Xu2020 PDF

Application Examples of STATCOM
Shukai Xu, Shaobo Wang, Guangjie Zuo, Colin Davidson,

Marcio Oliveira, Rizah Memisevic, Georg Pilz, Bilgehan Donmez,
and Bjarne Andersen
Contents
1 Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
2 Brief Introduction of the STATCOM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3 STATCOM in East Claydon, UK . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.1 Application Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
3.2 System Structure and Operating Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
3.3 Main Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
3.4 System Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4 MMC STATCOM in Shanghai, China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
4.3 Main Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
5 STATCOM in Cerro Navia, Chile . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
5.2 System Structure and Operation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
5.3 Main Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
S. Xu
HVDC and Power Electronics Department, Electric Power Research Institute of China Southern
Power Grid (EPRI of CSG), Guangzhou, China
e-mail: xusk@csg.cn
S. Wang
Rongxin Huiko (RXHK) Electric Technology Co., Ltd., Anshang, People’s Republic of China
e-mail: wangshaobo@rxhk.com
G. Zuo
XJ Group Co., Ltd., Xuchang, China
e-mail: 714381833@qq.com
C. Davidson
GE’s Grid Solutions Business – HVDC & FACTS, Stafford, UK
e-mail: Colin.Davidson@ge.com
© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 1

S. Nilsson, B. Andersen (eds.), Flexible AC Transmission Systems, CIGRE Green Books,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-71926-9_13-2
2 S. Xu et al.
6 Multiple STATCOMs in Guangdong, China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

6.3 Control Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
7 STATCOM in Inner Mongolia, China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
8 STATCOMs in HVDC Converter Station in Yunnan, China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
8.4 Performance Test . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
9 STATCOMs in Aurangabad, India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
9.3 Main Operation Modes (or Control Function) and Protection System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 43
10 STATCOM in Alabama, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
10.1 Application Background . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44
10.2 System Structure and Operation Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
10.3 Main Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47
10.4 System Performance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
11 Four STATCOMs in Queensland, Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
11.2 System Structure and Operating Parameters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
12 Hybrid STATCOM in Rourkela, India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
M. Oliveira
System Lead Engineer, ABB, Västerås, Sweden
e-mail: marcio.oliveira@se.abb.com
R. Memisevic
System Perfomance and Connections, Power Link, Virginia, QLD, Australia
e-mail: rmemisevic@powerlink.com.au
G. Pilz
System Engineering and Network Studies for FACTS Installations Worldwide, Siemens,
Erlangen, Germany
e-mail: georg.pilz@siemens.com
B. Donmez
AMSC, Ayer, USA
e-mail: NetworkPlanning@amsc.com
B. Andersen (*)
Andersen Power Electronic Solutions Ltd, Bexhill-on-Sea, UK
e-mail: bjarne@andersenpes.com
Application Examples of STATCOM 3

13 STATCOM System in South Australia . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
13.3 Main Operating Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
14 Mobile STATCOM, USA . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 66
14.3 Major Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
14.5 Project Evaluation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
15 Cross-References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
References . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
Abstract
The chapter starts with a brief introduction of the STATCOM technology and then
provides a number of typical applications of the STATCOM from around the world.
Some application examples are general transmission system applications, where the
purpose of the STATCOM is to regulate and support the ac voltage and to minimize
the over- and undervoltages that may occur during various faults and event in the
network, including the commutation failure of large HVDC schemes. Some exam-
ples demonstrate the ability to improve the power quality, e.g., due to disturbing
loads such as arc furnaces, wind farms, single-phase tractions loads, etc. Some
STATCOM applications demonstrate the capability of the STATCOM to damp
power system oscillations and to increase the power capabilities of ac lines.
1 Introduction
This chapter starts with a brief overview of the design of the STATCOM. It then provides
a number of examples from around the world of the application of STATCOMs.
The following examples are included in this chapter:
1. A relocatable STATCOM in the UK, to help control the transmission network. It
was the first to use the “chain-link” converter, now known as the Modular
Multilevel Converter (MMC). This example was provided by Colin Davidson,
GE’s Grid Solutions Business, Colin.Davidson@ge.com.
2. China’s first chain-link (MMC) STATCOM, which was built in Shanghai to
demonstrate the benefits that a STATCOM can provide in an urban area
with high load density. This example was provided by Shukai Xu, Electric
Power Research Institute of China Southern Power Grid (EPRI of CSG),
xusk@csg.cn, and Guangjie Zuo, XJ Group Co., Ltd., 714381833@qq.com.
3. One STATCOM in Cerro Navia, Chile, provided to increase the dynamic
stability of the system and thereby allow the transmission of additional power
4 S. Xu et al.
through the grid. This example was provided by Marcio Oliveira, ABB,
email: marcio.oliveira@se.abb.com.
4. Four STATCOMs in Guangdong, China, which were built to support the multi-
infeed power system in Guangdong, by providing dynamic reactive power
support and to assist the HVDC recovery after commutation failures. This
example was provided by Shukai Xu, Electric Power Research Institute of
China Southern Power Grid (EPRI of CSG), xusk@csg.cn, and Shaobo Wang,
Rongxin Huiko (RXHK) Electric Technology Co., Ltd., wangshaobo@rxhk.
com.
5. Two STATCOMs in Inner Mongolia, China, to solve the problem of
sub-synchronous resonance and sub-synchronous oscillation, which were
caused by HVDC schemes and long ac lines with series compensation. This
example was provided by Shaobo Wang, Rongxin Huiko (RXHK) Electric
Technology Co., Ltd., wangshaobo@rxhk.com.
6. STATCOMs in the HVDC converter station in Yunnan, China, which were
provided to provide ac voltage support after commutation failures in the
HVDC scheme. These STATCOMs considerably improved the performance of
the HVDC schemes and the ac network. This example was provided by Shukai
Xu, Electric Power Research Institute of China Southern Power Grid (EPRI of
CSG), xusk@csg.cn, and Guangjie Zuo, XJ Group Co., Ltd., 714381833@qq.
com.
7. Two parallel connected STATCOMs in Aurangabad, India, to provide dynamic
reactive power compensation to improve the voltage quality and dynamic
stability of the transmission system. This example was provided by Shaobo
Wang, Rongxin Huiko (RXHK) Electric Technology Co., Ltd.,
wangshaobo@rxhk.com.
8. STATCOM in Alabama, USA, to improve the power quality, which had
decreased due to reduced short-circuit capacity in the regional network, and a
large Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) generating flicker, unbalance, and harmonics.
This contribution was provided by Marcio Oliveira, ABB, email: marcio.
oliveira@se.abb.com.
9. Four STATCOMs in Queensland, Australia, to provide compensation for the
single-phase load of heavy electric trains and to comply with the grid code
requirements. The STATCOM was chosen because of its much lower harmonic
output. This contribution was provided by Rizah Memisevic, Power Link
Australia, email: rmemisevic@powerlink.com.au and Georg Pilz, Siemens,
email: georg.pilz@siemens.com.
10. Hybrid STATCOM in Rourkela, India, to provide dynamic reactive power
compensation to improve the voltage quality and dynamic stability of the
transmission system. Note that this application is almost the same as number
7 above, but from another manufacturer. This contribution was provided by
Georg Pilz, Siemens, georg.pilz@siemens.com.
11. A STATCOM in Australia that is designed to enable an enlarged wind farm to
meet new grid code requirements. This contribution was provided by Bilgehan
Donmez, AMSC, NetworkPlanning@amsc.com.
12. A Mobile 50 Mvar STATCOM in USA, which is designed to be relocated in a

very short time, and is designed to be connected anywhere in the Customer’s
system. The 50Mvar STATCOM consists of a number of trailer and connection
cables, and a mobile STATCOM transformer. This contribution was provided by
Georg Pilz, Siemens, georg.pilz@siemens.com
2 Brief Introduction of the STATCOM
STATCOM is the abbreviation of static synchronous compensator. The STATCOM

uses semiconductor devices with turn-off capability. At the time of writing (2019),
most STATCOMs use insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs) as its switching
devices. Earlier generations of STATCOMs used gate turn-off thyristors (GTOs) or
the integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT)). At the time of writing, the main
converter topology is the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) with IGBTs, but the
GTO and the integrated gate-commutated thyristor (IGCT) are also being used.
The STATCOM has the characteristics of fast-switching speed, good output
characteristics, fast dynamic response, small footprint, and flexible control functions.
In the transmission system, STATCOM can be used to provide voltage and
reactive power control, to enhance the system damping, to suppress low-frequency
and sub-synchronous oscillation, and to improve power system transient stability.
In power distribution systems, the STATCOM can be used for power quality
control, e.g., flicker suppression and to balance the phase voltages. In the case of
renewable energy power generation such as solar or wind generation, the STATCOM
can be used for voltage stability control, reactive power control, etc.
Three major converter topologies have been used – the type using magnetic
combination of multiple six-pulse converter bridges, the three-level Neutral Point
Clamped (NPC) converter, and the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) type of
STATCOM which is now becoming most common.
The STATCOM valves can be connected in delta or star, and its capacity range
from a few Mvar to more than 100 Mvar. The valves can be forced air-cooled or
water-cooled.
A detailed technical description of the STATCOM is provided in the chapter
▶ “Technical Description of Static Compensators (STATCOM)” in this Green book.
Note that the power losses in this chapter are for the valves only and are declared
as a percentage of valve rating (typically 50% of the rated dynamic range) and are
provided for operation of the STATCOM valve at maximum rated capacitive power.
3 STATCOM in East Claydon, UK
3.1 Application Background
The privatization and “unbundling” of the electricity supply industry in the UK

during the late 1980s and early 1990s led to a major shift in the patterns of
generation, with many older coal-fired power stations being shut down and replaced
6 S. Xu et al.
by low-cost combined cycle gas turbine (CCGT) generation. The new CCGT
generation was located mainly in the North and East of England, closer to the
North Sea coast. By the mid-1990s, National Grid in the UK (NG) had become
concerned that the increased generation in the North of England would result in
increased power flows through the already congested Midlands to South transmis-
sion corridors, with a consequent large potential deficit of reactive power in the
South. Following a period of heavy investment in conventional Static Var Compen-
sators, as part of an overall scheme to provide reactive compensation in the South,
National Grid decided to provide a STATCOM-based compensation system at East
Claydon substation, strategically located on the 400 kV grid system, between
Birmingham and London.
Since National Grid were no longer in control of the location of new generation, it
was concerned that new compensation equipment could become redundant
“stranded assets” in the future as a result of future changes to the network. To
mitigate this risk, the new compensation system had to be capable of subsequent
relocation to other 400 kV or 275 kV substations with suitable site areas available.
Up to three relocations were envisaged over an equipment lifetime of 40 years
(Horwill et al. 2001).
3.2 System Structure and Operating Parameters
The STATCOM was specified to provide a smoothly variable reactive output of

