Located to the north of Los Angeles, the Sylmar converter station is the southern station of the Pacific Intertie, a 1,360km HVDC link which connects to the Celilo converter station near the Columbia River, Oregon.
The Pacific Intertie link allows power transmission between the Northwest and Southern California while helping in balancing supply with demand.
Under the $100m contract, ABB will upgrade the converter station to improve power reliability of Pacific Intertie power link. The firm has earlier upgraded the Celilo converter station.
ABB Power Grids division president Claudio Facchin said: “The Pacific Intertie was the first major HVDC link to be installed in the US and has been providing power to millions in the US for nearly five decades.
”After the success of Celilo, the Sylmar upgrade will help to secure power supplies while providing greater efficiency and reliability with an exceptional level of control.
“ABB is a global leader in HVDC and this project reiterates our commitment to service and lifetime support, a key element of our Next Level Strategy.”
As part of the contract, ABB will install advanced digital MACH control and protection system for the upgrade project.
The digital MACH system is designed to monitor, control and protect the sophisticated hardware in the station as well as helps to protect the transmission link from unexpected disruptions.
The firm will also provide AC and DC filters, shunt reactors, as well as measurement and auxiliary equipment.
