Baltic states to install synchronous compensators in resilience efforts
Synchronous compensators will be installed in substations of the power transmission systems Ventspils, Līksna and Grobiņa in Latvia as part of the transmission system infrastructure strengthening projects.
Latvian transmission system operator JSC Augstsprieguma tīkls signed a contract with the general partnership EM&SE Syncons for the supply and installation of the compensators, with a total cost of €114 million ($112.5 million).
As part of the Baltic power grid synchronisation project, the compensators will also be installed in Lithuania and Estonia – three in each country.
Their construction is part of the transmission system infrastructure strengthening projects, which aims to sync the Baltic electricity system with continental Europe’s by 2025.
After synchronising the transmission networks of the Baltic countries with the European power grid, each country will have to adjust the frequency of the network, ensuring the necessary amount of system inertia for system stability, which is where the compensators come in.
Have you read:
EC announces €19.8mn for Croatian grid balancing batteries
Elia uses battery-powered virtual power plant for grid balancing
Spain’s Transmission Grid Planning to fast track renewable integration
“Synchronous compensators are an important infrastructure for the energy independence of the Baltics and the safety and stability of the network. These devices will provide the necessary system inertia in the event of a large generation source or interconnection outage until other reserves are activated to replace the lost energy source and return the overall system to normal operation mode,” stated AST board member Arnis Daugulis.
“A synchronous compensator is a synchronous generator that is not connected to a load, but spins at idle speed, consuming a relatively small amount of energy from the network to ensure its rotation. In addition to frequency regulation, synchronous compensators will also help ensure sufficient short-circuit power compensation in the transmission network for proper system protection and automatic operation,” explained Daugulis.
Synchronisation of the Baltic networks with continental Europe is hoped to increase the security of electricity supply in the region, while promoting the development of the European internal energy market and creating new business opportunities.
Also, the aforementioned investments in equipment and technologies are one of the prerequisites for safely connecting large-scale renewable energy sources to the transmission network and meeting the goals of the European Green Course.
The implementation of the synchronous compensator projects will be co-financed by the Connecting Europe Facility (CEF), which supports the development of high-performance, sustainable and efficiently interconnected European energy networks.
75% of the eligible costs of the synchronous compensator projects will be covered by the co-financing granted by CEF.