0~225 Mvar (capacitive). No inductive capability was specified. The chosen con-
figuration was based on a STATCOM with a dynamic range of 150 Mvar
(75 Mvar) together with a small fixed filter, to provide outputs between zero and
about 100 Mvar. A 127 Mvar thyristor-switched capacitor (TSC) is also provided to
deliver the additional Mvar required for an output of 225 Mvar.
The compensation system in this project is owned by NG and was supplied by
Alstom (now GE’s Grid Solutions Business). The site installation and tests of the
compensation system were finished, and the STATCOM was formally put into
operation in 2000 (Hanson et al. 2001).
The single-line diagram (SLD) of the East Claydon STATCOM is shown in
Fig. 1.
This STATCOM was the world’s first commercial application of the “Chain Cir-
cuit,” now known as the Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC): see chapter ▶ “Power
Electronic Topologies for FACTS Controllers”. The STATCOM has three single-phase
converters connected in delta, each containing a number of “chain links” (or H-bridges)
connected in series. Each H-bridge uses four GTOs and associated freewheel diodes
with a dc capacitor as its voltage source. The GTOs, freewheel diodes, and snubber
components are water-cooled, and the dc capacitors are air-cooled. In order to satisfy
the worst-case operating point, each phase of the converter requires a minimum of
14 series connected H-bridges. Two additional links are provided in each phase as
redundancy, giving a total of 16 H-bridges per phase.
400kV BUS
400/15.1
15.1kV BUS
TSC STATCOM Harmonic filter

127Mvar ±75Mvar 23Mvar
Fig. 1 SLD of the STATCOM in East Claydon substation
Table 1 Main technical parameters of STATCOM equipment

Parameter Value
Rating Voltage (kV) 15.1
Capacity (Mvar) 0 to 225 Mvar
Connection type Delta
STATCOM transformer Connection type YNd11
Ratio (kV) 400/15.1
Capacity (MVA) 237/237
Semiconductor devices Type GTO
Voltage/current (V/A) 4500 V/3000 A
Redundancy (%) 12.5
Overload capability (current/time) 1.1 pu inductive/1 s
Cooling method Water-cooled
Full load STATCOM valve losses (%) No information available
Estimated service life (year) 40
The main technical parameters of STATCOM in the East Claydon substation are
shown in Table 1 (data from Woodhouse et al. 2001).
The available site area was limited, and accordingly a compact arrangement of the
compensation system was devised (Fig. 2). The total footprint of the STATCOM
8 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 2 Valve containers and outdoor equipment in East Claydon substation
equipment was less than 1400 m2. To facilitate future relocation of the compensator,
should the need arise, each phase of the STATCOM is self-contained in a road-
transportable container, located in the top-right part of Fig. 2. The TSC valve,
associated controls, and other ancillary equipment are mounted in a similar container
shown in the center of the figure. The heat exchangers that reject the valve losses to
air are located on the right-hand side of the figure. All other switchyard-type
equipment is mounted, with associated connections, on metal frames to group
items together for ease of transport and reinstallation.
Further technical information about the East Claydon STATCOM can be found in
the ▶ “Technical Description of Static Compensators (STATCOM)” chapter.
3.3 Main Operating Modes
The STATCOM mainly operates in steady-state constant voltage control mode and is
operated from the UK Grid Control Center.
Fig. 3 Response to step

change of STATCOM current
order
The following control modes are also available:
1. Steady-state constant reactive power control mode

2. Dynamic reactive power support mode
3. Remote control mode
3.4 System Performance
One of the main advantages of the STATCOM in comparison with a conventional

Static Var Compensator (SVC) is its smaller footprint and its fast speed of response.
The response time was verified by a number of current order step changes. From
these tests, adjustments were made to the proportional and integral gains of phase
control to achieve the optimum response.
Figure 3 shows a typical waveform demonstrating a smooth and rapid response
from the STATCOM.
4 MMC STATCOM in Shanghai, China
The Shanghai Power Grid has a highly concentrated load and is one of the most
important load centers in China. Since 2001 there has been a continuous increase of
the power load in Shanghai, and an increasing proportion of the load is being provided
from remote locations. The supply from remote locations to Shanghai were increasing,
10 S. Xu et al.
resulting in the Shanghai Power Grid facing challenges including controllability and
instability problems. Due to constraints on resources and because of environmental
protection, local power plants, which could provide dynamic reactive power, were not
allowed to be built in urban areas. Consequently, the problem of lack of sufficient
dynamic voltage support in the load center of Shanghai arose. The 220 kV city
network also required dynamic reactive power support for the different district grids,
and the increasing air-conditioning loads further increased the risk of the occurrence of
voltage instability in the Shanghai Power Grid (LIU Wen-hua et al. 2008).
To demonstrate the benefits of STATCOMs, such as the improvement of power
quality and ensuring the safe and stable operation of power grid, Shanghai Electric
Power Grid Corporation decided in 2003 to install a pilot 50 Mvar STATCOM at
the Xijiao substation in the Huangdu district grid. The expected benefits were:
• Provision of fast dynamic voltage support in the event of a network fault,

reducing the number of load shedding at low voltage
• Provision of dynamic voltage support to prevent transient voltage collapse during
system failures and sudden load increases
• To provide combined switching control of four sets of capacitors connected at the
35 kV bus to ensure 35 kV bus voltage stability
Tsinghua University, Shanghai Electric Power Company, and Xu Ji Electric Co., Ltd.
developed the first 50 Mvar MMC STATCOM in China. It was formally put into
operation at the Xijiao substation in Shanghai Huangdu District on February 28, 2006.
The SLD of the STATCOM is shown in Fig. 4. The main technical parameters and
performance data are shown in Table 2.
The layout of the STATCOM is shown in Fig. 5. The outdoor equipment includes
the 110 kV/10 kV transformer, the valve series reactor, and the water-cooling
radiator. The indoor equipment includes the three-phase converter, control cabinets,
monitoring cabinet and power supply cabinet, 10 kV switchgear, valve cooling
system, and its control and protection system.
Figure 6 shows one of the series reactors with oil cooling. The valve room is on
the right of the reactor, and the control room and other facilities are on the left.
Figure 7 shows one phase of the STATCOM valves, which can be seen to contain
ten MMC modules.
The STATCOM control and protection system is shown in Fig. 8, which includes
the monitoring cubicle (first right) and the control cubicle (second right).
The STATCOMs were designed with voltage control modes for steady state and
transient state. In the steady-state voltage control mode, the output reactive power
220kV/110kV 110kV/10kV
220kV Bus
35kV
A B C
LA
1 1 1 DA
R
2 2 2
3 3 RA
3 CD
LINKA
4 4 4
LINKC
LINKB
CCL
5 5 5 S
6 6 6
7 7 7
8 8 8
9 9 9 Link
10 10 10
+30Mvar +30Mvar B
Fixed capacitor Fixed capacitor
Group 1 Group 2
±50 Mvar
STATCOM
Fig. 4 SLD of STATCOM
Table 2 Technical data for Shanghai Huangdu District STATCOM

Parameter Value
Rating Voltage (kV) 10
Capacity (Mvar) 50 ~ +50
STATCOM transformer Connection type Yy0
Ratio (kV) 110 2 2.5%/10
Capacity (MVA) 55
Semiconductor devices Type IGCT(103)
Collector-emitter voltage(V) 4500
Collector current (A) 4000
Redundancy (%) 10
Overload capability (current/time) 1.2pu/30s
Cooling method Water cooling
Full load STATCOM valve Losses (%) 1.3
is controlled to regulate the steady-state grid voltage through a proportional

control loop.
The system state is determined based on the measurements of the 220 kV bus
voltages. In the steady-state voltage control mode, the STATCOM may switch into
the transient state voltage control mode and provide rated capacitive reactive support
for the system immediately after the occurrence of a fault or other disturbances in
the grid. One condition for this mode switching is that the RMS value of the bus
voltage is lower than a preset threshold. This condition indicates a decrease in grid
voltage as a result of the fault. The condition for mode switching is also
12 S. Xu et al.
9m 4.3m 5m
Valve Hall Series Reactor 2
surge arrester
LINKA
LINKB
LINKC
15m
Series Reactor 1
4m
Cooling Tower Water cooling Control room 10kV switch room

room
Fig. 5 The layout of the STATCOM
Fig. 6 Outdoor STATCOM equipment

Fig. 7 STATCOM valves
Fig. 8 Control and protection system

14 S. Xu et al.
determined by the rate of decrease of the grid voltage. As soon as the decrease rate of
the grid voltage exceeds the preset threshold, the STATCOM is switched to
the transient voltage control mode even if the grid voltage is still above the amplitude
threshold at this point.
The design estimates the voltage drop and speed up the response time of
the reactive power during faults. Once the STATCOM is switched into transient
state voltage control mode, after a preset duration of output of rated capacitive
reactive power, the output of the STATCOM will gradually decrease to the steady-
state output.
Field test results show that the installed STATCOM can output rated current. Figure 9
shows the 10 kV line current at rated operating conditions. The total harmonic
distortion rate is less than 5%.
A power step response test was also conducted. Figure 10 shows the three-phase
instantaneous reactive power at the substation busbar when changing the reactive
power reference from zero to rated capacitive power. It can be seen that the
Fig. 9 Line current ia ib

waveform at rated capacity
4000 ic
2000
ia,b,c / A
0
–2000
–4000
0 4 8 12 16 20
t/ms
65
45
Q(10 Mv ar/div )
25
5
5 10 15 20
t (10 ms/div)
Fig. 10 Three-phase instantaneous reactive power during step response test

reactive power response time is very fast with an initial response in 3 ms followed by
an overshoot before finally settling to the ordered level at about 25 ms.
In 2006, the Huangdu district grid comprised twelve 220kV buses and twenty
load buses (35 kV and 110 kV), and the power load was 1552 MW. The test results
showed that the voltage increases at the 220 kV and 35 kV buses at the Xijiao
substation were 1.5% and 7.8% higher, respectively, when the installed STATCOM
provided output at the rated reactive power. This resulted in the shedding of loads
being reduced by up to 438 MW.
The Xijiao substation 50 Mvar STATCOM was a milestone for industrial-grade
STATCOM in China. It was the first STATCOM that employed the Modular
Multilevel Converter (MMC) concept in China. Subsequently, the MMC has become
the dominant converter alternative for the large capacity STATCOM in China. For
Huangdu district grid in Shanghai, the STATCOM has provided dynamic reactive
voltage support in case of faults and sudden increase in loads. At the same time, it
has provided valuable operating experience for the application and development of
future FACTS controllers.
5 STATCOM in Cerro Navia, Chile
The Central Interconnected System (CIS) serves the central part of Chile and
supplies power to approximately 90% of the Chilean population. Transelec S.A. is
the main transmission operator, owning and operating transmission facilities at
voltages from 500 kV down to 66 kV.
Similar to the situation in other parts of the world, a growing opposition to
the construction of new transmission infrastructure exists in Chile. Consequently,
Transelec S.A. investigated optimal means to utilize existing transmission facilities
to a higher degree of capacity. After the completion of feasibility studies, it was
decided to install FACTS controllers at critical points in the grid to increase the
dynamic stability of the system and thereby allow the transmission of additional
power through the grid.
The common tasks of the FACTS controllers installed in 2011 were the following:
• Regulate and control the 220 kV grid voltage under normal steady-state and
contingency conditions.
• Provide dynamic, fast reactive power response following system contingencies,
such as network short circuits and line or generator outages, particularly during
high power flow from Ancoa northward.
• Enable an increase of the power transfer capability of the grid.
16 S. Xu et al.
Polpaico
SVC
Cerro Navia
STATCOM
Polpaico 500 kV
Alto Jahuel
Alto Jahuel 500 kV
Ancoa 500 kV
220 kV
500 kV
Fig. 11 Location of FACTS devices in the Chilean Central Interconnected System (year 2011)
5.2 System Structure and Operation Parameters
In 2011, two FACTS installations comprising a STATCOM and an SVC were

