Alstom Wins HVDC Contract Worth Around €240 Million in Sweden

Regulatory News:

Alstom Grid (Paris:ALO) has been awarded a contract worth approximately €240 million by the Swedish utility Svenska Kraftnät for the 1440 MW South-West Link. The project will connect Barkeryd in central Sweden to Hurva in southern Sweden, using High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology. The contract is registered in the third quarter of Alstom’s fiscal year 2011/2012.

This transmission project will use Alstom Grid’s HVDC MaxSine^TM Voltage Source Converter (VSC) technology¹. Under the terms of the contract, Alstom will supply HVDC converter stations at both ends, as well as control and protection, converter transformers, switchyard equipment, construction and project management.

The South-West Link project is forecasted for completion at the end of 2014.

The main Alstom units involved in the project will be the HVDC Centre of Excellence in Stafford (UK), Västerås unit (Sweden) for sites activities and Paris unit (France) for overall project management and engineering.

"We are proud to have won this new HVDC VSC project which represents a major step forward in our long-term ambitions. Svenska Kraftnät is one of the most advanced utilities in terms of HVDC integration around the world. It reinforces our position as a major manufacturer in the HVDC market and supports our commitment to providing turnkey solutions to our customers, based on the latest technologies,” said Grégoire Poux-Guillaume, Alstom Grid President.

Alstom Grid has been providing HVDC solutions for 50 years and is one of the pioneers of this type of technology. The Group’s high voltage valve and control technology has been used for HVDC transmission schemes worldwide, from Ningdong-Shandong, the highest rated 660 kV scheme in China, to the Rio Madeira project in Brazil, the world’s longest HVDC link.

¹ Voltage Source Converter (VSC) technology: Voltage Source Converter (VSC) technology is a new generation of HVDC technology, more compact than traditional converters. VSC controls real and reactive power in one power electronic device, effectively acting as a motor, and generates its own voltage waveform meaning that it can ‘blackstart’ a network.

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 92,700 people in 100 countries and had sales of €20.9 billion in 2010/11.

Alstom Grid has over 100 years of expertise in electrical grids. Whether for utilities or electro-intensive industries or facilitating the trading of energy, Alstom Grid brings power to its customers’ projects. Alstom Grid ranks among the top 3 in electrical transmission sector with an annual sales turnover of more than €4 billion. 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.

About Svenska Kraftnät
Svenska Kraftnät (Swedish national grid) is a state-owned public utility that has many different areas of work. One of Svenska Kraftnät’s important tasks is to transmit electricity from the major power stations to regional electrical grids, via the national electrical grid.