Statkraft and ABB launch grid stability project

Lister Drive - artist's impression

Lister Drive will help to decarbonise the UK’s energy sector by allowing the grid to better adopt renewable energy and provide a low emissions alternative to regulation through traditional generators.

At present, renewable energy supply is not always used when it could be – solar, wind and interconnectors supply energy but not enough of the services needed by the grid to stably move that energy to consumers. The Lister Drive project will help solve this problem by providing services to help keep the electricity system stable, including inertia, short circuit current and voltage control.

ABB will engineer and install two Synchronous Condensers on the site. This is a new use for the technology, which has historically been used to maintain voltage on long transmission lines. Working closely with Statkraft, ABB’s UK team will support the site with a 10-year service contract.

Lister Drive will be one of the first sites to use this technology to stabilise the supply of renewable energy to the grid in the UK, joining Australia and Canada. ABB’s Synchronous Condensers will provide a neutral emissions alternative to stability services from traditional thermal plant generators.

The deal comes at a critical time for the UK energy sector as it adapts to a ‘new normal’, with the country’s energy mix experiencing huge growth in renewable generation. National Grid ESO (NGESO) data shows that 2020 was a record-breaking year for clean energy, as the UK achieved a total of 5147 hours of coal-free energy supply and reached new records in wind and solar power.

As one of Europe’s largest providers of renewable energy, Statkraft is at the forefront of this change and is delivering new, innovative projects that provide inertia (stability) to the grid. The company was awarded four stability contracts by NGESO in January 2020 for two projects on Lister Drive, Liverpool, and two in Keith, Scotland. Keith is on target to support the supply of renewable energy into the grid by the end of 2021.

Statkraft has previously called for local suppliers to submit their details for consideration to Lister Drive contractors. Further contracts will be announced in the coming months.

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Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/special-reports/05022021/statkraft-and-abb-launch-grid-stability-project/