Chronological list of ABB’s major HVDC developments and achievements over the past 50 years
Facts and figures
1929
ABB begins making static converters and mercury-arc valves for voltages up to about 1000 V
1945
ABB, together with the Swedish State Power Board, sets up a test station at Trollhättan, Sweden. A 50-km power line is also made available.
1950
Swedish State Power Board places an order for equipment for the world’s first HVDC transmission link between the island of Gotland in the Baltic Sea and the Swedish mainland.
1954
The Gotland HVDC transmission link (20 MW) comes into service after four years of innovative endeavor.
1955
ABB wins its second HVDC order when the British and French power administrations choose HVDC for a power transmission link across the English Channel (160 MW).
1965
Mercury-arc valve project commissioned: Konti-Skan (250 MW), Sakuma (300 MW) and New Zealand (600 MW).
Start develop HVDC valve based on thyristors.
1967
First generation HVDC thyristor test valve, 50 kV, 200 A (air cooled) in Gotland link commissioned.
1970
ABB's last mercury-arc valve project commissioned: Pacific Intertie (1,440 MW, ±400 kV), USA.
Gotland link is extended with 10 MW, 50 kV thyristor valve bridge.
1973
Second generation thyristor test valve, 135 kV, 1,050 A (air cooled) in Konti-Skan, Sweden - Denmark, commissioned.
1976
The world's first HVDC transmission project with 12-pulse converters: pole 1 of the Skagerrak link, 500 MW, Norway - Denmark, commissioned.
1978
Third generation thyristor test valve, 133 kV, 2,000 A (water cooled) in Pacific Intertie commissioned.
First HVDC transformer for 600 kV DC is tested.
1979
Contract is signed for the world's largest HVDC transmission: Itaipu, Brazil, 6,300 MW, ± 600 kV.
1982
The world's first project with 500 kV thyristor valves: Inga-Shaba, Congo, transmission (560 MW) commissioned. (Also the world's longest line - 1,700 km.)
1983
Gotland 2 (130 MW) commissioned with the world's first suspended thyristor valves, redundant digital control and protection and GIS for HVDC.
1985
Itaipu bipole 1 (3,150 MW, ±600 kV) commissioned.
The 200 MW Highgate back-to-back station commissioned after a record short delivery time of 17 months.
Dynamically suspended thyristor valves are used for the first time in a seismically active area in the Pacific HVDC Intertie Upgrading Project.
1986
Intermountain transmission with the world's most stringent reliability and availability requirements (1,920 MW) commissioned.
1987
Itaipu bipole 2 (3,150 MW, ±600 kV) commissioned.
The contract for the multi-terminal Quebec- New England transmission (2,000 MW, ± 500 kV) is signed.
1988
Commissioning of a light triggered thyristor (LTT) test valve, 135 kV, 1050 A in Konti-Skan 1.
1989
New world record for HVDC submarine cables: 400 kV, 500 MW, 200 km for Fenno-Skan.
World's first HVDC transformers with extended delta commissioned in Vindhyachal, 2x250 MW back-to-back station in India.
1991
The world's first active DC filter commissioned in Konti-Skan 2.
1992
The world's first air insulated outdoor thyristor valve, 135 kV, 1,050 A, commissioned in Konti-Skan 1.
The first multi-terminal HVDC transmission, Quebec- New England (2,000 MW, ± 500 kV) commissioned.
1993
The world's first electronically controlled AC filter (ConTune) commissioned in Konti-Skan 2.
1994
New world record for HVDC submarine cables: 450 kV, 600 MW, 250 km for Baltic Cable, Sweden - Germany.
1995
The CCC (Capacitor Commutated Converter) development was announced.
1997
HVDC Light: The world's first voltage source converter (VSC) HVDC transmission based on IGBTs is commissioned in Sweden.
1999
The world's first commercial HVDC Light (50 MW) commissioned in Gotland, Sweden
2000
The world's first project HVDC with CCC (Capacitor Commutated Converter) commissioned at Garabi, Brazil, 2x550 MW back-to-back
2002
The world's longest land cable, the Murraylink HVDC Light transmission (200 MW, 180 km) commissioned in Australia.
The world's largest Voltage Source Converter HVDC transmission (Cross Sound, 330 MW) commissioned between Long Island and Connecticut, USA
Contract signed for the world's first offshore platform HVDC transmission: Troll HVDC Light (2 x 42 MW), Norway
2003
The Three Gorges - Changzhou transmission in China starts operation. It includes the world's largest HVDC converter, 1,500 MW, 500 kV.
2004
The Three Gorges - Guangdong transmission in China passed all tests in April and is scheduled to be commissioned in June (1,500 MW, 500 kV).