supplied and commissioned by ABB at Cerro Navia and Polpaico substations,
respectively, as shown in Fig. 11.
Both Cerro Navia and Polpaico substations are located in the capital of Santiago,
where the greatest part of the load of the Central Interconnected System is concen-
trated. Together, the devices increased, at the time of commissioning, the power
transmission capacity from previously 1400 MW to 1600 MW over the 500 kV
corridor between Ancoa and Alto Jahuel and Ancoa and Polpaico, a transmission
corridor exceeding 300 km of length.
The single-line diagram of the STATCOM is shown in Fig. 12. The STATCOM
consists of a 102.5 Mvar three-level converter (NPC) and three harmonic filters
totally rated 37.5 Mvar. As the filters are always connected, the STATCOM contin-
uously controlled reactive power range is between 65 Mvar inductive and 140 Mvar
capacitive. The main technical parameters of the Cerro Navia STATCOM are shown
in Table 3.
The power transformer and MV outdoor equipment are shown in Fig. 13. Due to
stringent sound requirements, a sound wall around the power transformer was
adopted as sound level mitigation.
Figure 14 shows the connection of the VSC phase reactor to the valve building
and an IGBT stack as part of the three-level converter. The whole STATCOM,
including control and valve building, is placed in a fenced area with dimensions
30 60 m.
Fig. 12 Single-line diagram

of Cerro Navia STATCOM
Table 3 Main technical parameters of Cerro Navia STATCOM

Parameter Value
Capacity (Mvar) +140/ 65
Connection type NPC converter and wye-connected filters
STATCOM Connection type YNd11
transformer Ratio (kV) 220/34
Capacity (MVA) 140
Semiconductor Type StakPak IGBT’s
devices Voltage/current 34/1800 valve
(kV/A)
Redundancy (%) 6%
Cooling method Water cooling with water-air heat
exchangers
Full load STATCOM valve losses (%) 1.2% on converter base
5.3 Main Operation Modes
The normal mode of operation is automatic voltage control. The control system uses
a closed-loop system that controls the positive-phase sequence voltage at the
220 kV bus.
In manual control mode, the STATCOM operates with open-loop control. The
desired reactive power output is manually set by the operator, and the STATCOM
provides a constant output current. In this operation mode, the voltage reference
18 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 13 Power transformer and MV equipment of Cerro Navia STATCOM
follows the actual line voltage including slope correction, whereas at automatic
control mode, the reactive current power reference follows the reactive current
reference calculated by the voltage regulator. Therefore, transients in the STATCOM
output are avoided at transitions from one control mode to the other, providing a
bumpless transfer.
When the automatic voltage regulator is in operation, a higher level Mvar
regulator can also be activated. The control dynamics of the higher level is very
slow when compared to the voltage regulator, and its output signal is added to the
voltage reference signal in such a way that at steady state the STATCOM will remain
within a window defined by two limits, one at the capacitive range and one at the
inductive range. The main purpose of this function is to leave the controllable part of
the STATCOM, i.e., the voltage-source converter close to zero current at steady state,
leaving the whole converter dynamic range and its fast response to support the
network during system disturbances and recovery. When the STATCOM is controlled
to near-zero current, slower acting reactive power controllers in the ac network will
change their output to achieve the ac voltage required by the system operator.
The STATCOM has also the ability to compensate the voltage unbalance existing
at the Cerro Navia 220 kV bus. The negative-sequence voltage is measured on the
220 kV system and compensated by adding negative-sequence current in the VSC
converter control. The negative-sequence amplitude that can be counteracted by the
Fig. 14 Phase reactor connection to valve room and IGBT stack of Cerro Navia STATCOM
STATCOM is limited, since the negative-sequence compensation increases the dc

voltage ripple. The positive-sequence voltage control has higher priority.
20 S. Xu et al.
North equivalent
Quillota220 (8)
Polpaico500 (3)
Polpaico220 (7)
Lampa220 (9)
SVC
Cerronavia220 (6)
STATCOM
Cerronavia110 (10)
Chena220 (5)
Ajahuel220 (4)
Ajahuel500 (2)
500 kV
220 kV
Ancoa500 (1) 110 kV
66 kV
South equivalent 13.2 kV
Fig. 15 Studied network in the real-time simulator interfaced with the real control systems
As Cerro Navia STATCOM and Polpaico SVC projects were executed almost in
parallel, the factory acceptance tests of the control system in a real-time simulator
environment were performed simultaneously, employing the network setup shown
in Fig. 15. As the FACTS devices were electrically close to each other, this setup
allowed the verification of possible adverse control interactions between the SVC
and STATCOM during steady-state and dynamic conditions as well as providing
suitable settings for the control system of both compensators.
As an example, from the real-time simulator studies, Fig. 16 shows the behavior
at a solid single-phase fault with six-cycle duration at the Alto Jahuel 220 kV bus,
located two buses away from Cerro Navia. At the fault instant, the converter current
is inductive, compensating for the reactive power generated by the filters. The fault
causes a 20% voltage drop at the positive-sequence voltage at Cerro Navia 220 kV
bus. Therefore, the voltage regulator sets the maximum reference for the VSC
capacitive current, as shown in Plot c, providing a very fast 180 phase shift of
converter currents from reactive power absorption to generation. During the fault, it
is still important to keep the balance of the dc voltages of the positive and negative
Fig. 16 Single-phase fault at Alto Jahuel 220 kV bus. Plot a: Primary voltages at Cerro Navia
220 kV bus [p.u.]. Plot b: Positive-sequence voltage, Cerro Navia [p.u.]. Plot c: VSC current
reference [p.u.]. Plot d: VSC currents [kA]. Plot e: Converter dc voltages across positive and
negative poles [p.u.]
poles of the three-level converter, keeping the average dc voltage constant, to avoid
further discharge of the dc capacitor for prolonged faults. When the fault is released
at t = 0.22 s, the converter returns rapidly to its original inductive behavior, while the
22 S. Xu et al.
voltage ripple is reduced as the unbalance in the system voltages is eliminated after
fault clearing.
Since the commercial operation of the Cerro Navia STATCOM and Polpaico
SVC in 2011, the power transfer capability on the 500 kV corridor from Ancoa to the
north of Chile, earlier limited to 1400 MW by voltage stability concerns due to a
post-contingency scenario (loss of one transmission line), could be increased to
1600 MW. According to Transelec, this could also optimize the system operation,
allowing transfer from southern generation to the central zone of Chile.
6 Multiple STATCOMs in Guangdong, China
As HVDC transmission capacity takes up a higher share of the West to East Power
Transmission in China, the interaction between HVDC and the existing ac network
has greatly changed the characteristics of the grid, especially the stability of the
system (Rao et al. 2016).
China Southern Power Grid (CSPG) is a typical long-distance bulk power
transmission system with paralleled ac and dc links. Up to 2015, there were seven
HVDC inverter lines feeding into this region. Up to 2020, there will be 11 HVDC
inverter lines feeding into this region, as shown in Fig. 17.
1
HVDC
HVDC Inverter
2 Inverter
3 60
59
9 4 Mumian 65 6 7 8
HVDC HVDC
Inverter Inverter 46
10 5
41
11 61 14 15
12 13 Dongguan
Beijiao Shuixiang 42 43 44 45 47
20 16
19
18
HVDC 21 HVDC 17
Inverter 22 Inverter
62 HVDC 56
30 64 48 54 55
32 Baoan
23 Inverter Shunde 49 53
63 31 50
25 24 29 33 HVDC inverter
52 Series compensator
28
34 37 Major power plant
26 36 35 Pumped storage power station
38 51 500kV transformer station
Nuclear power plant
39 40 The buses for STATCOM installation
27 57 58 according to 2015 power grid
The buses for STATCOM installation
according to 2020 power grid
Fig. 17 Single-line diagram of the 500 kV receiving-end power system with multiple STATCOMs
of the CSG in 2015
In order to support the multi-infeed power system in Guangdong, four

STATCOMs were built in four 500 kV substations to provide better dynamic reactive
power support and to assist the HVDC recovery in the event of commutation failure
(CF) of LCC-HVDCs.
The four STATCOMs in this project were designed and owned by CSG; the
manufacturer is Rongxin Power Electronic Co.,Ltd. The first STATCOM was
commissioned at Dongguan 500 kV substation in August 2011.The second and
third STATCOMs were commissioned at Beijiao and Shuixiang 500 kV substation in
June 2013. The last STATCOM was commissioned at Mumian 500 kV substation in
October 2013.
The phase reactor of each STATCOMs is 12%, which is divided into two parts
that are located on either side of the valve. Each phase consists of 26 power modules.
Each module is an H-bridge structure and is equipped with a crowbar circuit to
bypass the module if an internal fault occurs.
The SLD of the 35 kV/200 Mvar STATCOM in Dongguan station is shown in
Fig. 18. The SLD of the other STATCOMs are the same as Fig. 18. Note that the
STATCOM consists of two STATCOMs.
Fig. 18 SLD of the 500kV BUS

Dongguan substation
STATCOM
500/220/35
35kV BUS
220/35
35kV BUS
#1 STATCOM #2 STATCOM
±100Mvar ±100Mvar
24 S. Xu et al.
Table 4 Main technical parameters of each STATCOM

Parameter Value
STATCOM Connection type YNd11
transformer Ratio (kV) 220 2 2.5%/35
Capacity (MVA) 240
Semiconductor Type PP-IGBT (press-pack insulated gate bipolar
devices transistor)
Collector-emitter 4500
voltage(V)
Redundancy (%) 10
Overload capability (current/time) 1.5pu/ 10 s
Full load STATCOM valve losses (%) 0.8
The main technical parameters of the STATCOM are shown in Table 4.

