Siemens Energy, Inc. has been awarded a contract for gas-insulated transmission lines by Northeast Utilities as part of the New England East-West Solution (NEEWS).
Siemens will produce 115 kV and 345 kV gas-insulated transmission lines (GILT) for the Agawam (Massachusetts) and North Bloomfield (Connecticut) substation additions as part of the Greater Springfield Reliability Project, one of four major transmission projects comprising the New England East-West Solution.
The project is designed to address transmission system overload and meet current federal and regional reliability standards. For the GITL portion of the project, Siemens will provide all engineering, design, assembly, construction and commissioning activities, including the technical studies, controls design, apparatus testing and quality management.
Construction on the Greater Springfield Reliability Project started in substations in Massachusetts in late 2010 and will start in Connecticut in late 2011. The estimated in-service date is 2013.
"Our GITL technology is an ideal alternative to overhead lines,” said Frank Petraglia, vice president and general manager of the High-voltage Substations business of Siemens Energy, Inc. “The simplicity of GITL design and the fact that it is designed to require very little maintenance ensures a long service life for Northeast Utilities."
Siemens will build five circuits at two air-insulated substations (AIS) located seventeen miles apart in Massachusetts and Connecticut. The Agawam substation will contain two circuits at 345 kV and two circuits at 115 kV, while the North Bloomfield substation will utilize one circuit at 345 kV.
The GITL will run underground and then connect to above-ground bushings on both AIS. GITL has significantly lower losses, a lower magnetic field and no risk of burning compared to cables or overhead lines.
