Siemens Energy is to build three synchronous condenser plants in Estonia for the country’s transmission system operator Elering.
It marks the first flexible alternating current transmission system that Siemens Energy has installed in the Baltic States.
Siemens Energy will design, supply and install three 330 kV synchronous condenser plants at Püssi, Viru and Kiisa in the north of Estonia. Once operational they are designed to help stabilize the grid as it integrates an increasing amount of renewable energy.
“While moving to a greener energy landscape, the grid infrastructure needs to become more resilient, more sustainable, and better equipped to integrate renewable energy sources on a large scale,” said Beatrix Natter, executive vice-president of Transmission at Siemens Energy.
By means of its rotating mass, the synchronous condensers will provide short-circuit power and inertia for stable operation of the grid while also providing or absorbing reactive power.
Elering chairman Taavi Veskimägi: “Without the inertia provided by this equipment, the hazard for the unexpected shutting off of the power system and leaving consumers without power would be very high. This is a vital investment in order to create the first ‘defensive barrier’ for the power system.”
All three plants are due to be commissioned between April 2023 and May 2024.
