ABB wins major order to enable transmission of clean energy in Central Asia

ABB will supply high-voltage direct current (HVDC) converter stations in Tajikistan and Pakistan as part of a World Bank-supported $330 million order to be executed as a consortium project with Spanish Engineering, Procurement, Construction (EPC) company, Cobra, which will be responsible for the construction and installation of the associated substations.

ABB’s HVDC converter stations will be part of the CASA-1000 project, which will enable the efficient transmission of renewable hydropower over a distance of 800 kilometers from generation sites in the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan to high consumption areas in Pakistan. The CASA-1000 link will have the capacity to transmit 1,300 megawatts (MW) of electricity at 500 kilovolts (kV).

The CASA-1000 Project supports a Pakistan government initiative to address the increasing demand for electricity and will also enable the Kyrgyz Republic and Tajikistan to better utilize their hydropower resources. CASA-1000 will facilitate electricity trade between the countries of Central Asia and South Asia by putting in place commercial and institutional arrangements and transmission infrastructure required. The countries participating in the project are Afghanistan, the Kyrgyz Republic, Pakistan and Tajikistan.

“ABB’s advanced HVDC solution will bring much needed and clean electricity to consumers and enable the sharing of resources by interconnecting the region,” said Claudio Facchin, president of ABB’s Power Grids division. “This project is another example of our commitment to integrating renewables and reinforces ABB’s position as a partner of choice for enabling a stronger, smarter and greener grid.”

ABB pioneered HVDC technology more than 60 years ago and has been awarded more than 120 HVDC projects, representing a total installed capacity of more than 130,000 MW, accounting for around half of the global installed base.