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ABB to Build the First Hybrid Substation in Morocco

The company will supply a $16 million hybrid substation for a wind farm. It will be the first hybrid substation in the country.

ABB is working with Energie Eolienne du Maroc, one of the leaders in Morocco’s energy sector, to build a new hybrid substation in southern Morocco that will connect to the country’s national grid. The hybrid substation will have a capacity of 225/33 kV and will be flexible and scalable, with the ability to be upgraded up to 400 kV or the wind farm upgraded to 300 MW.

“Digital Substation” inquired about this technical solution at ABB, but the European office of the company refused to disclose any further information about this project for confidentiality reasons. Though they explained that in some cases, 225/33 kV substations are easily extendable by adding new bays or equipment (power transformers or auto-transformers) to reach a higher voltage or a higher power output. It was underlined that it is highly important to carefully design the substation from the beginning taking into consideration future upgrades, avoiding high initial expense, reducing the future cost of the extension and minimizing any production disruption due to extension works.

The substation is being designed to withstand the challenging weather conditions of the desert and the marine air conditions.

It will include the latest ABB technology of PASS, ZS2 MV switchgear, 150 MW of power transformers, instrument transformers, surge arresters, substation automation system as well as protection and control.

The country has abundant renewable energy resources — including solar, wind and hydropower — and has set a 52% renewable target by 2030 while reducing its current dependency on imported fossil fuels. The government is focused on developing its electrical infrastructure to integrate renewable energy, with targets to generate more power from wind and other renewable energy sources. [abb.com]

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