ESTONIA - Estonian transmission system operator Elering AS has contracted Siemens Energy to build three synchronous condenser plants in Estonia.
The manufacturer will design, supply and install three 330 kV synchronous condenser plants that will be located at Püssi, Viru and Kiisa in the north of Estonia.
By means of its rotating mass, the synchronous condensers will provide short circuit power and inertia for the stable operation of the Estonian grid while also providing or absorbing reactive power.
Due to the intermittency and volatile nature of renewable energies, grid stabilization technologies play an increasingly important role for a successful energy transition. The three synchronous condensers will help stabilize the grid and manage the ongoing integration of renewable energy generation.
The synchronous condenser solution comprises a horizontal synchronous generator connected to the high-voltage transmission network via a step-up transformer.
Each of the three plants will be able to provide the grid with reactive power of 50/+50 MVA reactive and up to 1,750 MWs of inertia. They will have a short-circuit capability of more than 900 MVA.
The plants will be commissioned successively between April 2023 and May 2024, the manufacturer said in a press release.
