Nexans' Supplies two Superconducting Fault Current Limiters for Birmingham's Distribution Network

Western Power Distribution (WPD), the network operator, is future-proofing the power distribution network in Birmingham, the UK's 'Second City', by installing two Nexans superconducting fault current limiters. The order covers the design, fabrication, and permanent installation of the innovative devices, including the associated switchgear, and has a total value of approximately EUR 2.6 million. This is Nexans' third UK order for superconducting fault current limiters and the largest to date.

Installation of the pioneering technology in Birmingham's network is part of the FlexDGrid project, which aims at future proofing existing networks to accept more electricity generated from sustainable resources. The new equipment helps achieve this objective by enabling higher power feed-in from distributed or renewable electricity sources. In many places this will remove the need for network expansion with new substations. The FlexDGrid project is financed by EUR 20 million from the Low Carbon Networks Fund, a national initiative for reducing carbon dioxide emissions.

Birmingham's innovative fault current limiters will improve network short-circuit strength and enable increased power generation with low CO2 footprintThe project objective is to mitigate faults, improve understanding of their causes, and reduce fault current levels. Measuring systems to monitor fault current levels are being installed in 10 substations, and five stations will additionally be equipped with current limiting technology. The Nexans fault current limiter is the only superconductor device that will be used and will be deployed in two of the five substations. WPD chose the novel superconductor technology because it allows a very effective limitation of high short circuit current levels.

source wireworld