SEL Helps Vietnam Electricity Slash Substation Modernization Costs

Challenge

Vietnam Electricity (EVN) has numerous 500 kV substations in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. They were planning a modernization project for one of the substations, which houses four 500 kV and ten 220 kV feeders. Substations like this one traditionally require 280,000 meters of costly copper conductors that require 12 workers 120 days to commission. Materials and installation costs for modernizing copper-based substations of this size are nearly $650,000 (USD) per substation.

Solution

Working with an integrator, Applied Technical Systems Company Ltd. (ATS), SEL helped modernize over 30 EVN substations. The SEL solution increased the use of fiber optics as communications channels and decreased the use of copper conductors by placing durable SEL relays in the yard, closer to primary equipment.

Results

The SEL solution saved EVN a combined total of $495,000 (in materials and commissioning costs) for just one substation modernization project. When compared with traditional substation modernization projects, this approach allowed each substation to reduce copper conductor materials by 80 percent, installation time by 75 percent, and material costs by 77 percent. The savings resulted from:

• Reduction in copper conductors from 280,000 to 56,000 meters.
• Reduction in material costs from $571,000 to $129,000.
• Reduction in installation time from 120 days to 30 days, reducing installation costs from $69,000 to $16,000.

Customer Profile

Customer: Vietnam Electricity (EVN)

Location: Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Industry: Electrical Utilities

Application: Substation modernization