The Dongguan STATCOM control and protection system, valve cooling system,
and three-phase power module are arranged in containers. The water-cooling radi-
ators, delta-connected reactor, earthing switches, surge arresters, and incoming
circuit breakers are arranged outdoors.
The converter valves are arranged in containers, and the valves are cooled by a
pumped valve cooling system. The outdoor equipment and valves are shown in
Figs. 19 and 20, respectively.
6.3 Control Modes
The two STATCOMs have a common coordination controller, which balances the
reactive power balance and ensures that the parameters for the STATCOMs are the
same. If one of the STATCOMs fail, the other STATCOM will output the total
reactive power.
The coordination controller also controls eight breaker switched reactors and six
breaker switched capacitors, which are connected to the 35 kV busbar of two other
transformers. The shunt reactors are rated at 15 Mvar each, and the shunt capacitors
are rated at 50 Mvar each.
Each STATCOM can operate in the following control modes:
1. Steady-state constant reactive power control mode, a mode only used during
commissioning test.
2. Steady-state constant voltage control mode, the normal operation mode to control
the voltage of the 220 kV busbar.
Step up 35kV Valve

Transformer Reactor
Busbar container
Fig. 19 Valve and outdoor equipment of STATCOM of Dongguan substation
3. Dynamic reactive power support mode, a mode that will be activated automati-
cally to output reactive current quickly when undervoltage or overvoltage occurs
at the 220 kV busbar.
4. Coordination control mode, a normal operation mode to coordinate with shunt
reactor and shunt capacitor.
5. Remote control mode, a special operation mode to work with Auto-Voltage-
Control system.
6. The two parallel STATCOMs normally receive the same control signals.
However, they can also operate independently.
The response of the STATCOM device was tested by a short-circuit test. The test is
done by short-circuiting one phase and earth with a line which quickly melts (a fuse
wire) (Xiao Leisi et al. 2015). The response of the STATCOM is shown in the
following figures (Li Chunhua et al. 2013).
A single-phase instantaneous earth fault was applied to one of the incoming lines.
The voltage and current responses at the 220 kVand 35 kV buses are shown in Fig. 21.
26 S. Xu et al.
Power Module
Fig. 20 Valve container internal view of STATCOM of Dongguan substation
Fig. 21 Voltage curves of the 220 kV/35 kV buses and current curves of the STATCOM (the
curves are voltage of 220 kV, voltage of 35 kV, current of STATCOM #1, current of STATCOM #2,
respectively)
Figure 22 shows details of the 220 kV voltage in phase A and the current from
the STATCOM. The response time of STATCOM is 15.8 ms, and the fault detection
Fig. 22 The 220 kV bus voltage (blue), STATCOM three-phase current(dot plot), and instanta-
neous reactive current (red)
time including the delay of the controller is 6 ms. (Note:220 kV voltage base is
127 kV; STATCOM phase current base is 2857 A; instantaneous reactive current
base is 4040 A.)
The STATCOM has a specified overload capability as shown in Table 4. The
overload capability is not used, while the power system operates in steady state.
When the power system is in a transient state, the STATCOM overload capability is
automatically enabled.
The annual failure rate of the power module after the commissioning of the
STATCOM in Dongguan substation is 0.64%. According to the operating records,
the STATCOM has responded correctly to occurrences of ac fault and has supported
system recovery.
At start-up the STATCOM is operated with a small reactive power setting (e.g.,
5%) to avoid potential current distortion caused by insufficient control accuracy.
The rapid response of the reactive power compensation means that the
STATCOMs can effectively improve the voltage stability of the system, supporting
the voltage during recovery from commutation failures and speeding up the resump-
tion of power delivery, thereby improving the ability to receive power and withstand
faults in the grid.
7 STATCOM in Inner Mongolia, China
The Hulunbuir Region in Inner Mongolia is an area that largely relies on coal-based
generation. The Guohua Baodian and E’wenke power plants are connected to the
Hulunbuir HVDC converter station through an 500 kV substation (substation 6).
Yi-min phase III is connected directly to the converter station. The detailed infor-
mation is shown in Fig. 23.
28 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 23 Regional power system structure
The application of HVDC transmission technology may cause sub-synchronous

oscillation (SSO) phenomenon in case of a weak coupling between the converter
station and the ac system (Cao Zhen et al. 2011). Series compensation of ac
transmission lines can also cause sub-synchronous resonance (SSR) phenomenon
(Anderson and Farmer 1996). SSR and SSO may cause serious damage to generator
shafts if suppression measures are not taken (Farmer et al. 1977).
In addition, due to the combination of HVDC and Yi-min ac line with series
compensation, the problem of sub-synchronous resonance and sub-synchronous
oscillation became very complicated in this project. The recorded speed component
of the generator shaft at torsional frequency is shown in Fig. 24.
Fig. 24 Speed component at torsional frequency of shaft during 60 s
When # 1 and # 2 generators of the Guohua Baodian power station were in

operation, the torsional stress relay (TSR) frequently gave alarms (abnormal rota-
tional speed). The number of alarms could be up to 150 ~ 350 times every day during
the operation period. Especially under the monopolar operation of Huliao HVDC,
the maximum times of alarm per day could be up to 917 times. In additions, the
generator shaft showed signs of cumulative fatigue damage. To keep the generators
safe, it is necessary to install a sub-synchronous suppression device.
The two STATCOMs in this project are designed and owned by Guohua Electric
Power Co.,. the manufacturer is Rongxin Power Electronic Co., Ltd. The STATCOM
was put into operation in March 2014.
The converter is a MMC structure, and each power module is an H-bridge structure
and is equipped with a crowbar circuit to bypass the module in case of a fault.
The SLD of the two STATCOMs is shown in Fig. 25.
The main technical parameters of the two STATCOMs are shown in Table 5.
One of the Guohua Baodian STATCOM valves is shown in Fig. 26.
The layout of the two STATCOMs is shown in Fig. 27. The valves, control and
protection system, and the valve cooling system are arranged indoor. The reactors
are arranged outdoor.
The two STATCOMs are mainly operated to damp sub-synchronous oscillations. In

sub-synchronous oscillation damping mode, the rotation rate of the generator is
measured, and this is used as the input signal to the controller, and the STATCOM
then injects controllable compensation current into the generator to damp the
torsional oscillation of the generator.
30 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 25 SLD of two STATCOMs
Table 5 Main technical parameters of one of two STATCOMs

Parameter Value
Connection type Star
STATCOM transformer Connection type D/Yn-1
Ratio (kV) 20 2 2.5%/10.5
Capacity (MVA) 48
Semiconductor devices Type PP-IGBT
Redundancy (%) 10
Overload capability (current/time) 1.1pu/continuously
Fig. 26 STATCOM valve of Guohua Baodian power plant
The STATCOM equipment effectively improves the electrical damping of the

system. The output current of the STATCOM is well controlled. The STATCOM
response time is less than 5 ms.
Small disturbance test and large disturbance tests have been applied separately
on-site to demonstrate the suppression of sub-synchronous oscillation.
The small disturbance test result is shown in Fig. 28.
After the STATCOM equipment was put into service, the oscillation amplitude
was quickly suppressed to less than 0.04 rad/s.
The large disturbance test result is shown in Fig. 29.
After activating the SSO damping function, the damping rate of the shaft system
was increased very significantly, which is also shown in Fig. 29.
The amplitude of sub-synchronous oscillation is limited to less than 0.028 rad/s
under the condition of small disturbance and is reduced to less than 10% of the peak
value within 2 s of a large disturbances. The STATCOMs successfully solve the
problem of severe sub-synchronous oscillation.
32 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 27 Layout of two STATCOMs
The annual failure rate of the power module since the commissioning of the
STATCOM is 0.51%. The STATCOM meets the technical requirements (less than
three forced outage per year).
8 STATCOMs in HVDC Converter Station in Yunnan, China
The Yongfu 500 kV DC Transmission Project was China’s first provincial HVDC
transmission project. It serves as the main power transmission channel in the Yunnan
Province and is an important part of CSG’s west-to-east power transmission network.
enable the damping SSO function Disable

Speed of mode_1 (rad/s) 0.1 Enable
0.05
–0.05
–0.1
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Time(s)
Fig. 28 Speed component at torsional frequency of shaft after a small disturbance
Fig. 29 Speed component at torsional frequency of shaft and STATCOM current
It allows electricity to be transmitted out of Guanyinyan Hydropower Plant, a large-

scale hydropower plant on the upper reaches of the Jinsha River, and from Yunnan
Province to Guangxi Province, helping optimize the distribution of clean energy in a
greater area. The total distance of the HVDC link is 566 km, from Yongren Converter
Station in Chuxiong, to Funing Converter Station in Wenshan, with rated capacity of
3000 MW. The HVDC scheme was constructed and is operated by CSG.
The receiving station of the HVDC system in Yunnan, China is connected to a
relatively weak ac system, and studies identified that recovery from commutation
failures of the HVDC scheme might be slow, because of a lack of controllable dynamic
reactive power. Therefore, to ensure safe and stable operation of the HVDC transmission
34 S. Xu et al.
500kV Bus I 500kV Bus II
525/35 525/35
35kV Bus I 35kV Bus II 35kV Bus III
#1 STATCOM #2 STATCOM #3 STATCOM

±100Mvar ±100Mvar ±100Mvar
Fig. 30 SLD of the three STATCOMs
system, a 300 Mvar STATCOM was proposed and has been installed at the Funing
converter station, to meet the dynamic reactive power support requirements for the ac
system. This ensured that the dc transmission system could resume smooth operation
after N-1 ac faults, thereby enhancing the operational reliability of the HVDC system.
The three parallel STATCOMs in this project are designed and owned by CSG. The
manufacturers were NREC Co., Ltd. (#1 STATCOM and #2 STATCOM) XJ Group
Co., Ltd. (#3 STATCOM) (YAO Weizheng et al. 2018). The site installation and tests
of the three STATCOMs were finished by May 2016, and the STATCOMs were
formally put into operation in June 2016.
The SLD of the three STATCOMs is shown in Fig. 30.
The main technical parameters of the three STATCOMs are shown in Table 6.
The layout of #3 STATCOM is shown in Fig. 31. The control and protection
system, valve cooling system, and the three-phase power modules are arranged
indoors. Water-cooling radiators, reactors, earthing switches, surge arresters, soft-
start resistors, bypass circuit breakers, and incoming circuit breakers are arranged
outdoors.
Figure 32 shows the outdoor area of #3 STATCOM.
Figure 33 shows the #3 STATCOM valve. Each valve is one phase, and there are a
total of three valves. As can be seen from the picture on the left, the output of the
power modules are cascaded using copper bars, and each power module is
Table 6 Main technical parameters of each STATCOM

Parameter Value
Connection Delta
Ratio (kV) (525 2 2.5%)/35
Capacity (MVA) 240,120
Semiconductor devices Type IGBT
Redundancy (%) 10
Overload capability (current/time) 1.3pu/ 5 s
48000mm
Water cooling Valve cooling Reactor A-1

radiators system Valve A
Reactor A-2 Ground switchs
Reactor B-1
Valve B
15 000 mm
Control and Soft-start

protection system Reactor B-2 Incoming
resistors circuit
Bypass breaker
Reactor C-1 breaker
Valve C
Reactor C-2
Fig. 31 #3 STATCOM layout
configured with a high-speed bypass switch. The picture on the right shows the
power module dc capacitors and the connection between different layers.
The layout of the outdoor equipment for the #1 STATCOM is shown in Fig. 34.
Figure 35 is the control and protection cubicles for #3 STATCOM. The cubicles
include an ac switchboard (distribution panel), a dc switchboard (distribution panel),
a transient fault recorder cubicle, a monitor cubicle, two control and protection
cubicles, and a power module interface cubicle. Figure 36 shows the valve cooling
system for the #1 STATCOM.
The main control modes of the three STATCOMs are:

36 S. Xu et al.
Water Cooling valve-cooling control and protection

Valve room
Ratiator room room
Fig. 32 Outdoor equipment of #3 STATCOM
Fig. 33 #3 STATCOM valves.

