Downtown Africa
GE Renewable Energy’s Grid Solutions business recently commissioned the first-ever fully digital high voltage substation on the African continent in Thiès, 70 km from Dakar in Senegal. This flagship project is part of Senegal’s national electricity company Senelec’s transmission and distribution grid expansion, reinforcement and reliability enhancement program to be completed by VINCI Energies West Africa. Substations not only supply electricity to the homes but also manage the power flowing into the grid from various renewable energy sources; GE’s Grid Solutions’ digital substation’s advanced functionalities, with its footprint reduced by up to 50% as well as accelerated deployment, are a key enabler of the energy transition.
The key 225kv substation project is part of Senegal’s national electricity company Senelec’s transmission and distribution grid expansion, reinforcement, and reliability enhancement program to be completed by VINCI Energies West Africa. According to Wassel Bouaouda of VINCI Energies: “This flagship project was made possible due to the robust synergy among VINCI Energies West Africa teams, the technical support of our team Omexom and the digital expertise of GE’s Grid Solutions. This first-ever digital substation on the continent is a great example of how to successfully combine the ongoing energy transition with a needed digital transformation to make the Senegalese electricity network more reliable and efficient.”
Grid’s digital substation brings the flexibility of software-based applications, resulting in more opportunities for remote maintenance and upgrades. It also opens the door to more secure and efficient exchange of data between multiple devices. The advantages are that real-time data can be analyzed to optimize asset use and maximize system reliability. Such advantages are crucial for substations – not only to supply electricity to the homes but also to manage the power flowing into the grid from various renewable energy sources.
Commenting on this significant milestone, Eric Amoussouga, Sales Director, GE’s Grid Solutions Business, Sub-Saharan Africa, said, “A digital substation’s advanced functionalities with its footprint reduced by up to 50% as well as accelerated deployment are a key enabler of the energy transition. Moreover, by replacing the copper cables with fiber-optic cables – which do not conduct electricity, makes it safer for workers during maintenance activities. We are proud to have commissioned the first-ever fully digital substation in Africa, contributing to the increased reliability of Senegal’s electricity grid.”
The project contract signed between GE and VINCI Energies in 2018 included the delivery, commissioning, installation, and the supervision of GE’s Grid Solutions digital substation, panels, digital control system, current transducer optic and voltage transducer optic.
VINCI Energies focuses on connections, performance, energy efficiency and data to fast-track the roll-out of new technologies and support two major changes: the digital transformation and the energy transition. With their strong regional roots, agile and innovation, VINCI Energies’ business units boost the reliability, safety, sustainability and efficiency of energy, transport and communication infrastructure, factories, buildings and information systems.
Grid Solutions, a GE Renewable Energy business, serves customers globally with over 13,000 employees. Grid Solutions provides power utilities and industries worldwide with equipment, systems and services to bring power reliably and efficiently from the point of generation to end power consumers. Grid Solutions is focused on addressing the challenges of the energy transition by enabling the safe and reliable connection of renewable and distributed energy resources to the grid.
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