ZURICH, Switzerland, March 3, 2009 – ABB has received orders of around $16 million to install flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS) for two steel plants in the Persian Gulf Region. The installations in Kuwait and UAE and are expected to be operational in 2010.
The contract was awarded by Danieli, the Italian manufacturer of electric arc furnaces for steel manufacturing. ABB’s solution includes two SVC Light (Static Var Compensation) installations (rating 0/+164 Mvar at 33 kV). "This solution will help enhance production through improved power quality and at the same time reduce the energy consumption needed to produce the steel" said Per Haugland, head of the Grid Systems business within ABB’s Power Systems division. Each installation will help stabilize the voltage feeding an electric arc furnace and mitigates electric disturbances emanating from the steel making process.
Steel makers increase the rating of the electrical arc furnace to boost production, but are often hampered by poor and insufficient power supply. ABB’s SVC Light technology offers reactive power compensation with special attention to weak networks with severe voltage support problems. SVC Light can be connected directly to the furnace bus without an intermediate transformer.
