Belarus' first 330kV digital power substation opened in Mogilev District

MOGILEV DISTRICT, 19 November (BelTA) – Belarus' first 330kV digital power substation was solemnly inaugurated near the village of Podbelye, Mogilev District on 19 November, BelTA has learned. Energy Minister Viktor Karankevich took part in the ceremony.

According to Viktor Karankevich, it is Belarus' first fully digital power substation that can handle 330kV voltage. It is one of the main substations of the Mogilev power node and a backbone substation of the national power grid. The substation provides electricity to consumers in Mogilev Oblast in addition to enabling electricity transit to Gomel Oblast. The facility implements cutting-edge digital technologies, which enable more reliable supply of electricity to the Mogilev power node in addition to reducing operational costs and manpower costs. The digital substation occupies half of the area a conventional 330kV substation needs. It relies on modern data collection and processing technologies that allow monitoring the state of equipment and electric networks, which are connected to the power substation. Apart from that, a new solution can determine where a power line was damaged with the precision of dozens of meters. This substation is an example of how digital substations should be built. It is the future of the power engineering industry, Viktor Karankevich said.

Belarus' power grid constantly develops. 110kV digital substations are already available. The first digital solutions were trialed at other 330kV power substations. For instance, the 330kV power substation Metallurgicheskaya provides power to the Belarusian steel mill BMZ. The 330kV digital substation in Mogilev District is the first of its kind, the energy minister said. “We are going to realize similar projects in Grodno Oblast and other areas,” he noted. “Projects to introduce modern IT solutions are being implemented in various branches of the power engineering industry starting with smart distributed networks and ending with new services for end consumers. The work produces a tangible contribution to stable development of the economy and more comfortable lives of Belarusians.”

The 330kV conventional power substation Mogilev was commissioned in 1969 to provide power to nascent production sector enterprises in Mogilev Oblast. At present it is one of the largest 330kV substations. It enables electricity transit between Vitebsk Oblast, Mogilev Oblast, and Gomel Oblast. The power substation gets electricity from the main source – the Lukoml state district power plant – via high-voltage overhead power lines. The electricity is then fed to consumers all over Mogilev Oblast and to Gomel Oblast. The power substation will transfer more electricity than the region's population can consume in a year.

Mogilevenergo Director General Konstantin Putilo noted that the 330kV power substation Mogilev is a key substation for the oblast capital. It also feeds electricity to eight districts in Mogilev Oblast. “It is difficult to overestimate its importance, this is why we've decided to reconstruct it. Air blast circuit breakers, a massive number of compressors, high maintenance costs, and high cost of the reliability of equipment, which was installed in 1969, prompted us to start the work,” the Mogilevenergo director general said. All the switchgear assembly equipment was replaced and the main control room building was reconstructed here over the course of 3.5 years.

The Slovenian company Riko acted as the general contractor.

Deputy Chairman of the Mogilev Oblast Executive Committee Ruslan Strakhar said that the modernization of the power substation is an important and significant project for the region. “The power grid plays a huge role in the development of the entire economic complex in Mogilev Oblast. Our power grid is constantly modernized and the Mogilev Oblast energy company successfully realizes all the projects. The inauguration of the power substation today is a vivid example,” he noted. “Raising investments is another important factor for the development of the region. About €34 million was channeled into the region's economy as a result of this project.”

According to the Belarusian energy minister, similar substations will be built in other oblasts, too. “We will continue improving Belarus' power grid by building not only 330kV substations but also 110kV ones in other regions. The overall program, which provides for the development of digital platforms and information technologies in power engineering industry, is stipulated by the strategy on digitization and digital transformation for the period till 2025, which the national energy company Belenergo has approved,” Viktor Karankevich added.