Alstom successfully delivers substations and enhances grid security in Armenia

Alstom has successfully rehabilitated 220/110/10 kV complex air-insulated substations to state-owned company CJSC High Voltage Electrical Networks (CJSC HVEN) - one of the major customers in the Armenian energy market - and the Ministry of Energy & Natural Resources in Gyumri, northwest of Armenia. The 12 million project was funded by the KfW¹. The project aims to improve national grid stability, as well as the economic and secure supply of power.

In 2011, Alstom was commissioned with the complete rehabilitation turnkey project which comprises the engineering, design, production and delivery, construction, assembly and commissioning of the three modules of open-air substations (220 kV, 110 kV and 10 kV) furnished in the 1970s. The 220 kV facility interconnects the countrys existing 220 kV stations. It is also - through another substation - directly connected to the Armenian nuclear power plant in Metsamor (400 MW), which covers approximately 40 percent of the countrys energy demand. CJSC HVEN operates the transmission grid in Armenia, managing a total of thirteen 220 kV stations.

The completion of the new 220 kV facility establishes a connection to the neighbouring countries for the exchange of electrical energy. Meanwhile, the 110 kV substation supplies energy to the Schirak province (area surrounding Gyumri), and the 10 kV facility is furthermore of local significance for the supply of energy to the city of Gyumri and the surrounding towns and villages. Gyumri has approximately 130,000 inhabitants, and is Armenias second-largest city.

The project execution lasted 28 months, with tight scheduling given the prevailing weather conditions in winter the city of Gyumri is at an altitude of 1,600 metres above sea level. Thanks to the collaborative professionalism of our project and on-site teams, with support and cooperation from our customer, we were able to deliver in a timely manner and make an important contribution to Armenias economic development, says Artur Chamyan, project manager of Alstom Grid in Dresden.

The project was managed by Alstom Grid in Dresden, and the site management took place in the Armenian cities of Gyumri and Yerevan. The 110 kV power switchgears were supplied by the Alstom plant in Kassel, which is among the worlds largest production sites for high-voltage technology and is the centre of excellence for high-voltage switching devices from 36 kV to 170 kV. 

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¹ The KfW (Kreditanstalt für Wiederaufbau - Reconstruction Credit Institute) is a German government-owned development bank, based in Frankfurt.

Press Contacts
Beatrix Fontius (Alstom Germany) Tel: +49 621 329 2547 
beatrix.fontius@alstom.com

• Image - AIS Armenia