Power company ABB has won a contract worth US$50mn from South Africas Hidroeléctrica de Cahora Bassa (HCB) to renovate Mozambiques Songo high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter station
The project will entail the replacement of key equipment, including high-voltage transformers and direct current (DC) smoothing reactors.
An ABB statement said the HVDC would help in enhancing power availability and improving system reliability, enabling HCB to honour its Power Purchase Agreement with Eskom.
Head of ABB power systems division Brice Koch said, “The Songo HVDC link supports the integration of renewable energy and helps meet the growing demand for electricity. We are delighted to contribute to the development of power infrastructure in the region. This project also underlines our continued focus and commitment to growing our service business.”
ABB will also supply and install measuring equipment as part of the turnkey project. The commissioning will be completed in two parts, the DC equipment in 2013 and the transformers a year later.
