July 4, 2012 – ABB has won orders worth around $55 million from BC Hydro to deliver FACTS (flexible alternating current transmission systems) solutions that will help increase transmission capacity through new and existing powerlines.

ABB will design, supply, install and commission three series capacitors: two at Seymour Arm and one at Ruby Creek. The installation at Seymour Arm will be in service by the end of 2013, and Ruby Creek the following year.

“These installations will enhance transmission capacity and provide more clean hydropower to consumers in the region,” said Brice Koch, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “ABB’s advanced series capacitor technology will also help improve grid reliability and power quality.”

BC Hydro forecasts that the province’s electricity needs will grow by about 50% over the next 20 years, says ABB. This increase in demand is being driven by a projected population increase of more than one million residents and economic expansion.

The Ruby Creek installation is part of the Interior to Lower Mainland Transmission Project, a new 500kV line being constructed to help ensure that homes and businesses in the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island continue to receive energy. The Seymour Arm series capacitor will enable more power flow without having to construct an additional transmission line.

Series capacitors are part of ABB’s family of FACTS technologies, which help enhance the capacity, reliability and flexibility of power transmission systems and facilitate the development of smarter grids, says the company.