Alstom secures a major HVDC contract in Atlantic Canada

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Alstom has been awarded a major contract for the high voltage direct current (HVDC) Labrador-Island Transmission Link in Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. The transmission link – part of Nalcor Energy’s Lower Churchill Project – will stretch 1100 km from Muskrat Falls near Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Labrador to Soldiers Pond, Newfoundland.

Alstom will design, supply, and install a point-to-point HVDC solution, with the following features:

  • Two Line Commuted Converter (LCC) stations, near Muskrat Falls and Soldiers Pond near St. John’s, to convert alternating current into direct current, and vice-versa;
  • Two cable compounds on both shores of the Strait of Belle Isle to connect submarine cables crossing the strait to the onshore overhead transmission lines.

Alstom’s 900 MW, ±350 kV bi‐pole HVDC equipment will be part of the connection between Muskrat Falls, an 824 megawatt renewable hydroelectric generating facility in Labrador, to the island of Newfoundland just off the coast of northeast Canada. HVDC technology enables bulk power transmission across long-distances.

The Labrador-Island Transmission Link is essential for the delivery of energy for Newfoundland and Labrador, and will enable the sale of energy from Newfoundland and Labrador to Atlantic Canada and northeastern United States.

“We are delighted to work with Alstom on the development of the Muskrat Falls Project. This project will be a valuable power-producing asset for more than 100 years. It will also generate significant employment and economic benefits, including $2.6 billion in income to Newfoundland and Labrador labour and business, said Gilbert Bennett, Vice President, Nalcor Energy Lower Churchill Project.

Our company has been helping to build and sustain Canada’s electrical infrastructure for more than 70 years. We continue to develop local expertise, talent and intelligent electrical solutions that provide the stepping stone to fuelling the growing local economies in communities across Canada,” said Michael Atkinson, Vice-President, Alstom Grid, North America. “This key transmission link will not only create highly technical jobs but also a robust transmission highway to provide clean and renewable energy to meet the demand of homes and businesses across Newfoundland and Labrador,” he concluded.

Alstom has over 50 years of HVDC expertise, and has developed critical technology to withstand the harsh environmental climate of the Atlantic Provinces. In 2003, Alstom installed three HVDC converter transformers for Manitoba Hydro in Canada to reinforce and increase power transmission. Currently, Alstom is completing the world’s longest HVDC transmission line in Brazil, 2375 km, to connect new hydroelectric plants of the Madeira River, a major waterway in the Amazon, to southern Brazil.

About Alstom

Alstom is a global leader in the world of power generation, power transmission and rail infrastructure and sets the benchmark for innovative and environmentally friendly technologies. Alstom builds the fastest train and the highest capacity automated metro in the world, provides turnkey integrated power plant solutions and associated services for a wide variety of energy sources, including hydro, nuclear, gas, coal and wind, and it offers a wide range of solutions for power transmission, with a focus on smart grids. The Group employs 93,000 people in around 100 countries. It had sales of over €20 billion and booked €21.5 billion in orders in 2013/14.

Alstom Grid has one clear vision: to develop innovative solutions for a flexible, reliable, affordable and sustainable electrical grid, everywhere. We design, manufacture, install and service the power transmission and distribution products and systems that empower the planet’s low carbon economy... for now and for the future.

Alstom Grid has over 130 years’ experience and ranks among the top three in the electrical transmission sector with an annual sales turnover of €3.8 billion. Alstom Grid’s 17,000 employees are spread across 87 manufacturing and engineering sites worldwide and have one common mission: be our customers’ trusted partner, from the source to the city.
We are energising a smarter world… with Alstom.

Press contacts
Virginie Hourdin / Claire Biau - Tel. +33 1 41 49 21 36 / 39 95
virginie.hourdin-bremond@chq.alstom.com /claire.biau@alstom.com  

Alstom Grid
Aline Besselièvre / Elizabeth Wang - Tel +33 1 49 01 67 60 / 61 23
aline.besselievre@alstom.com/elizabeth.wang-ext@alstom.com

Michelle Stein (Canada) – Tel + 1 514 281 6200
michelle.stein@power.alstom.com

Investor Relations
Delphine Brault, Anouch Mkhitarian – Tel. +33 1 41 49 26 42 / 25 13
delphine.brault@chq.alstom.com, anouch.mkhitarian@chq.alstom.com

Website www.alstom.com, www.alstom.com/grid