Hydro-Québec, the utility in eastern Canada, awarded Hitachi Energy the order to upgrade a more than 25 year old HVDC converter station.
Hitachi Energy have modernized the 350 MW Madawaska back-to-back converter station that connects the grids of New Brunswick and Hydro Québec in the southeastern part of Canada. The upgrade significantly increases the availability and reliability in the adjacent grids and reduces required maintenance of the station.
The upgrade included the installation of Hitachi Energy’s state-of-the-art MACH control and protection system, and upgrade of valves and valve cooling system. The upgraded station went in to full operation in 2016.
At the time of the award, this order was the 21st major upgrade project and the 15th upgrade of control and protection systems won by Hitachi Energy since 1990.
| Main data | |
|---|---|
| Commissioning year: | 1985; upgrade, 2016 |
| Power rating: | 350 MW |
| No. of poles: | 1 |
| AC voltage: | Hydro-Québec side: 315 kV New Brunswick side: 345 kV |
| DC voltage: | 130 kV |
| Type of link: | Back-to-back station |
| Main reason for choosing HVDC: | Asynchronous networks |
| Application: | Interconnecting grids, upgrade |