Hitachi Energy, a global technology pioneer that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, today announced that it has been selected by Hydro-Québec for its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) technology for the transmission of electricity, which will ensure the sustainability of the energy exchange between the Quebec network, in eastern Canada, and New York State in the northeastern United States.
hydroelectricity producer
Hydro-Québec, the largest hydroelectricity producer in Canada and one of the largest hydroelectricity producers in the world, is a public company that generates, transmits, and distributes reliable, clean, and renewable electricity in Québec.
Due to its surplus energy, it supplies the Canadian provinces and the northeastern United States.
Châteauguay HVDC system
This new system will replace existing equipment, increasing the efficiency and controllability
The Châteauguay HVDC system will enable the transmission of up to 1,500 megawatts of electricity between the electrical networks of Quebec and the state of New York which will contribute to maintaining a low carbon footprint in the region.
This new system will replace existing equipment which has been in operation since 1984, increasing the efficiency and controllability, plus raising the power conversion capacity of the Châteauguay HVDC system by 50 percent.
Transmitting hydro-power
“We are proud to be returning to the Chateauguay HVDC station, after helping to build it almost four decades ago,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “This new system represents an important enhancement to the ability to transmit large-scale hydropower between Canada and the United States, which will support the shift away from fossil fuel.”
Hitachi Energy is supplying a “back-to-back” converter station, which converts AC power to DC and then reconverts it to AC from DC enabling the interconnection of the 735 kilovolts Canadian and 765 kilovolts New York grids which are “out of phase” and cannot be connected directly via traditional AC systems.
