ABB, a Swiss-Swedish multinational corporation specializing in electrification, automation, and robotics technologies, has helped two major hydropower plants in Finland to become SF6 “greenhouse gas” free by implementing a turn-key generator circuit breaker retrofit. This project was carried out for one of ABB's customers, Kemijoki Oy, which is one of the most important players in Finland's renowned carbon-neutral electricity system. It is responsible for balancing half of the country's grid output and is also the leading provider of hydro and regulating power in the colder North and East of the country.
Kemijoki operates 20 power plants and can adjust the production of safe and secure hydropower by the second, providing essential energy for Finland's increasingly clean grid. The plants, Matarakoski, and Kelukoski, which were completed in 1995 and 2001, respectively, have an 11 MW output and power around 10,000 family homes between them. Despite being technically competent, the aging circuit breakers were no longer in line with Kemijoki's strict environmental diversification program or the latest global Dual Logo Standard.
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ABB's Electrification Service team was able to provide a retrofit solution that saw downtime reduced to hours rather than weeks, ensuring the power was kept on without any disruption. A customized 12 kV version of the market-leading MV VD4G vacuum circuit breaker family was specified, which clears potentially harmful short-circuit faults in tens of milliseconds, thereby preventing severe damage and lengthy plant downtime.
According to Jarkko Virtanen, Vice President, Electrical and Machinery Technology at Kemijoki Oy, “Compared to a full overhaul of the complete medium voltage switchgear, we saved almost a month of downtime with the retrofit – taking just hours rather than several weeks – and in an industry where 24/7 power output is expected, that's a lot of vital energy production and lost revenue saved. We also have a much more reliable operational procedure because it handles the currents much better, and cost-effectively extends the lifecycle of our generator applications by at least another 20 years.”
Sixten Holm, Business Development Manager for ABB Electrification Service division in Finland, said, “VD4G represents ABB's optimum solution for generator applications where the highest possible protection is needed, especially in case of critical short-circuit conditions, while the retrofit's smaller footprint provides a cost-optimized solution that saves valuable and essential time during site commissioning.”
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The success of this project has established a blueprint for retrofit solutions to be planned for other power plants. The open switchgear system of Kemijoki's larger and more heavy-duty power plants are also being considered for the latest in DPA pressure breakers. This partnership between Kemijoki and ABB demonstrates the value of collaboration, trust, and expertise in finding innovative solutions that meet high standards of reliability, safety, and sustainability.
