Alstom Grid wins contract to strengthen Germany’s energy transmission system

Alstom Grid has been awarded a contract for the design and delivery of power transmission equipment with Amprion GmbH, for their 380 kV substation in Bürstadt, Germany. Amprion is one of the leading network operators in Europe, with over 11,000 km of extra-high voltage lines serving 27 million people from Lower Saxony to the Alps.

The strong increase of renewable energy generation coming from German on and offshore wind farms is evolving the energy landscape. Transmission distances between generation points and the end-customer have increased; the additional load means that networks need to be reinforced at sectors, where it was originally not foreseen to remain efficient. To answer these new challenges, Alstom Grid technology will offer a means to manage power quality and manage voltage stability

This contract includes delivery of the two 300 MVAr Reactive Power Compensation systems*, which, thanks to their relatively small footprint (20m x 40m), can be integrated into the existing substation. Alstom Grid´s solution also meets restricted noise emissions requirements. The project will be completed in May 2012.

“The recent contract with Amprion underlines Alstom Grid´s role as a recognised partner in developing alternative solutions to adapt the network to renewable energy needs. In fact, Alstom Grid pioneered the MSCDN design and commissioned the first project in Germany in 2008. Today, this solution is an integral part of the network architecture which includes more environment-friendly reactive power compensation, maintaining network stability and increasing the capacity of existing transmission lines. The latest order confirmed Alstom Grid´s position and the trend for further projects to come,” said Mr Gerhard Seyrling, Central and Eastern Europe, Russia Regional Vice president.

^{* Reactive Power Compensation systems: Alstom Grid’s turnkey solution uses Mechanically Switched Capacitor banks in conjunction with a damping network, or MSCDN. In fact, Alstom Grid was the first manufacturer to provide MSCDN technology to Germany’s 380 kV transmission network, and have completed all of the country’s five MSCDN project references to date.}

About Alstom
Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world. It provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids.

The Group employs 93,500 people in about 100 countries and had sales of € 20.9 billion in 2010/11.
Alstom Grid, the newest sector of Alstom has over 130 years of expertise in electrical grids. Whether for utilities or electro-intensive industries or facilitating the trading of energy, Alstom Grid brings power to their customers’ projects. Alstom Grid ranks among the top 3 in electrical transmission sector with a sales turnover of € 3.4 billion in 2010/11. It has 20,000 employees and over 90 manufacturing and engineering sites worldwide. At the heart of the development of Smart Grid, Alstom Grid offers products, services and integrated energy management solutions across the full energy value chain—from power generation, through transmission and distribution grids and to the large end user.

Press Contact
Stefan von Westberg (Alstom Grid Germany) – Tel : +49 69 665589 1166
stefan.von-westberg@alstom.com
Emmanuelle Helleux (Alstom Grid) – Tel : +33 1 47 01 70 87
emmanuelle.helleux@alstom.com
Website
www.alstom.com, www.alstom.com/grid, www.alstom.de