Shurton at Hinkley Point C, 400 kV GIS

The Hinkley Point C power plant is the UK’s first new nuclear power plant project in a generation, and is expected to provide 7 percent of the country’s electricity needs when it powers up in 2025. The distribution station at Shurton will rely on a new 400-kilovolt (kV) GIS (gas-insulated switchgear) substation from Linxon (an ABB and SNC-Lavalin company) to transfer power from the plant to the UK’s transmission network, which includes substation construction and the integration of six 700-megavolt ampere (MVA) generator transformers, six auxiliary transformers, 400-kilovolt (kV) GIS, control, MicroSCADA systems and transmission feeds.

Shurton and Hinkley Point C will be an integral part of the future UK power network, and is projected to produce enough low-carbon electricity to satisfy the power requirements of about six million UK homes. Upon completion, the plant will be one of the largest single power generation sources connected to the national grid.

Working as part of National Grid’s Hinkley Connection Project, Linxon will design, manufacture and install the 400-kV GIS indoor substation, which will provide double circuit connections to existing substations at Taunton and Melksham. Gas-insulated busbars will connect switchgear to overhead line and cable circuits.

The project also includes digital control and telecommunications systems based on ABB’s AbilityTM platform, and will be installed next to the two reactors. It includes civil works and maximum security support, such as IEC 61850 substation automation, control and protection, all in a compact building that makes maximum use of available space.

Compact indoor GIS technology enables footprint reductions of up to 70 percent compared to conventional AIS substation designs (which offers customer’s cost savings), and also makes extensions and retrofitting vastly less complicated in confined spaces. GIS technology in addition increases supply reliability and availability, while reducing maintenance requirements.

Linxon ensures excellent on-site engineering reliability, installation, timely delivery and project management expertise.