ABB to upgrade Yorkshire power plant

London - Eggborough Power Ltd has awarded ABB an order to supply a dual channel automatic voltage regulator (AVR) for its coal-fired power station in Goole, East Yorkshire.

Eggborough Power Station provides around 2,000 MW for the National Grid. The coal-fired plant first came on line in 1967 and became an independent business in 2010 - having undergone several upgrades to improve environmental performance and to replace major components on the way.

For the latest upgrade, ABB said it technical expertise in retrofitting excitation systems was the key factor in securing this AVR upgrade order.

ABB is manufacturing a complete replacement for the existing AVR equipment, based on its Unitrol 6080 model with dual auto channels and dual power converters replacing one of the existing single channel AVR units, whilst retaining the rotating exciters.

The 6080 is based on the AC 800PEC processor family, which is an extension of ABB’s 800xA control platform, developed to meet the fast control requirements of power electronics.

The design meets current Grid Code requirements whilst the dual-channel configuration significantly improves the reliability of the plant, claims ABB. Excitation control terminal and Ethernet connections with OPC protocol are further options that allow simplified operation, monitoring and maintenance, it adds.

ABB’s project team and Eggborough Power’s station staff will work together to design the new equipment, including interfacing with the existing station systems.