Mirko Düsel, CEO of the Transmission Solutions Business Unit at Siemens Energy Management, and Masaki Shirayama, Managing Executive Officer at Sumitomo Electric, at the signing ceremony in Erlangen.
A consortium between Siemens and Sumitomo Electric Industries has been awarded an HVDC order from Indian transmission operator Power Grid Corporation of India (POWERGRID) to supply a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission system.

The about 200-km long HVDC connection will be India’s first DC link featuring voltage-sourced converter (VSC) technology. VSC is the latest innovation in HVDC technology offering a very stable and highly flexible reactive power control independent of active power control and additional features to support the AC systems, such as blackstart capability. This technology is ideal when combined with XLPE cable technology.

“We are pleased to announce this innovative partnership which accommodates the needs of the growing HVDC transmission system market, and we believe this cooperation between technology leaders, Siemens and Sumitomo Electric, will strengthen both company’s capability to provide state-of-the-art HVDC solutions to the customers worldwide,” states Masaki Shirayama, Managing Executive Officer at Sumitomo Electric.

Siemens will supply two converter stations with two parallel converters, each rated 1000 MW, and will feature its VSC HVDC technology. Sumitomo Electric will be responsible for the XLPE HVDC cable system in the DC circuit. The combined order volume for Siemens and Sumitomo Electric is approximately $520 million. The grid connection is scheduled to go into operation in the first half of 2020.

“We are proud to announce that this project will be the first HVDC link in India featuring VSC technology,” added Ralf Christian, CEO at Siemens Energy Management. “Latest innovations will help achieving ambitious grid programs, like the 24 x 7 Power for all initiative of India’s Ministry of Power, to meet the growing power demand.”

The Pugalur-Trichur ±320 kilovolt (kV) HVDC system will connect Pugalur in the southern state of Tamil Nadu to Trichur in Kerala State in South-West India. The Trichur converter station will be connected via underground XLPE HVDC cable to a transition station also being built by Siemens.

Sumitomo Electric’s DC-XLPE cable has unique characteristics among industries to maximize use of the HVDC system, enabling normal operation temperature at 90 degree, which is suitable for the hybrid system with bulk power overhead line. The company will also supply a 128-km XLPE HVDC cable system comprising four cables for a route of 32 km each. From the converter station at Pugalur power will be transmitted via an overhead line to the transition station.

The Siemens scope of supply for the turnkey project encompasses design, engineering, supply, installation, as well as commissioning and major equipment supplies of the complete HVDC stations, including converter valves, transformers, cooling systems and control and protection technology