Fig. 34 The outdoor equipment of #1 STATCOM in the Funing substation
Fig. 35 Control and protection equipment of #3 STATCOM

38 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 36 Cooling system of #1 STATCOM
1. Steady-state constant reactive power control mode

2. Steady-state constant voltage control mode
3. Dynamic reactive power support mode
4. Coordination control mode
5. Remote control Mode
6. Auxiliary control strategies, such as reactive power reserve mode
Each STATCOM controller has the above control modes. In order to coordi-
nate the control of the three STATCOMs to achieve the same reactive power
output of each STATCOM and to realize the control interaction with the HVDC
control and protection system, a dedicated coordination controller is also
provided.
The control strategies of the coordination controller implement the above
control modes. The coordination controller communicates both with the HVDC
control and protection system and the three STATCOM control systems. When
the HVDC control and protection system controls the ac bus voltage, the coor-
dinated controller monitors the ac bus voltage. If the bus voltage is within the
preset voltage range, it controls the output of the three STATCOMs to zero
reactive power to achieve reactive power reserve. When the ac bus voltage
exceeds the preset voltage range, the coordinated controller forces the
STATCOM control systems to enter voltage control mode to achieve voltage
stability.
RMS
Solid line cursor Dotted cursor
35kV phase A voltage 35kV phase B voltage 35kV phase C voltage
22.6kV 22.6kV
22.6kV 22.6kV
22.6kV 22.6kV
35kV phase A current 35kV phase B current 35kV phase C current
1479A 1477A
1474A 1476A
1480A 1480A
Fig. 37 The recorded data of rated 100 Mvar operation test
RMS

35kV phase A voltage 35kV phase B voltage 35kV phase C voltage
18.4kV 18.4kV
18.4kV 18.4kV
18.4kV 18.4kV
35kV phase A current 35kV phase B current 35kV phase C current

1833A 1833A
1830A 1828A
1839A 1838A
Fig. 38 The recorded data of rated 100 Mvar operation test
When the HVDC control and protection system controls the reactive power at the
outgoing ac line, the coordinated controller will always maintain voltage control
mode for the STATCOMs to ensure stable control of the ac outgoing voltage.
The coordinated controller will keep the output of the three STATCOMs equal,
when the STATCOM is in coordination control mode.
8.4 Performance Test
The engineering field tests demonstrated that the STATCOM has the ability to output
rated power. The recorded data of the rated 100 Mvar and 100 Mvar output is
shown in Figs. 37 and 38.
In Fig. 37, the current is less than the rated current of 1650 A because the voltage
is greater than the rated voltage of 20.2 kV. In contrast, in Fig. 38, the current is
greater than the rated current of 1650 A because the voltage is less than the rated
voltage of 20.2 kV.
The engineering field test verified that the STATCOM has the specified overload
capability 1.3pu current for 5 s. The recorded data is shown in Fig. 39.
20 Mvar to 40 Mvar step response test was performed by modifying the
reactive power setting, when # 3 STATCOM operates in steady-state constant
reactive power control mode. The test results are shown in Fig. 40. The step response
time satisfies the technical requirements of less than 20 ms.
A test was performed with # 3 STATCOM operating in steady-state constant
voltage control mode, with a disturbance to the power grid voltage by connecting a
40 S. Xu et al.
RMS
35kV phase current

2206A 2217A
2200A 2210A
2209A 2220A
Solid line cursor:23296ms Dotted cursor:28297ms Time difference:5001ms
Fig. 39 The test record data of overload ability of 1.3p.u current and lasting 5 s
Instantaneous value
35kV phase C current

35kV phase A current 35kV phase B current -417.0A -770.7A
348.4A 10.6A
-89.7A -775.9A
-0.2pu -0.4pu
-0.20pu -0.38pu
Instantaneous reactive power

Reactive power target instruction
Solid line cursor :-1.4ms Dotted cursor :2ms Time difference :3.4ms
Fig. 40 The recorded data of step response test
Instantaneous value
35kV phase A current

35kV phase B current 35kV phase C current -781.2A -306.1A
1071.5A 649.2A
-274.5A -316.7A
Instantaneous reactive power -0.46pu -0.27pu
Solid line cursor :-11.4ms Dotted cursor :7.6ms Time difference :19ms
Fig. 41 The recorded data of a step response test when in constant voltage control mode
reactor rated at 60 Mvar. The test results are shown in Fig. 41. The step response time
meets the technical requirements of less than 20 ms. The test was performed on one
STATCOM at a time.
Figure 42 shows the result of a single-phase fault test on the 500 kV ac side of the
receiving terminal of the 500 kV HVDC system with the STATCOMs in operation.
From the top to the bottom, there are the dc voltage, dc current, GAMMA of the
converter, and the dc power of the HVDC, respectively. The traces show that the
HVDC scheme suffered a commutation failure from which it successfully recovered
within about 50 ms, following which pre-fault output was reached about 400 ms after
the ac fault.
Fig. 42 The recorded data showing successful recovery of the HVDC converter station supported
by STATCOMs after an ac fault on the inverter side
The STATCOMs at the Funing converter station in China Southern Power Grid
have solved the problem of lack of the dynamic reactive power control in the Funing
converter station. They have achieved stable control of the ac voltage and ensured
the smooth operation of the HVDC transmission system after the N-1 ac fault in the
Funing converter station. This has improved the power grid stability and the
reliability of power supply.
During the recovery of HVDC after an ac system fault, the STATCOM needs to
respond quickly to smooth the voltage fluctuation on the 500 kV busbar. After
clearance of ac faults, a large amount of surplus reactive power stored in the
converter station ac filters may cause high ac overvoltage, and this was considered
in the design of the STATCOM.
9 STATCOMs in Aurangabad, India
Power Grid Corporation of India Ltd. (POWERGRID) is a government-owned

Indian enterprise that is responsible for transmission of electrical energy between
various central states. POWERGRID plans to install STATCOM at some locations in
the Western Region of India to provide dynamic reactive power compensation to
improve the voltage quality and dynamic stability of the transmission system.
A STATCOM with a rated capacity of 300 Mvar, plus two breaker switched
125 Mvar shunt reactors and a breaker switched 125 Mvar shunt capacitor,
and associated connection transformers and 400 kV equipment at 400 kV
Aurangabad substation was specified.
42 S. Xu et al.
400kV BUS
400/38.5
38.5kV BUS
#1 STATCOM #2 STATCOM MSC MSR MSR

±150Mvar ±150Mvar 125Mvar 125Mvar 125Mvar
Fig. 43 SLD of the STATCOM in the Aurangabad substation
The STATCOM was specified and is owned by POWERGRID. The manufacturer

was Rongxin Power Electronic Co.,Ltd. The STATCOM was put into operation in
March 2018.
The STATCOM consists of two parallel connected STATCOM units. Each valve
phase consists of 34 MMC power modules. Each module is the H-bridge structure and
is equipped with a high-speed mechanical bypass switch, in case of a module fault.
The SLD of the STATCOM is shown in Fig. 43.
The main technical parameters of the STATCOM in the Aurangabad substation
are shown in Table. 7.
The layout of the STATCOM is shown in Fig. 44. The land occupation is around
1700 m2. The control and protection system, valve cooling system, and the three-
phase MMC power modules are arranged in containers. The radiators and fans for
valve cooling, delta-connected reactors, earthing switches, surge arresters, and the
circuit breakers are arranged outdoors.
The outdoor equipment and the valve containers are shown in Fig. 45. The valve
cooling system and the valves are arranged in containers; the control and protection
system is in the building on the right-hand side. The water-cooling radiators, delta-
connected reactors, earthing switches, surge arresters, and the circuit breakers are
arranged outdoors.
Table 7 Main technical parameters of the STATCOM and other equipment

Parameter Value
Ratio (kV) 400/38.5
Capacity (MVA) 585
Semiconductor devices Type PP-IGBT
Redundancy (%) 10
Overload capability (current/time) 1.1pu continuous
Fig. 44 Layout of the Aurangabad substation STATCOM
9.3 Main Operation Modes (or Control Function) and Protection

System
The operation modes are similar to the modes for the Dongguan STATCOM (see
Sect. 6.3) but with different parameters.
44 S. Xu et al.
Water cooler Valve cooling Valve Control and

Reactor
radiators system container container protection system
Fig. 45 Valve and outdoor equipment of STATCOM of Aurangabad substation
Theoretical analysis and field tests have shown that the performance of STATCOM
meets the specified requirements. Figure 46 shows the response of the STATCOM
when a fault occurred on the 400 kV line. The fault is a short circuit from phase Y to
phase B. The response of the STATCOM was as expected according to the setting
control logic.
After entering operation, the STATCOM has responded quickly and accurately to
multiple power grid transient disturbances and has provided a powerful dynamic
reactive support for the power network.
10 STATCOM in Alabama, USA
The utility Alabama Power Company (APC) has faced challenges with decreased
power quality due to a reduced short-circuit capacity in the regional network (Hasler
et al. 2018). One large power quality polluter in the system was a steel plant
comprising a large Electric Arc Furnace (EAF) generating flicker, unbalance, and
38.5kV Bus
Voltages
400kV Bus
Voltages
Line
Currents of
STATCOM 1
Line
Currents of
STATCOM 2
Fig. 46 The recorded data during the fault
harmonics. It was decided that installation of compensation equipment at this point

in the network would be most favorable for the overall system in terms of power
quality.
The main parts of the affected utility network are illustrated in Fig. 47. The EAF
Plant within Steel Plant 1 represents an EAF compensated by the STATCOM. Also
relevant for the evaluation of disturbance at the point of evaluation (POE) is the steel
processing plant together with other loads located inside Steel Plant 1 as well as
another steel plant (Steel Plant 2) located only 25 km away. In the nearby area, there
is a power-generating unit that will be partially retired, as well as residential loads
that need to have their power quality kept within standard limits.
Prior to the STATCOM installation, static harmonic filters were used to compen-
sate for the reactive power consumed by Plant 1 EAF as well as to limit
the harmonics created by the same EAF. Static filters are however unable to handle
dynamic load changes, and therefore the disturbance level (mainly flicker) of the
46 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 47 Simplified network representation around Steel Plant 1
230 kV grid was heavily influenced. Flicker short-term perceptibility (Pst) values
(Pst 99%) of 1.7 were recorded at the 230 kV network at a short-circuit level of
8500 MVA.
Due to the future retirement of steam turbines as part of the power-generating
unit, the short-circuit level in the 230 kV network will decrease, certainly leading to
increased disturbance levels. To handle this as well as increased residential and
industrial loads in the area, the utility realized that the power quality on the 230 kV
network needed to be improved.
The large EAF in Plant 1 was considered to be the main contributor to distur-
bances in the network, foremost concerning flicker, but also voltage and current
harmonics as well as low-power factor and voltage unbalance. The most efficient
way to mitigate disturbances is locally at the source of the disturbance. It was thus
decided to install a STATCOM inside Plant 1 to compensate for the EAF. Since the
steel processing plant inside Plant 1 is fed by a separate transformer, it is not
compensated by the STATCOM.
The reason for choosing a STATCOM compensation equipment instead of a
Static Var Compensator (SVC) based on thyristor-controlled reactors (TCR) was
due to the low flicker emission level planned for Plant 1. Typically, a STATCOM can
reduce the flicker by a factor of 3–6, whereas a TCR-based SVC can only reduce by a
factor of 1.5–2. In order not to exceed the recommended planning level at POE,
assuming present and future grid conditions, a STATCOM was deemed necessary.
Additionally, the excellent power quality performance (harmonics, voltage unbal-
ance, step response) of a STATCOM made it a preferred solution over a
TCR-based SVC.
In 2016, ABB commissioned a STATCOM based on the Modular Multilevel
Converter (MMC) topology designed to solve the power quality issues related to the
operation of the arc furnace in Steel Plant 1. The MMC topology allows a low
switching frequency for each H-bridge cell without affecting the overall converter
performance, which reduces the switching losses and offers an excellent output
waveform. In order to obtain high current rating and high performance during
Fig. 48 Single-line representation of power quality measurement setup
unsymmetrical operation, the converter legs are connected in delta as shown in

Fig. 48. The figure shows also the measurement points employed during the con-
tractual power quality evaluation of the expected STATCOM benefits to the system.
Harmonic filters tuned to second and third harmonic filters were also part of the
scope of delivery (Table 8).
The modular arrangement of a valve section, each consisting of four cells (full
H-bridges), is presented in Fig. 49.
The main purpose of the STATCOM is to improve the power quality of the network,
including:
• Mitigate flicker generated from the EAF.

