- Transmission network operator Amprion relies on the quality leader’s expertise for the energy transformation
- Expansion of the plant during ongoing operations
- Renovation supports grid expansion in the region
Five men, 120 kilometres of cables, 400 tonnes of steel and plenty of manpower and electrical power: These are the ingredients of the new contract for the renovation and expansion of the Ensdorf substation, which transmission network operator Amprion GmbH has entrusted to infrastructure service provider EQOS Energie in the Saarland region. Starting in October 2024, the EQOS Energie team has three and a half years to push the system from 6,000 to 8,000 amperes in a first step.
“The project includes the electrical installation and earthing work, such as laying of 120 kilometres of cables including the production of connections, steel and equipment installation as well as the production of the primary stranding,” said Uwe Brand, Head of the Substations/HV Germany West profit center in the Energy Technology business unit at EQOS Energie, outlining the scope of the multi-million euro project. In addition, several pieces of existing high-voltage equipment will be replaced and three new transformer bays will be installed.
Precision and time management are crucially important
“Of course, it makes us somewhat proud that Amprion relies on the expertise and qualifications of our installation team for this complex task, since the work will take place consistently without the disruption of ongoing operations, and the activation plan specified by the customer requires maximum precision not only for installation but also for time management,” Brand continued. In addition to the project manager, an average of five operational employees are involved in this project.
The expansion of the plant is part of the overall network conversion in the Saarland region, which is set to become “highly electrifying” by 2032 in the truest sense of the word. For Uwe Trampnau, Managing Director and Head of the Energy Technology business unit, EQOS Energie will once again live up to its claim as a “green energy enabler” with this project: “We see Amprion’s commission not just as a further contribution to ensuring grid stability and therefore a reliable and secure power supply but also to actively shaping the energy transformation.”
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