ABB has won an order worth around $25 million from Colombia’s Interconexión Eléctrica S.A. E.S.P. (ISA) to deliver 54 shunt reactors. The order was booked in the first quarter of 2015.
This order is an extension of an existing agreement currently under execution that includes another 65 shunt reactors.The reactors are scheduled for delivery between 2015 and 2017.
The equipment will support ISA as it develops high-voltage transmission lines for the Colombian, Chilean and Peruvian electric grids to facilitate greater linkage between the region’s energy networks.
As part of the overall supply, ABB will deliver 55, 500 kV shunt reactors to be installed in Colombia, 28 units in Peru, and 36 in Chile. Due to the size of the reactors it is difficult to transport them in one piece, so they will be shipped in smaller parts and assembled on site.
Shunt reactors are vital components of an efficient long-distance high-voltage power transmission system, that help stabilize voltage during load variations in alternating current systems and increase the active or useful power transmitted.
They are often installed in substations at the end of the line to reduce voltage differences, and may also be connected to the power system at key intersections where several lines meet, or to the tertiary windings of transformers.
ISA is a leading power transmission operator and one of South America’s largest utilities, owning more than 41,000 kilometers of high-voltage transmission lines in Colombia, Peru, Bolivia and Brazil.