• Reduce voltage and current harmonics at POE.
• Bring the power factor at POE closer to unity.
• Reduce voltage fluctuations and unbalance.
This is achieved by a voltage-source converter (VSC) which generates reactive

power used to compensate for the reactive power absorbed by the EAF. Low order
harmonic filters are added to suppress harmonics generated by the load. The filters
48 S. Xu et al.
Table 8 Main technical parameters of APC STATCOM

Parameter Value
Capacity (Mvar) 0/+220
Connection type Delta-connected MMC (chain-link)
STATCOM Connection type Dyn1
transformera Ratio (kV) 230/34.5
Capacity (MVA) 120
Semiconductor devices Type StakPak IGBT’s
Voltage/current 34.5/4000b
(kV/A)
Cooling method Water cooling with water-air heat
exchangers
a
Part of industrial plant, not included in project scope
b
ICM peak collector current
have also the purpose of providing capacitive reactive power needed in order to
compensate for the EAF and a smaller Ladle Furnace used for refining the melted
steel scrap.
The rating and design of the STATCOM (VSC + filters) is mainly determined by
• Load characteristic (type, mode of operations)

• Performance requirements (flicker, harmonics, power factor, etc.)
• Short-circuit power at POE
• Characteristics of the STATCOM transformer
• Other specific requirements from the customer
In an EAF application, the control system constantly measures the current drawn
by the furnace, and accuracy is achieved using high resolution electronic current
transducers. The STATCOM provides the current necessary to compensate the
disturbances from the furnace in terms of reactive power, unbalance, and harmonics.
The high power rating of the VSC and fast control enables the STATCOM to
instantaneously generate phase currents that correspond to the full range of
the furnace disturbing currents. The STATCOM control enables compensation of
the complete reactive power absorbed by the furnace loads and also modifies the
individual phase currents in order to minimize the effects of disturbances caused by
load fluctuations. Since the converter responds in less than 100 μs, even the fastest
variations can be counteracted. The high control speed of the converter also allows
compensation of several of the harmonics generated by the furnace.
Fig. 49 Section of a chain-

link valve, consisting of four
full H-bridges
10.4.1 Flicker Reduction

Before the STATCOM installation, the uncompensated flicker level Pst99% reached
2.1 at the contractual short-circuit level of 6080 MVA, using the voltage-based
method (IEC/TR 61000-3-7 2008). Figure 50 shows a record of Pst level with the
voltage-based method, which includes the background distortion mainly caused by
Steel Plant 2 located nearby (approximately 25 km away from Plant 1) and other
unknown loads. The left plot shows the records taken before the STATCOM
connection, while the right plot shows the Pst levels recorded exactly 1 week later
50 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 50 Pst level records without (left) and with (right) STATCOM in service, measured on 10 min
average using voltage-based method
Fig. 51 Voltage unbalance measured at POE without (left) and with (right) STATCOM in service
(at identical day period) after the connection of the STATCOM, demonstrating the
achieved flicker reduction.
Using the current-based method, which does not consider the background distor-
tion, 1-week measurements showed a reduction on the flicker level Pst99% from 2.1
(STATCOM OFF) to 0.48 (STATCOM ON). Such reduction factor (4.38) can today
only be achieved with STATCOM technology and suitable control algorithms.
10.4.2 Voltage Unbalance

By counteracting the components of the EAF currents that reduce power quality
indices at the POE, the STATCOM reduces indirectly the negative-sequence voltage
at the POE, caused by the unbalanced load. This is shown in Fig. 51, where
the reduction of the unbalance at the POE voltage is clearly observed when the
150000
125000
100000
kW
75000
50000
25000
00:00 06:00 12:00 18:00 00:00 06:00 12:00

2016-03-28 2016-03-29
Monday Tuesday
TOT P(kW)
Fig. 52 Total EAF power before and after the STATCOM connection at 16:00
STATCOM is in service (right plot). It should be noted that the measurement periods
were the same as those presented in the previous figure, i.e., the flicker reduction
achieved by the STATCOM reduces the voltage unbalance at POE.
10.4.3 Power Factor Improvement

Another benefit from the STATCOM is the improvement of the power factor
measured at the primary side of the transformer. When the STATCOM is in service,
unity power factor can be maintained.
Apart from the power quality improvements, a major advantage for steel plants
after installing an SVC or STATCOM is its capacity to maintain high and stable
furnace bus voltage (34.5 kV). Since the EAF melting power is the product of the arc
current and voltage, a high and stable voltage at the furnace bus increases the
available melting power.
In Fig. 52, an EAF power increase from 118 MW to 142 MW can be seen
when the STATCOM is connected at 16:00, which corresponds to an increase of
approximately 20%. It should be noted that the furnace power before the installation
of the STATCOM was limited because only the second harmonic filter was in
service. After start of STATCOM commercial operation, the furnace operator has
reported an overall production increase of 1% per day.
52 S. Xu et al.
11 Four STATCOMs in Queensland, Australia
Queensland Rail (QR) was expecting a substantial increase in the volume of coal
exported from Central Queensland. To successfully carry more coal from mines
to ports, QR plans to increase the number of trains as well as increasing train
loads.
Today powerful electric locomotives with induction motors (ac motors) will
replace locomotives with dc motors and diesel-electric locomotives. In the future,
most trains in Central Queensland will be electric powered with noticeably larger
electric loads.
The electric trains are a significant single-phase load on Powerlink’s transmission
system in Central Queensland. Additionally new electric locomotives with induction
motors have capability to regenerate up to 65% percent of the active power generated
through electrodynamic braking. In the future all locomotives with this feature will
utilize maximum regeneration, stretching grid capabilities up to limits. The expected
increase in the QR load will affect the quality of the positive-sequence and the
negative-sequence voltage in the region.
New SVCs should ensure load balancing to comply with the grid code require-
ments. Rating of the SVCs have been considered taking into account local QR load
and partial additional loading caused by the adjacent QR. However, SVCs based on
thyristor technology are strong sources of the harmonic currents. At the same time,
the locomotives are also a considerable source of harmonic currents. The connection
points of the QR loads are usually relatively weak. Therefore the decision was made
to install four new STATCOMs based on true multilevel VSC technology to avoid
any kind of negative interaction between the two harmonic sources while still
preserving power quality at the required level.
Four new STATCOMs were installed at the Wycarbah, Duaringa, Bluff, and
Wotonga substations in Queensland, Australia. The STATCOMs are state-of-
the-art voltage-sourced converters (VSC). The VSCs have extremely low har-
monic generation and therefore allow a safe design with respect to possible
harmonic interaction with the ac system also in case of operation during negative
phase sequence control. These advantages will be achieved without filter
components.
The STATCOM solution is owned by Powerlink, and the manufacturer was
Siemens. The STATCOMs were put into operation in 2011.
The SLD of the STATCOM, which uses three-phase transformers and the
connection to the railway catenary using single-phase transformers, is shown in
Fig. 53.
132kV
Feeder
100MVA 30/40MVA
132/30.4kV 132/50kV
Filters
40+4
Feeder
Auto
Transformers
Catenary
–100 to + 100MVAr
Fig. 53 Typical railway feeder substation with STATCOM
The STATCOM is based on the Modular Multilevel Converter technology (MMC).

The voltage-sourced converter consists of three identical phase legs connected in
delta. Each phase leg consists of 44 submodules connected in series. The main
components of each submodule are four IGBTs, four diodes, and one dc capacitor.
The main technical parameters of the STATCOM are shown in Table 9.
The STATCOM parts of the installation were placed in a building. The building
also contains the required cooling equipment, control, and protection cubicles.
Figure 54 shows the voltage-source converter, with the individual submodules
placed in a rack. Each phase of the delta is arranged in one level of the racks.
Figure 55 shows the phase reactors and the ONAN transformer, which are located
outdoors.
The Powerlink STATCOM solution mainly operates in a steady-state voltage

control mode.
The following control modes are available:
54 S. Xu et al.
Table 9 Main technical parameters of STATCOM equipment

Parameter Value
Main ratings Voltage (kV) 30.4
Capacity (Mvar) 100 Mvar
Ratio (kV) 132/30.4
Capacity (MVA) 100
Voltage/current (V/A) 3300/1200
Redundancy (%) 10
Overload capability (current/time) 1500/2 s
Full load STATCOM valve losses (%) <1%
1. Voltage control mode (automatic control mode)

2. Fixed reactive power mode (manual control mode)
For safe and reliable operation of the installation to provide maximum support for
the grid, the following additional closed-loop functions were implemented:
• Negative-sequence voltage control (high priority) – With the negative-sequence

voltage control, unwanted voltage unbalances are controlled, and the negative-
sequence voltage is minimized. Each phase is controlled individually.
• Positive-sequence voltage control (low priority) – The STATCOM PID (propor-
tional integral derivative) voltage controller regulates the positive-sequence
system voltage quickly and accurately to the defined set point.
• Load balancing (Steinmetz controller).
• Stability controller (hunting detection).
• Automatic gain adjustment.
During commissioning of the STATCOM installation, the negative phase sequence

control was tested. In Fig. 56 the current of the STATCOM (a), RMS value of each
phase of the converter (b) and the measured negative phase content in the voltage at
the PCC (c) are shown. At a certain time, the control function was released, and the
individual phase control starts to operate. It is clearly visible how the negative phase
sequence is reduced.
The STATCOM operates correctly and satisfies the Powerlink’s specified require-
ments. It provides a fast and stable response throughout its operating range.
Fig. 54 MMC
converter 100 Mvar
Fig. 55 STATCOM in Wotonga substation

