UK: Strukton is putting a new substation concept to the test in the Netherlands as part of a pilot project for a programme involving more than 100 upgrades over the next 10 years.

It is one of two companies whose concepts for the 110 / 150 kV high-voltage substations will be trialled by grid operator TenneT. Design work will start this month September and the project must be completed by the end of 2021.

Over the coming ten years more than 100 high-voltage substations in the Netherlands must be replaced because they have reached the end of their service life. Constructing these substations requires an entirely new standard, consistent with today’s requirements.

Grid operator TenneT has decided to implement this renovation in steps and will start with two plots. Strukton and Croonwolter & Dros have won the respective tenders for these plots and will each renovate a plot in accordance with their own concept.

After a year, TenneT will inspect the two concepts to determine which concept is best suited. The other 110 / 150 kV high voltage substations will subsequently be renovated in accordance with the selected concept, or a mix of the two.

The first substation must be ready for implementation in the first quarter of 2020. This is expected to take five to six months. All three high voltage substations in its package must be ready by the end of 2021.

Source: The Construction Indeks