Gomel city electric company implements investment project to install shunt reactors

An investment project to install reactive power compensation hardware (shunt reactors) at the 330kV power substation Gomselmash has been implemented, BelTA learned from Gennady Sushanov, Director of the Gomel city branch of the Gomel Oblast electric company Gomelenergo, on 6 December.

Gennady Sushanov said: “It is a systemic investment project, which is important for the national power grid as a whole, including due to the operation of the nuclear power plant.” The executive added that shunt reactors had been commissioned as part of a program of the Belarusian national energy company Belenergo. Similar reactive power compensation solutions continue being installed in other regions, too.

Yevgeny Kontsevoi, Deputy Head of the Substation Service of the Gomel city electric company, clarified that a number of high-voltage power lines with the voltage of 330kV and upwards exist in Belarus' power grid. “An overhead power line like that can be quite lengthy. It generates additional reactive power in the 330kV grid. It directly affects the insulation of electric equipment, which can be damaged due to power surges. This is why shunt reactors are employed to drain reactor power and drop voltage levels down to permissible levels,” he said.

“We had to design, buy, and commission equipment within half a year. The enterprise has succeeded to accomplish the task, the equipment was commissioned on time. It is now operating in regulation mode, including by regulating electricity generated by the Belarusian nuclear power plant,” added Vitaly Lavrinovich, Chief Engineer of the Gomel city electric company.

The 330kV power substation Gomselmash is one of the nodal substations run by the Gomel city electric company. The substation was commissioned in 1981. It was initially designed to cater to needs of the agricultural machinery manufacturing company Gomselmash. At present the power substation transmits electricity to high-voltage power substations located in Gomel as well as to other territories and installations.

The Gomel city electric company runs power grids in the city of Gomel, in Gomel District, Vetka District, Buda-Koshelevo District, and Dobrush District. The enterprise operates a total of 65 substations and about 12,000km of power lines.

BelTA – News from Belarus