56 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 56 Measurement from site during testing of negative phase sequence control ((a), STATCOM
current; (b), RMS current for each converter phase; (c), negative phase sequence on HV side)
12 Hybrid STATCOM in Rourkela, India
POWERGRID India is in the process of installing four STATCOMs at various

locations in Eastern Region of India for dynamic reactive power compensation to
improve the voltage profile and dynamic stability of the transmission system. Each
of the installations consists of a symmetrical high dynamic reactive power range
output and an additional unsymmetrical range based on capacitors and reactors,
which are mechanically switched. The first installation in Rourkela substation went
into operation in March 2018.
The compensation system was designed to provide a dynamic reactive power output
of 300 Mvar based on using MMC technology. Additionally, an increased induc-
tive power output was required based on mechanically switched branches to achieve
in total 510 Mvar output on the HV side.
Design optimization led to a configuration that employed two STATCOM
branches each with a dynamic range of 150 Mvar. Additionally, two Mechanical
Switched Reactor (MSR) branches each designed to provide 105 Mvar output were
installed in the substation.
The compensation system in this project is owned by Power Grid Corporation of
India, and the manufacturer of the STATCOM is Siemens. The site installation and
tests for the compensation system were completed, and the STATCOM was officially
put into operation in March 2018.
The SLD of the Rourkela hybrid STATCOM is shown in Fig. 57.
The STATCOM uses a Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC). The voltage-
sourced converter consists of three identical phase legs connected in delta. Each
STATCOM phase leg consists of 36 submodules connected in series. The main
components of each submodule are four IGBTs, four diodes, and one dc capacitor.
Fig. 57 SLD of the hybrid 400kV 50Hz Ik=63kA
STATCOM in Rourkela
substation Y Uprim= 400kV
Usec= 35.8kV
Strafo= 511Mvar
STATCOM STATCOM
MSR 105Mvar MSR 105Mvar
150Mvar 150Mvar
58 S. Xu et al.
Table 10 Main technical parameters of the STATCOM equipment

Parameter Value
Capacity (Mvar) 2 150
Ratio (kV) 400/35.8
Capacity (MVA) 511
Redundancy (%) 5
The main technical parameters of the STATCOM in the Rourkela substation are
shown in Table 10.
A compact arrangement of the compensation system, which occupies less than
81m 88 m, was implemented to fit within the limited available site area. The two
STATCOM branches were placed in a building. Additionally the building contains
the required valve cooling equipment and the control and protection cubicles.
All other equipment, including ac breakers and reactors, were mounted outdoors.
An overview of the installation is shown in Fig. 58. The two breaker switched
reactors can be seen in the foreground; the two sets of STATCOM reactors can be
seen near to the building in the top right-hand corner, and the circuit breakers and
isolators can be seen at the right of the picture.
The installation mainly operates in steady-state voltage control mode.

The following control modes are also available:

To ensure safe and reliable operation of the installation and to provide maximum
support for the grid, the following additional closed-loop functions were
implemented:
• Stability controller
• Automatic gain adjustment
• Power oscillation damping
• Sub-synchronous damping function
Fig. 58 STATCOM site view
For smooth integration of a hybrid STATCOM installation in the grid, it is essential

that the switched branches are switched on and off without influencing the HV
voltage at the connection point. In the case of mechanically switched branches, the
switching time of the circuit breakers and a possible pre-arcing during on event must
also be taken into account. To achieve a negligible impact in the voltage at the HV
side, a controlled switching device for the MSR branch and a special function for
reversing the converter current were implemented. Figure 59 shows recordings of the
MSR currents, STATCOM currents, and the voltage at the connection point during
switching on (a) and off (b) of the MSR in Rourkela substation.
The STATCOM is operating as desired and satisfies POWERGRID’s specified
requirements. It provides a rapid and stable response throughout its operating range.
This will lead to improved stability and higher availability of the Eastern
Region grid.
60 S. Xu et al.
Fig. 59 Recorded data from site during MSR switching on (a) and off (b)
13 STATCOM System in South Australia
STATCOMs are commonly used to help wind and solar farms meet grid code
requirements around the world. For the Lake Bonney Wind Farm in South
Australia, a centralized FACTS solution was needed to meet the grid code require-
ments of Essential Services Commission of South Australia (ESCOS), National
Electricity Market Management Company of Australia (NEMMCO), and ElectraNet
(Transmission Utility). This section is based on the paper: J. A. Diaz de Leon,
B. Kehrli, and A. Zalay, “How the Lake Bonney wind farm met ESCOSA’s,
NEMMCO’s, and ElectraNet’s rigorous interconnecting requirements,” IEEE/PES

Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition, April 2008 (Diaz de
Leon et al. 2008).
As shown in Fig. 60, the first and second phases of the wind farm consist of
46 and 159 wind turbine generators (WTGs), respectively.
During the installation of Phase 1 of the wind farm (marked existing in figure),
the ESCOSA grid code was just evolving and did not require the installation of any
type of FACTS devices. However, by the time the Phase 2 installation began to be
analyzed, the grid code had changed significantly with the addition of some stringent
requirements. With respect to reactive output of wind farms and control of system
voltage, the new ESCOSA grid code required the following:
• Capability to provide +/ 93% power factor (PF) at the high side of the power
transformer at full generation.
• Half of the reactive power capability needs to be dynamic (i.e., WTGs, FACTS
devices), and other half can be static (i.e., static shunt devices).
• The reactive output capability should scale proportional to the generation level.
• Capability to regulate the transmission system voltage.
• Capability to ride through nearby transmission grid faults causing high and low
voltages (low voltage ride through (LVRT) and high voltage ride through (HVRT))
• Capability to restore the transmission system’s post fault voltage to a minimum of
90%.
In order to meet all of these requirements for the Phase 2 installation, a 24 Mvar
STATCOM and a total of 54 Mvar capacitor banks were installed at the Lake Bonney
Wind Farm.
Fig. 60 One-line diagram of the Lake Bonney Wind Farm, first and second phase installations
of WTGs
62 S. Xu et al.
Based on the load flow analysis, the total reactive power losses at the point of
common coupling (PCC) were determined to be 47 Mvar as shown in Fig. 61.
The first requirement from the ESCOSA grid code for the 159 MW wind farm
(Phase 2 portion only) was to have the capability of achieving a +/ 93% PF at the
high side of the power transformers. This equates to +/ 63 Mvar at the 132 kV PCC
bus. Adding the 47 Mvar of reactive power absorption to the 63 Mvar needed for the
0.93 PF requirement, the total capacitive compensation needed came out to
110 Mvar. Similarly, for the inductive compensation, an additional 16 Mvar was
needed to increase the 47 Mvar inductive to a total of 63 Mvar.
The second ESCOSA requirement was that a minimum of 50% of the reactive
power compensation needed to be dynamically variable. Thus, at least 55 Mvar of
the capacitive compensation and 8 Mvar of inductive compensation needed to be
dynamic.
Identifying the breakdown of the dynamic and static reactive power requirements
allowed the selection of the type of resources that can be used in meeting
the grid code. The turbines had +0.98/ 0.96 power factor (PF) capability translating
to +32 and 46 Mvar, respectively. For the remainder of the dynamic
requirement, a pure dynamic capability device such as a synchronous condenser,
STATCOM, or SVC was needed. The requirement was met by using two sets of
3 4 Mvar STATCOM units. The total rating of the STATCOM units came out to be
+/ 24 Mvar on a continuous basis with a short-term overload capability of
+/ 64 Mvar (24 Mvar 2.67 overload). Since the WTGs and STATCOM units
provided only 56 Mvar of continuous capacitive reactive power, an additional
54 Mvar was provided by four 13.5 Mvar switched capacitor banks to meet the
Fig. 61 Sources of reactive power losses at full generation

total 110 Mvar requirement. A one-line diagram of the wind farm’s generation and
reactive resources is shown in Fig. 62. A summary of the STATCOM parameters is
provided in (Table 11).
Fig. 62 One-line diagram of the Lake Bonney Wind Farm with the reactive compensation solution
Table 11 Main technical parameters of the STATCOM system

Parameter Value
Steady-state capacity (Mvar) 24/+24
Short-term capacity (Mvar) 64/+64
Step-down transformer Connection type YNd5
Ratio (kV) 33/0.48
Capacity (MVA) 64
Voltage/current (V/A) 1000 V/3000 A
Reliability (%) 99
Overload capability (current/time) 2.67 pu/2 s
Cooling method Air-cooled
Full load STATCOM valve losses (%) 2
64 S. Xu et al.
The main controller of the STATCOM system manages the reactive power output of
not only the STATCOM units but also all other reactive power resources at the wind
farm, which are the WTGs and the four capacitor banks. By requesting the appro-
priate amount of vars from each resource according to a voltage droop profile, the
control system is able to regulate the transmission system voltage or the wind farm’s
overall power factor. The integration of the shunt devices and WTGs’ reactive
capability in the overall reactive power control strategy allows the extension of
the STATCOM’s continuous rating. For short duration large voltage excursions, the
STATCOM utilizes its 2.67-times overload for up to 2 s. Capacitor switching is
seamless, i.e., does not cause any significant voltage step changes, due to a soft-
switching algorithm.
For voltage-control mode, independent droop and dead-band characteristics
are selectable for regulation and transient control. In order to provide maximum
reactive power support, the regulation mode is temporarily overridden by transient
voltage control during major disturbances.
The grid code requires the wind farm to stay online for High Voltage Ride Through
(HVRT) and Low Voltage Ride Through (LVRT) events. The STATCOM’s overload
capability is critical in keeping the terminal voltages of WTGs within their rated
operational ranges. The inherent LVRT capability of the WTGs was sufficient to ride
through the low voltage events. However, meeting the ESCOSA HVRT require-
ments was not possible without the STATCOM’s support. Figure 63 shows the Lake
Bonney 132-kV PCC pu voltage requirement (red line) and the 1 kV bus pu voltage
of the Vestas WTGs (orange line). Exceeding the WTG rated voltages causes the
turbines to trip. The region of concern for HVRT compliance is between 0.08 and
0.90 s, during which the WTGs might trip offline on high voltage.
To keep the WTGs online for these high voltage conditions, the simulations were
first run utilizing only the continuous rating of the STATCOM. As shown by the
green line in Fig. 64, the WTG terminal voltages were still too high to prevent
the WTGs from tripping off-line. Next, using the STATCOM’s overload capability,
the WTG terminal voltages (purple line) were brought down to acceptable values
for the WTGs to stay online.
Other contingencies provided by ElectraNet were also tested to ensure compli-
ance with the voltage recovery criteria, which requires the Lake Bonney 132-kV
transmission bus to reach 90% of nominal voltage quickly after the fault clearing.
A hybrid approach utilizing STATCOMs, WTGs, and shunt devices not only
allowed the Lake Bonney Wind Farm to meet the reactive power requirements of
the South Australia grid code but also minimized the overall cost of the project. With
the proper deployment of FACTS devices, the renewable energy resources can have
Fig. 63 NEMMCO HVRT requirements and WTG capability
Fig. 64 The impact of STATCOM’s continuous and overload capability on WTG terminal voltages
66 S. Xu et al.
reactive power capabilities matching or exceeding those of synchronous generators.

