Rising power demands

ABB has won orders worth $140m (£88m) from the Mexican national power utility to help expand power capacity, extend the transmission and distribution network and improve grid reliability.

The new installations will help Comisión Federal de Electricidad (CFE) meet rising demand for electricity in Mexico and improve reliability by reducing interruptions caused in part by weather conditions.

CFE has a generation capacity of 50,000MW and serves some 80 million people.

In one project, ABB will supply two turnkey substations and a 400kV Static Var Compensator, a device that provides reactive power compensation to reduce fluctuations in high-voltage electricity networks. This stabilising effect allows more power to flow through the network, while maintaining safety margins.

The project will also see ABB upgrade a 179km transmission line to serve the states of Campeche, Tabasco and Yucatán.

As part of a similar project in the north east of Mexico near the US border, the company will design, supply, install and commission eight 180MVA substations and a 44km transmission line.