ABB wins $40 million transformer orders to extend and upgrade the Polish grid

ABB has won orders worth around $40 million from Poland’s national transmission system operator Polskie Sieci Elektronergetyczne S.A (PSE S.A) to provide energy-efficient transformers that will extend and upgrade the power transmission grid in Poland. The orders were booked in the second quarter of 2016.

The order is part of a project to modernize and expand Poland’s national transmission system to meet the needs of the country’s expanding economy and growing energy demand. This includes replacing in-service transformers and installing new ones.

“Transformers across the power value chain play a major role in ensuring grid reliability and energy efficiency. We are pleased to continue supporting Poland’s efforts to strengthen its power infrastructure,” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division. “These state-of-the-art transformers will be locally manufactured and are an example of how ABB delivers differentiated customer value through technology and leverages its global footprint, as an integral part of our Next Level strategy.”

ABB has worked with PSE S.A. for many years, participating in the extension and modernization of the Polish power grid, which is driven by a number of factors. These include increasing demand for energy in urban areas; the need to integrate new sources of renewable energy and the development of interconnections like the 500 megawatt LitPol high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link, recently delivered by ABB, which enables power trading between Lithuania and Poland and opens up new possibilities in energy transmission in the Baltic region.

As part of the order, ABB will design, deliver, install and commission three sets of transformers, including five 450-megavolt ampere (MVA) units; two 500 MVA units; and 10 units rated 275 MVA. The units will be manufactured at ABB’s state-of-the-art transformer manufacturing center in Lodz, Poland.

Transformers are integral components of an electrical grid, and essential for the efficient and safe conversion of electricity between different voltage systems. Transformers are crucial pieces of equipment that are primarily used to step up or step down single- or three-phase line voltages to desired levels and keep power flowing smoothly.

ABB’s transformer portfolio includes power transformers rated up to 1,200 kilovolts, dry- and liquid-distribution transformers, traction and special application transformers as well as related services and components.