ABB, a Swiss power and automation technology group, has won a $260 million contract from Bonneville Power Administration (BPA), a power marketing agency within the U.S. Department of Energy, to upgrade the existing Celilo HVDC converter station in Oregon.
The Celilo converter station is located at the north end of the Pacific DC Intertie, also known as Path 65, which has a capacity of 3,100MW and originates near the Columbia River. The Intertie is 846 miles long and connects to the Sylmar converter station in the south.
The Pacific DC intertie transmits electricity from the Pacific Northwest to as many as three million households in the greater Los Angeles area. The key components of the station upgrade include valves, controls, transformers as well as switchgear and cooling equipment. The modernization of converter station enhances its power supply to 3,800MW power.
The station is an important part of the electricity link between the Pacific Northwest and southern California. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2012.