Electricity and Control June 2024

TRANSFORMERS, SUBSTATIONS + CABLES : PRODUCTS + SERVICES

City of Cape Town modernises its electrical infrastructure

The City of Cape Town, which is responsible for deliv ering energy to some 4.8 million residents in the West ern Cape, has awarded ABB a three-year contract for a phased retrofit of legacy medium voltage (MV) switch gear in its electrical infrastructure. The new contract follows the success of an initial 2020 project, which saw more than 400, 11 kV oil-filled circuit breakers and over 100 SF 6 insulated circuit break ers replaced with next generation ABB VD4 vacuum cir cuit breakers, and the safe disposal of 160 kg of potent SF 6 gas. The City has teamed up again with ABB to install ad ditional 12 kV VD4 circuit breakers and ancillary equip ment to replace its ageing LMX installations. The new devices will clear potentially harmful short-circuit faults in tens of milliseconds, preventing severe damage to elec trical infrastructure and minimising the risk of downtime, a critical concern for the Western Cape during planned loadshedding. Enhanced safety for operators is also a key consideration, with the installation of a type tested arc-vent door behind which the racking of the circuit breakers is completed. Frans Bouwer, ABB Regional Manager for the Western Cape, said, “We are proud to be a long-term service provider for the City of Cape Town and to be selected to support the City on this modernisation project. “Improving the reliability of the power supply is im portant for the Western Cape but this project goes much further. The City is investing in an upgrade which will in crease the quality and availability of power supply, and it has sought a sustainable solution which supports the circular economy,” he said. Over the past four years, ABB has delivered a range of savings and efficiency gains for the City. By only re placing older legacy circuit breakers, and not the entire feeder board and substation, t he upgrades were exe cuted with minimal downtime, and the costs and emis sions associated with replacing the entire switchgear were avoided. The carefully executed retrofit preserved most of the City’s existing installed base and prevented the use of an estimated 358 400 litres of oil – had like-for-like circuit breakers been used. Furthermore, the project ensured

the safe and sustainable disposal of the old SF 6 breakers and gases. One kg of SF 6 has the equivalent greenhouse effect (or climate change effect) as 23 500 kg of CO 2 , and ABB’s full-circle end-of-life service was implemented to eliminate any risk from the SF 6 disposal. Bouwer added: “Upgrading outdated components is where the largest environmental gains and cost savings can be made – reducing the total cost of ownership by a third, substantially extending the lifecycle of installed assets and minimising the need for on-site maintenance and associated transport emissions.” Patrick O’Halloran, Principal Professional Officer: Equipment Standards for the City of Cape Town, said, “ABB’s collaborative approach, combined with their in novative retrofit solution, has been key in successfully continuing the ongoing modernisation of our electrical infrastructure, ensuring reliable and sustainable energy supply to the region and supporting our strong environ mental commitments.” More than half of electrical equipment, such as metal switchgear cabinets, steel plates and busbars, can be used for long periods without being replaced if outdated components such as circuit breakers, relays and inter nal components are upgraded, regularly monitored and maintained. ABB’s compact VD4-LMT vacuum circuit breakers are easy and quick to install. The 12 kV range includes 630 A, 1 250 A and 2 000 A circuit breakers type tested at 25 kA for 3 seconds. VD4 mechanisms are tested to perform more than 10 000 mechanical operations, deliv ering increased durability and reducing downtime. ABB’s compact VD4-LMT vacuum circuit breakers are easy and fast to install.

For more information visit: go.abb/electrification

JUNE 2024 Electricity + Control

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