GE Renewable Energy's Grid Solutions business has been awarded a contract with Spanish Transmission System Operator RED ELÉCTRICA DE ESPAÑA S.A. for ten mobile substations for the Canary and Balearic Islands, including one SF6-free substation that will support Spain in its decarbonization goals. This marks the first introduction of a g3 substation in Spain and the first time the technology has been integrated into a mobile substation. The compact units can be transported from one substation to another, or between islands, by standard maritime shipping, in case of an emergency or scheduled substation refurbishment.
The containerized gas-insulated mobile station, with GE's ground-breaking Green Gas for Grid (g3) technology, will be installed on Tenerife, the largest and most popular Canary island. GE's g³ products feature the same high performance and reliability as SF6 equipment but have a gas mass with more than a 99% reduced CO equivalent value. More importantly, life-cycle assessments (LCAs) have shown that g³ products have a greatly reduced CO impact on the environment compared with SF products. The g3 mobile station will help contribute to Spain's efforts to cut greenhouse gas emissions by at least 20% by 2030.
Spain's Canary and Balearic Islands feature a pristine natural beauty that attracts millions of visitors from all around the world each year. However, it has been challenging to provide reliable electricity to the local community and visitors as the islands are a vast distance away from the mainland transmission networks. This - coupled with the limited space for on-island power generation and distribution - and the potential exposure to extreme weather conditions and sensitive natural areas, require grid solutions that are both effective and more environmentally friendly.
"Providing reliable electrical service to customers living and working on islands poses unique challenges and requires solutions that are flexible, reliable and more environmentally friendly - such as GE's g3 containerized gas-insulated mobile substation. Our contract with RED ELÉCTRICA DE ESPAÑA demonstrates that utilities are becoming increasingly aware of their environmental footprint and the impact it has on their community and the world around them," said Alejandro Barjau, Senior Business Operations Staff Manager at GE's Grid Solutions.
Under the contract, GE will provide three containerized gas-insulated mobile substation units at 72.5 kV and seven units with 145/72.5 kV, dual voltage levels. The g3 substation is rated at 72.5 kV.
The development of g3 has taken more than ten years of dedicated work by GE's research and development teams in France and Switzerland in collaboration with 3M .
