In 2022, Hitachi Energy has been selected to supply its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) power system technology for the transmission of electricity between the Québec grid, in eastern Canada, and New York in the northeastern United States.
The Châteauguay HVDC system will enable the transmission of up to 1,500 megawatts of electricity between the electrical networks of Quebec and the state of New York, which will contribute to maintaining a low carbon footprint in the region. This new system will replace existing equipment which has been in operation since 1984, increasing the efficiency and controllability, plus raising the power conversion capacity of the Châteauguay HVDC system by 50 percent.
Hitachi Energy is supplying a “back-to-back” converter station, which converts AC power to DC and then reconverts it to AC from DC enabling the interconnection of the 735-kilovolt Canadian and 765-kilovolt New York grids which are “out of phase” and cannot be connected directly via traditional AC systems.