Hitachi ABB Power Grids to upgrade key Yangtze River hydropower plant

Hitachi ABB Power Grids will modernize Hubei Qingjiang Hydropower Development Company’s Geheyan hydropower plant in central China, upgrading its gas-insulated switchgear (GIS) and monitoring solution to enable the plant to continue to deliver stable and clean energy to the region.

Operational since 1994, the Geheyan hydropower plant was the first of its kind in Qingjiang River, a tributary of the Yangtze River. It plays an important role in China’s hydropower development history and is contributing to China’s long-term goal of becoming carbon-neutral. With an installed capacity of 1.2 gigawatt (GW), it is the backbone power plant for peak load shifting and frequency regulation in central China’s power system. Over the years, it has contributed to social, economic and environmental developments in the region.

To ensure the aging power plant continues to operate smoothly, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will replace third party GIS, upgrade and install 550-kilovolt (kV), 220-kV GIS and high-voltage bushings for transformers. The equipment upgrade will greatly enhance the reliability of the power plant and minimize power losses.

“Our leading technology and services will help Hubei Qingjiang Hydropower Development Company upgrade its power plant, enabling online monitoring and reducing losses as well as decreasing fixed asset investment,” said Thomas Westman, Head of High Voltage?Service,?within Hitachi ABB Power Grids’ High Voltage Products business unit. “We will continue to work with customers to build a clean and efficient energy system through pioneering technologies and help China achieve its goal of carbon-neutrality.”

Hitachi ABB Power Grids offers a wide portfolio of high-voltage services for the management of aging assets, including cost-effective upgrade, extension and retrofit programs that enable low-risk and phased migration to the latest technology. With service experts all around the globe, customers always have access to the latest high-voltage service technologies.

About Hitachi ABB Power Grids Ltd.

Hitachi ABB Power Grids is a global technology leader with a combined heritage of almost 250 years, employing around 36,000 people in 90 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, the business serves utility, industry and infrastructure customers across the value chain, and emerging areas like sustainable mobility, smart cities, energy storage and data centers. With a proven track record, global footprint and unparalleled installed base, Hitachi ABB Power Grids balances social, environmental and economic values. It is committed to powering good for a sustainable energy future, with pioneering and digital technologies, as the partner of choice for enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid.