Following the successful completion of commissioning tests, GE Energy's new variable frequency transformer (VFT) technology has entered commercial service for TransEnergie Hydro Québec's transmission division, at its Langlois Substation in Québec, Canada.

The project marks the commercial debut of the VFT technology, and enables TransEnergie to interconnect with other power grids at a lower cost and with less risk than with conventional converter technologies. The Langlois Substation is located in St. Timothée, Quebec, southwest of Montreal, Canada, and near existing interconnection facilities that are close to Ontario, Canada, and New York.

VFT technology provides a controlled path between electrical grids, permitting power exchanges that were previously impossible because of technical constraints (asynchronous boundaries or congestion). Hydro-Québec expects the VFT technology will enable the substation to transfer an extra 100 MW of power between grids.

The VFT system is based on a combination of hydro generator and transformer technologies. It consists of a rotary transformer that provides a continuously controllable phase shift for any angle, and a drive system and control that adjust the angle and speed of the rotary transformer to regulate power flow. The VFT's 100-MW channels can be combined for up to 400 MW in a single installation.
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