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Press Release12 May 2021Siemens EnergyIreland
Siemens Energy wins grid stability contracts from ESB, Ireland
Siemens Energy will provide a full turnkey package including, design, build and a five-year
maintenance package. The three projects, located at Ballyvouskill in County Cork, Ballynahulla in
County Kerry and Thurles, County Tipperary, will be built concurrently, with construction due to
begin in the coming months. The projects will take two years to complete.
As the lead contractor for the projects, Siemens Energy will work with local contractors on the civil
work needed, and it is anticipated around 100 local jobs will be supported across the three project
sites.
Nick O’ Mahony, Managing Director, Siemens Energy Ireland, said: “Globally, Siemens Energy has
vast experience in helping grid operators strengthen grid resilience. These projects, combined with
the recent synchronous condenser project at Moneypoint, will play a vital role in keeping the lights
on across the country.”
Dave Dwyer, Networks Project Manager, Engineering and Major Projects at ESB, said: “These are the
very first STATCOM’s to be deployed by ESB Networks on the Transmission System and we are
delighted to work with Siemens Energy on this project. These projects will make a significant contribution to meeting Ireland’s ambitious renewables targets and help decarbonize the electricity
grid as a whole.”
As the energy transition proceeds at pace, many large power plants, which would have provided
reactive power, are being decommissioned and replaced with renewable generation. This means
grid operators around the world are responding by building STATCOM systems to help keep the grid
stable despite the increase in fluctuating power supplies from renewable and distributed energy
sources.
Reactive power supports grid voltage during long-distance large-scale power transmission. By using
reactive power, the grid voltage can be increased or decreased, and electricity can be efficiently
transmitted.
STATCOM systems stabilize fluctuations in the grid by absorbing or feeding in voltage-supporting
reactive power, depending on the requirements. This approach significantly reduces the risk of
voltage drops and blackouts.