the next generation evolution of SDH, and adds TDM based Sub1G small particle bearer in OTN. The fgOTN standard introduces a specific path layer fgODUflex, which adopts 10M time slot hard isolation and provides a p * 10M flexible container. It innovatively inherits OTN OAM and provides network level end-to-end business transmission operation and maintenance management carrying capacity. It has excellent transmission features such as multi connection, hard isolation, high reliability, low latency and jitter, clock transparency, and fast lossless adjustment, providing isolation, security, reliability, and TDM based transmission capabilities.

On the premise of retaining the advantages of traditional OTN hard pipelines and rich operation and maintenance management OAM, OSU introduces OSUflex containers with a granularity of 2.6 Mbit/s, adopts fixed length frame flexible multiplexing, provides a more flexible and concise bandwidth lossless adjustment mechanism, supports efficient carrying of customer services at speeds of 2 Mbit/s to 100 Gbit/s, and enables OTN to sink from the backbone core to the access end, which is closer to end-user services and provides the ability for massive access and flexible cloud entry of services.

In summary, fgOTN and OSU, as the new generation of OTN technologies, aim to define fine-grained OTN connectivity SDH for Sub 1G, as well as improve OTN bandwidth utilization and flexible access capabilities. FGOTN adopts a fixed time slot allocation method, where each channel of FGODUflex is multiplexed into the OPUk with a fixed time slot position. The advantage is that the service delay is relatively stable, and CBR services such as E1/VC are better carried. The OSU adopts GTP time slot allocation method, and each OSU can flexibly reuse the time slots of OPUk. The advantage is that the service bearer is flexible, and the Ethernet service bearer is better.



Standardization status of fgOTN and OSU

In terms of standardization, the fgOTN standard was initially established as G. by ITU-T in February 2020 OSU， A research team based on OTN support for sub1G business requirements was identified. After multiple discussions, the standard scope was updated in September 2022, and the standard name was changed to G.fgOTN at the April 2023 plenary session. At present, ITU-T is completing the standardization of fgOTN, including the overall, interface, architecture, equipment, protection, clock, and control definitions of fgOTN. The three core standards of overall, interface, and architecture have been officially released in March 2024, while other standards are planned to enter the release process in the second half of 2024. Domestically, the fgOTN industry standard has been approved by the China Communications Standards Association (CCSA).

The main research objective of the OSU standard is the application of high-quality Ethernet dedicated lines by operators. In December 2019, the industry standards "Technical Requirements for Optical Service Units (OSUs)" and "Technical Requirements for Optical Transport Network (OTN) Equipment Based on Optical Service Units (OSUs)" were approved and published in CCSA, and were completed in April 2024. In terms of OSU control technology, in December 2021, CCSA established the industry standard "Technical Requirements for Optical Transport Network (OTN) Control Based on Optical Service Units (OSUs)", which is expected to be released in 2024. In addition, in the power industry, in June 2020, State Grid led the establishment of the OSUFlex standard for the Optical Transport Network (OTN) in the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE). The technical solution is consistent with the CCSA OSU industry standard and has now entered the standard release process.

FGOTN and OSU standard positioning and application

FGOTN is oriented towards the intergenerational evolution of SDH, based on TDM technology, continuing SDH's hard isolation, high reliability, and high security bearer for small particle services such as E1/VC, while also taking into account the dedicated line bearer for fine particle ETH services.

On the basis of traditional high bandwidth transmission in OTN, OSU provides small and massive business connection channels, enabling various businesses to be directly carried on the OTN network. It has the ability of high bandwidth efficiency, low latency, low jitter, and high-precision clock synchronization, and is suitable for applications in various systems.



Domestic and foreign operators and power grid companies actively participate in promoting the standardization process of fgOTN and OSU, collaborate with all parties in the industry chain, jointly promote product research and development, and accelerate industry maturity. It is reported that the domestic power industry is currently organizing verification tests for fgOTN technology, exploring the feasibility and typical application scenarios in power communication applications. It is expected to form application promotion suggestions through technical pilot projects. In addition, OSU has gradually been commercially deployed in some operator customer groups and the power industry, with a total of 2000+OSU business dedicated lines opened. It is expected to accelerate the pace of commercial scale in 2024.

Malaysia's Penang 275kV Cross Sea Transmission Preparation Completed

Keywords: transmission lines, power engineering, power construction

On May 25th, the first iconic 100 meter double leg tower of the 275kV cross sea transmission line project in Penang, Malaysia was successfully closed.



The double leg tower that was closed this time has a betel nut shaped steel structure with a height of 100 meters and is divided into 11 sections. The entire cross section of the double leg tower smoothly transitions from an equilateral hexagon to an equilateral quadrilateral from bottom to top, forming a double leg triangular closure section at the top. The sections are connected by internal bolts, and the entire structure is difficult to implement from design to manufacturing to installation.

In order to successfully complete the installation of the double leg tower, the project department has prepared a special construction plan, demonstrated it, conducted risk assessment and disclosure in advance, continuously collected, statistically analyzed and predicted the wind speed, flow velocity, and tropical marine climate on site, accurately calculated the optimal time period suitable for the installation of a 100 meter double leg tower, and provided professional high-altitude and enclosed space operation training for personnel engaged in steel tower installation operations, and certified them to work.

The project site adopts a 600 ton large floating crane for segmented installation, and each section of the double leg tower is an eccentric structure. Before lifting the last closed section, the center of gravity of the lifting posture is accurately calculated, and the lifting equipment is adjusted reasonably. Finally, the construction operation is successfully completed.

