Neusiedl an der Zaya (Austria), 8 April 2021 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, and Netz Niederösterreich, the biggest electricity, gas and heat utility in Lower Austria, are continuing their long-standing partnership. The multi-technical service provider is in charge of upgrading the 110 kV switchgear system at the Neusiedl an der Zaya transformer station and will be increasing the grid feed-in capacity for renewable energy. Work will begin in March this year. The system is scheduled to be commissioned in summer 2022.
Enabling renewable energy to be fed into the grid
As the contractor on this project, SPIE CEA, an Austrian subsidiary of SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa, will be responsible for engineering, delivery, operational installation and commissioning of the 110 kV switchgear upgrade, including the associated infrastructure facilities. To accommodate additional grid feed-in from renewable energy sources, the existing transformer station is to be upgraded with three extra 110 kV cable branches, a 110 kV coupling and three 110 kV transformers, including the accompanying 30 kV switchgear and premises to house it. SPIE will upgrade the transformer station while it is in operation, thus ensuring uninterrupted power supply management. “We'll be carrying out the upgrade in two stages. Firstly, we’ll carry out the necessary secondary technical work in the new 30 kV switchgear building and upgrade the first transformer branch for feeding in wind power. Then we're going to upgrade the rest of the 110 kV system,” explained Valentin Oberascher, project manager at SPIE CEA GmbH.
SPIE opens up options for transmitting electricity
The team of experts from SPIE will also be installing two phase shifter branches to act as an interface between the 110 kV grid operated by Netz Niederösterreich and Austrian Power Grid's 380 kV grid. ‘This is a particularly challenging undertaking and is a first for Netz Niederösterreich. At the moment, the Netz Niederösterreich grid doesn't have any phase shifters linking to Austrian Power Grid,’ continued Valentin Oberascher. This interface will be used to convey the electricity from the power stations in the Weinviertel region to the national 380 kV grid.
Long-standing partnership builds trust
With this project, Netz Niederösterreich and SPIE are continuing their long-standing partnership – one that has resulted in a great deal of mutual trust. ‘We are extremely proud of our 20-year business relationship and look forward to working together on the new project at the Neusiedl transformer station,’ said Gerald Edler, Managing Director of SPIE CEA GmbH in Austria.
‘Further expanding our energy and high-voltage technology business in Austria is a key element of our activities in the country. The contract for the Neusiedl transformer station will help us to move forward in this respect. Netz Niederösterreich commissioning us for another project demonstrates that we are on the right track,’ added Peter Pfannenstiel, Managing Director/COO of SPIE SAG GmbH and General Manager of the CityNetworks & Grids operational division at SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa.
