Hitachi Energy to connect Gulf of Suez wind farm with Egypt’s national power grid

Hitachi Energy is delivering to Vestas, the world’s leading supplier of wind turbines¹ and engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contractor, a grid integration solution to connect the 250 megawatt Gulf of Suez 1 wind farm in Egypt, owned by the New and Renewable Energy Authority (NREA), to the national power grid. 

The solution will collect all the power generated by the 70 Vestas wind turbines and feed it safely and reliably into the high-voltage power grid for transmission across the country, helping to advance Egypt’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure. It will ensure the power is transferred constantly at the correct voltage and frequency, even under variable wind conditions when the power generated fluctuates.

Gulf of Suez 1 is part of the Egyptian government’s plan to produce 20 percent of its installed capacity from renewable sources by 2022 and 42 percent by 2035. The wind farm will generate around 1,000 gigawatt-hours of clean energy and avoid the emission of 560,000 tons of carbon dioxide a year, while producing enough renewable energy to power almost 300,000 Egyptian homes.

“We are proud to be contributing to Egypt’s efforts to transition to renewable energy,” says Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “Our grid integration and power quality solutions and expertise ensure variable energy sources like wind power are transferred smoothly and reliably into national power transmission systems, advancing a sustainable energy future for all.”

Hitachi Energy worked closely with Vestas to determine the most safe and reliable grid integration solution for the plant. The solution includes a gas-insulated substation of modular pre-assembled and pre-tested design for fast and simple installation. 

Hitachi Energy is one of the world’s leading grid integrators of renewable energy, typically connecting around 2 gigawatts of wind power alone to power transmission systems annually. Our expertise and scope of supply covers the complete value chain from power consulting and system studies to design and engineering, project management, manufacture, installation, commissioning and service – all in compliance with grid code regulations and local requirements and standards.

Gulf of Suez 1 is one of several wind farms either in operation or under development in the Gulf of Suez, where wind speeds are ideal.

Notes to the Editor:

• The supply also includes 220 kV gas-insulated switchgear (GIS), power transformers, control and protection, substation automation and communication systems. 
• The GIS technology is highly reliable and can safely operate in confined spaces for optimal substation layout and superior switchgear performance.
• Hitachi Energy’s expertise in grid automation and its consultative approach help industries to digitally transform their operations to advance the world’s energy system to be more sustainable, flexible and secure.

_{1. Vestas was ranked the world’s leading supplier of wind turbines in 2020 for the fifth year in a row:  https://gwec.net/gwec-releases-global-wind-turbine-supplier-ranking-for-2020/}