Quinbrook Infrastructure Partners and its Development Partner Welsh Power has awarded TSK the turnkey construction of a new Grid Stability Plant in Gretna, Scotland.

The plant is based on a configuration with a 60 MVA synchronous condenser, which will provide short-circuit and inertia power, as well as reactive power compensation, to increase the stability of distribution networks with high penetration of renewable energy generation.

This type of installation is playing an increasingly important role in electricity systems, due to the increase in the proportion of electricity generation from renewable energies. These, mostly based on power converters (photovoltaic and wind), are replacing conventional generation using large rotating machines, producing a reduction in system inertia, weakening frequency stability, and making it more fragile to disturbances.

This project is one of a series of similar plants as part of the second phase of the ambitious Stability Pathfinder plan launched by National Grid ESO, the UK’s leading grid operator.

TSK will be in charge of the turnkey execution of the plant, as well as the 400 kV interconnection with the National Grid electrical network, and will rely on General Electric technology for the supply of the Synchronous Generator.

With this contract TSK strengthens its presence in the United Kingdom and obtains an important reference for the opening of a new line of business in an emerging market, as is currently related to the reinforcement of the stability and flexibility of electricity systems throughout Europe, due to the incorporation of large shares of renewable energy to the energy mix.