ABB awarded $400M contract for work on Maritime Link project
by Canadian Manufacturing Staff
170-kilometre Maritime Link would ship power from Muskrat Falls hydroelectric project to Nova Scotia
MONTREAL—ABB Inc. has won a $400-million contract for work on the Maritime Link, the 170-kilometre subsea project that would move electricity to Nova Scotia from the Muskrat Falls project in Newfoundland and Labrador.
According to ABB, the order from Emera Inc. subsidiary NSP Maritime Link Inc. will see it build an integrated high voltage direct current (HVDC) power transmission solution to ship hydroelectricity from the massive $7-billion project in Labrador to Nova Scotia.
“ABB pioneered HVDC and is a global leader in this key transmission technology which is being increasingly deployed across a range of applications,” ABB chief executive Ulrich Spiesshofer said in a statement announcing the contract.
“Our innovative solution for this project will help integrate clean renewable energy, facilitate the efficient transmission of electricity, improve grid stability and enable power sharing.”
The 500-megawatt Maritime Link will use ABB’s light voltage source conversion (VSC) technology, which converts electric power from high voltage alternating current to HVDC.
According to the Swiss firm, its technology has been used in 13 of the 14 commissioned VSC links around the globe.
As part of the deal, ABB will also supply a pair of converter stations, as well as two 230-kilovolt (kV) alternating current substations in Newfoundland, one 345-kV AC substation in Nova Scotia and two cable transition stations.
“We are glad to provide Emera with an optimized solution responding to our customer’s needs and that represents the best-in-class technology,” ABB Canada senior vice-president of power systems Anders Hultberg said.
“This is an important new chapter in the power transmission industry for Canada and North America and we are committed to continue to provide excellence in this field.”
The company did not say whether it would carry out work on the contract in Canada.
First power from the Muskrat Falls hydro dam may be delayed beyond its 2017 in-service date.
