ABB Wins $50m North Sea Power Contract

ABB has won a contract worth $50m from BP Plc in Norway to supply equipment for an underwater power link that will increase reliable and safe electricity supply and help reduce greenhouse gas emissions. ABB will supply the converter stations at each end of the 292-kilometer cable which will bring Direct Current power from Lista in southern Norway to the Valhall oil field in the North Sea where it will be converted to Alternating Current. The system uses High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Light technology, an ABB innovation for delivering high-voltage power underground and underwater. The installation will deliver 78 megawatts of power when it starts operating in 2009, enough to run Valhall and other platforms in the field. Execution of the project is subject to approval of a redevelopment plan for the oil field that will be submitted to the Norwegian authorities in August. (Source: Construction and Maintenance News)