The successful closure of the first 100 meter double leg tower of the 275kV cross sea transmission line project in Penang, Malaysia, lays a solid foundation for subsequent line construction and overall project completion. The project team will continue to maintain a good momentum, do a good job in safety and quality control, and make every effort to promote on-site production, as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Malaysia.

Units 3,4 of Japan's Takahama Nuclear Power Plant Extend Operation for 20 Years

Keywords: Gaobin Nuclear Power Plant, 3 Nuclear Power Units, Nuclear Power Plant

According to the International Energy Network, on May 29th local time, the Japan Atomic Energy Regulatory Commission approved the extension of the operation of Units 3 and 4 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant for 20 years. The plant is operated by Kansai Electric Power Company.

It is reported that the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant is located in Takahama cho, Oita gun, Fukui Prefecture, and has a total of four reactors. On August 28, 2023, Kansai Electric Power Company in Japan completed the final inspection of Unit 1 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant and switched it to commercial operation mode. On September 15, 2023 at 15:00, Kansai Electric Power Company in Japan restarted Unit 2 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant.

On March 7, 2024, Kansai Electric Power Company in Japan announced that Unit 4 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant, which was found to have damaged pipelines during regular inspections in January this year, would restart on April 23. On April 23rd, Kansai Electric Power Company in Japan launched the reactor of Unit 4 of the Takahama Nuclear Power Plant located in Fukui Prefecture, with plans to enter the adjustment and operation phase starting from April 26th and resume commercial operation on May 21st.

China Power Construction successfully signs KPLC rural power supply project

Keywords: China Electric Power Construction Power Supply Grid Construction

Solving the 'last mile' of rural power supply

Recently, witnessed by the President of Kenya

China Power Construction Corporation successfully signed a contract

KPLC Rural Power Supply Distribution Network Project

Effectively solve the power supply problem in rural areas of Kenya

Effectively improve the lives of local residents

On May 27th, the signing ceremony for the Kenya KPLC rural power distribution network project, constructed by China Power Construction, was held at the Kenyan Presidential Palace. Kenyan President William Samoi Ruto witnessed the project signing on site.



This project is an important livelihood project implemented by the Kenyan government to drive economic growth, increase employment rates, and improve residents' electricity usage, covering 11 counties in Kenya. By extending and renovating the distribution network in a centralized manner, electricity can truly enter villages and households, solving the "last mile" problem of rural power supply and effectively improving the quality of production and life of local people.



This project is the second time that Hubei Engineering Company has signed the KPLC World Bank Distribution Network Project since its first signing in 2017, and it is a strong manifestation of Hubei Engineering Company's high-quality performance in the World Bank Lot4 section, which has been recognized by the owner. The undertaking of this project will further expand the company's influence in the Kenyan electricity market.



In Kenya, China Power Construction has undertaken multiple projects such as the Kenya Electric Modernization LOT4 Project and the Kenya Embakasi Substation Project, bringing light to over 200000 Kenyan urban and rural residents and accelerating Kenya's entry into the era of electrification.



In addition, China Electric Power Construction has also carried out charitable donations to orphanages in the local area, donating about 900 sets (pieces) of various daily necessities such as rice, flour, edible oil, tea, sugar, hand sanitizer, soap, etc., donating about 300 sets of learning supplies such as pens, pencils, exercise books, etc. to children, and repeatedly sending condolences to local schools and residents and carrying out afforestation activities. It has continuously played a role in solving local people's employment and assisting talent cultivation, winning the reputation of the local people, establishing a good image of Chinese enterprises, and enhancing friendship between the Chinese and Kenyan people.

Asian Development Bank team visits Uzbekistan's RCT cascade hydropower project site for inspection

Keywords: hydropower station, hydropower generation, clean energy

On May 17th, the Social and Environmental Issues Inspection Team of the Asian Development Bank Representative Office in Uzbekistan (hereinafter referred to as the "ADB Inspection Team"), the investor of the RCT Cascade Hydropower Station project in Uzbekistan, conducted a routine inspection at the project construction site. The project owner Mashkov Shodier, the head of the Karsi region of the Uzi Water Resources and Energy Department, Karimov Nuriddin, the assistant project manager of the owner, Akmal Mukhsinov, the HSE (Health, Safety and Environment Three in One System) specialist, and the general representative of the consulting company? Zdilim Melih and representatives from the China Electrical Engineering Project Department accompanied the inspection.

The Uzbekistan RCT cascade hydropower project includes the construction of three new hydropower stations in the Aksu River basin, with a total installed capacity of 24MW. In addition, there are also works such as the production and installation of pressure steel pipes, outsourced concrete construction, and overhead transmission lines. The excavation work for the foundation pit of the first phase of the R station dam and the foundation of the R station and C station buildings has been completed. The water turbine, generator, and pre embedded pipelines of the R station building have been delivered to the site, and various works such as pipeline pre embedding, water diversion channel excavation, pressure steel pipe production, and pressure steel pipe installation are also being carried out intensively.



The inspection team from the Asian Development Bank visited the construction areas of the R station dam, R station and C station buildings, and pressure steel pipe processing workshop, focusing on inspecting project related documents and materials, and visiting the project department's living management camp. During the process, the representative of the project department provided a detailed introduction to the ADB team on project compliance management, compliance system construction, localized management, proactive donation of materials to local residents, and active practice of social responsibility.

Through this inspection, the Asian Development Bank team has affirmed the on-site management and project progress, as well as the establishment, operation, maintenance, and improvement of the project department's compliance management system. They believe that all facilities and signage of the project department meet the requirements of the Asian Development Bank, and appreciate the project department's active handling of community relations and practice of corporate social responsibility.