T&D
ABB is investing $90 million to build a new high-voltage cable factory in Huntersville, N.C.
ABB broke ground for a new high-voltage cable factory in Huntersville, N.C. The new facility, located at the Commerce Station Business Park, will supply high-voltage and extra high-voltage transmission cables to carry electric power underground. ABB says the factory will produce “smart grid-compliant cables,” for use in both AC and DC applications. ABB is investing approximately $90 million in the new manufacturing facility, which is the newest addition to Charlotte’s Energy Hub economic development initiative.
ABB launched its latest generation 245-kV ELK-14 series of gas insulated switchgear (GIS). ABB says the footprint of this latest GIS product is 40 percent smaller than conventional designs and it uses 20 percent less SF6 gas compared to the previous generation, making it more environmentally friendly. The unit can be delivered as an assembled bay, fully tested and mounted on a frame, which ABB says reduces installation time. Control and protection equipment installed in the control cubicle directly at the bay also is intended to enable smart grid integration. The systems were designed for a rated voltage of 253 kV, with a maximum current rating of 3,150 amps.