BAE Systems chooses ABB to supply shore-to-ship power system for Portsmouth

The 150-hectare facility, with 10km of waterfront, is home to almost two-thirds of the Royal Navy’s surface fleet and is to have a new ABB shore-to-ship power system based on medium voltage static frequency conversion (SFC) technology.
This set-up will be installed to replace old rotary frequency converters, with a number of benefits. These include a significant rise in operating efficiency, lower fuel costs and emissions, and reduced noise and vibration for the local environment. The SFC technology has no moving parts, apart from cooling fans, thus ensuring a high level of reliability with minimum maintenance requirements. Higher efficiency of more than 98% ensures a lower total cost of ownership, with estimated savings of up to 25%.
ABB will supply the SFC system as part of a complete package including a dry-type 11-kV to 6.6-kV transformer and control equipment to interface with the dockyard’s electrical management system.
The project is due to be completed in 2019.