Therefore, FACTS devices play a key role in the development of renewable energy
around the world.
14 Mobile STATCOM, USA
Dominion Energy needed a solution for voltage support in the part of transmission
grid affected by an unplanned event. Such condition could occur due to the unex-
pected outages from natural disasters or closing a power plant with a short notice.
Reliability and power quality have to be guaranteed, while the long-term solution is
under construction. Therefore, a solution that is temporary, but available on short
notice, has been developed.
A short notice modification of the transmission grid can be due to different
reasons such as the switching off of traditional power plants or the integration of
renewable energy sites that are constructed in the span of 18 months or less. The new
generation location creates problems since it is not replacing traditional generation in
the same location or size. To maintain the voltage stability, regulation and tolerance
are difficult since generation is now typically in remote locations compared to the
load centers. Installation and upgrading of new infrastructure are necessary to
make the generation meet the load.
New transmission lines, reconductoring of transmission lines, and installation of
shunt capacitors or reactors are some of the projects that may be required to make the
grid function properly. The challenge is how to carry out the transmission transfor-
mation and still provide reliability and quality of service. Also in this case, the
connection point of reactive power support in the grid is not foreseeable.
The required solution has to be easy to relocate in a very short time. In addition,
the solution should have the capability to be connected anywhere in the entire
network without any negative impacts to the system.
Based on existing containerized STATCOM solutions, a full mobile version was

developed. The mobile compensation system was designed to provide a dynamic
reactive power output of 50 Mvar based on voltage-source converter technology.
In order to have the flexibility to connect at different voltage levels, two possible
HV levels (230 kV and 115 kV) in one transformer unit were realized.
The mobile STATCOM solution is owned by Dominion Energy, and the manu-
facturer is Siemens. The STATCOM was put into operation in June 2018.
The SLD of the mobile STATCOM is shown in Fig. 65.
The STATCOM is based on Modular Multilevel Converter (MMC) technology.
Utilizing this technology, no harmonic filters need to be installed in order to meet
230|115kV 60Hz Ik=50kA
Y Uprim = 230 | 115 kV

Usec = 13.9kV
Strafo = 50Mvar
STATCOM
Fig. 65 SLD of the mobile STATCOM
grid code requirements. This makes the design compact and provides the flexibility
to connect at any point in the network. The voltage-sourced converter consists of
three identical phase legs connected in delta. Each phase leg consists of 22 sub-
modules connected in series. The main components of each submodule are four
IGBTs, four diodes, and one dc capacitor.
The main technical parameters of the mobile STATCOM are shown in Table 12.
The design of a mobile STATCOM including step-down transformer requires
separating component equipment into logical practical blocks that can be connected
with temporary power and control cables (see Fig. 66). The mobile STATCOM
system was designed to be fully relocatable in a comparably short duration. The
main trailer contains the STATCOM valves or submodules, protection with control,
and the cooling system. The second trailer contains arm reactors as well as the
necessary instrument transformers. The third trailer contains all required auxiliary
equipment such as auxiliary transformer, batteries, AC and DC distribution panels,
and storage. The heat exchanger is connected using stainless steel hose allowing for
flexible location and orientation. An additional trailer contains the mobile trans-
former inclusive of HV breaker and arrester. All other equipment is designed to be
temporary and relocatable for rapid deployment inclusive the necessary oil
containment.
68 S. Xu et al.
Table 12 Main technical parameters of the mobile STATCOM equipment

Parameter Value
Capacity (Mvar) 50 Mvar
Step-down transformer Connection type YNd5
Ratio (kV) HV: 230 or 115
LV: 13.9
Capacity (MVA) 50
Redundancy (%) 10
Fig. 66 Mobile STATCOM: Overall layout
Cables connect the components in each container; therefore no open live parts or
busbars are exposed. This significantly reduces the risk of internal faults at the
substation and improves personnel safety. In general, the fully containerized solution
is beneficial at remote locations. The reduced installation work on-site together with
a compact STATCOM area results in less work and less overall risk for personnel
(Fig. 67).
Fig. 67 Valve, cooling, and control module
14.3 Major Operation Modes
The mobile STATCOM solution mainly operates in steady-state voltage

control mode.
The following control modes are available:

For safe and reliable operation of the installation to provide maximum support for
the grid, additional closed-loop functions were implemented like:
• Stability controller
• Automatic gain adjustment
The mobile STATCOM mainly operates in a voltage control mode or reactive

power control mode. In addition, external reactive elements like mechanically
switched capacitors or mechanically switched reactors can be controlled. It is
equipped with an automatic gain adaption function that provides a desirable
response of the STATCOM over a wide range of network conditions and thus
ensures the required performance for the various locations.
A study of multiple Dominion Energy projects predicts issues of normal operation at

higher load levels. Frequent sources of voltage violations were noted and observed.
70 S. Xu et al.
As an example, a line reconductoring project was studied and showed voltage

violations for N-1 contingencies. At larger load levels, a fault-induced delayed
recovery voltage (FIDRV) and voltage violations became more profound. Without
additional support, in this case by a mobile STATCOM, the only alternative would
be to only perform construction during light load periods dragging a line rebuild out
to possibly 30 months. With the mobile STATCOM, the line construction project can
be a continuous process culminating in significant savings and enhanced reliability.
Figure 68 shows the basic fault case near peak load with a critical transmission line
out of service. A FIDVR condition occurs that may cause an area voltage collapse.
The worst-case bus is mitigated with a 50 Mvar STATCOM.
For verification purpose the original control cubicles were placed in the real-time
digital simulator, and different scenarios were investigated. In Fig. 69, voltages on
HV side and the reaction of the STATCOM are shown as an example.
1.2
With STATCOM
1.1
1
Voltage (pu 115 kV Base)
0.9
0.8
0.7
Without
0.6 STATCOM
0.5
0.4
0.3
0.2
0 0.5 1 1.5 2 2.5 3 3.5 4 4.5 5 5.5 6 6.5 7 7.5 8 8.5 9 9.5 10
Time (seconds)
Fig. 68 Worst-case fault before and after STATCOM installation
Fig. 69 Simulation results during RTDS testing

14.5 Project Evaluation
The mobile STATCOM is a solution that can be connected at any point on the
electrical network that requires voltage support. It has the flexibility to be relocated
within a short period of time and provides grid support until a long-term solution can
be completed.
The STATCOM operates correctly and satisfies Dominion Energy’s specified
requirements. It provides a rapid and stable response throughout its operating range.
15 Cross-References
▶ Power Electronic Topologies for FACTS

▶ Technical Description of Static Compensators (STATCOM)
References
Anderson, P.M., Farmer, R.G.: Subsynchronous resonance; Chapter 6, pages 229 to 286, In: Series
capacitor studies, testing and maintenance, Chapter 8. In: Series Compensation of Power
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Diaz de Leon, J.A., Kehrli, B., Zalay, A.: How the Lake Bonney wind farm met ESCOSA’s,
NEMMCO’s, and ElectraNet’s rigorous interconnecting requirements. In: IEEE/PES
Transmission and Distribution Conference and Exposition (2008)
Farmer, R.G., Schwalb, A.L., Katz, E.: Navajo project report on subsynchronous resonance analysis
and solutions. IEEE Trans. Power Syst. PAS-96(4), 1226–1232 (1977)
Hanson, D.J., Horwill, C., Loughran, J., Monkhouse D.R.: The application of a relocatable
STATCOM on the UK National Grid system. In: CIGRÉ Regional Conference, New Delhi (2001)
Hasler, J-P, Sneed, T., Holmberg, M., Lund, J., Näslund, M.: Power Quality Analysis and IEC
Standard Evaluation Using Measurements and Simulations in a STATCOM Application.
Paper C4-114. CIGRÉ, Paris (2018)
Horwill, C., Totterdell, A.J., Hanson, D.J., et al.: Commission of a 225 MVAr SVC incorporating a
75MVAr STATCOM AT NGC’s 400kV east claydon substation. In: Seventh International
Conference on AC-DC Power Transmission, pp. 232–237. Institution of Electrical Engineers,
London (2001)
IEC/TR 61000-3-7: Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC) – Part 3–7: Limits – Assessment of
Emission Limits for the Connection of Fluctuating Installations to MV, HV and EHV Power
Systems, Ed.2.0. BSI, London (2008)
Li Chunhua, Zhang Yongkang, et al.: Artificial short circuit test and analysis of 200MVAr static
synchronous compensator artificial short-circuit test and analysing in Southern power grid.
Autom. Elect. Power Syst. 37(4), 125–129 (2013)
Liu Wen-hua, Song Qiang, Teng Le-tian, et al.: 50MVAr STATCOM based on chain circuit
converter employing IGCT’s. Proc. CSEE. 28(15), 55–60 (2008)
Rao, H., Xu, S., Zhao, Y., et al.: Research and application of multiple STATCOMs to improve the
stability of ACDC power systems in China Southern Grid. IET J. 10(13), 3111–3118 (2016)
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Woodhouse, M.L., Donoghue, M.W., Osborne, M.M.: Type testing of the GTO valves for a novel
STATCOM converter. In: Seventh International Conference on AC-DC Power Transmission.
Institution of Electrical Engineers, London (2001)
Xiao Leisi, Li Ming, et al.: Manual instantaneous earthing test of CSG transmission lines. South.
Power Syst. Technol. 9(3), 63–66 (2015)
Yao Weizheng, Liu Gang, Hu Siquan, et al.: Research on improved control strategies of STATCOM
for LCC-HVDC weak receiving station. Proc. CSEE. 38(12), 3362–3670 (2018)
Shukai Xu, Senior Engineer at professor level, HVDC, and

Power Electronics, Deputy Director of HVDC and Power Elec-
tronics department of EPRI of China Southern Power Grid, and
Deputy Director of State Key Laboratory of HVDC Transmis-
sion Technology of China. Shukai Xu received his Bachelor’s
degree and Ph.D. degree from Tsinghua University, Beijing,
China, both in Electrical Engineering, in 2002 and 2007,
respectively. After graduation, he joined EPRI of China South-
ern Power Grid (CSG) in Guangzhou, China, and worked as an
Engineer of DC De-icing, STATCOM, HVDC, and
VSC-HVDC system. From 2011 to 2013, he worked on the
35 kV/200 MVAr STATCOMs for power system application
which were installed in four 500 kV substations of load center
in CSG to enhance regional power system stability. As the
Technical Director, he studied the application of VSC-MTDC
technology, including the system design, integration, control
strategies, etc., and finally developed the world’s first
VSC-MTDC project in 2013 – Nao’ao VSC-MTDC. He also
developed a back-to-back VSC-HVDC project in the 500 kV
backbone network of CSG, which is rated at 350 kV/
1000 MW and was put into operation in 2016. At present, he
is studying the ultrahigh VSC technology and LCC-VSC-
HVDC technology, which can be applied into the three-terminal
800 kV/8000 MW 3000 MW 5000 MW Wudongde
HVDC project in CSG. He was a member of CIGRE B4.53
and now is an IEEE senior member and IET Fellow.
Shaobo Wang, Senior Engineer, Electronic Power System,

Deputy Director of Grid Business Development department of
Rongxin Huiko (RXHK) Electric Technology Co., Ltd. Shaobo
Wang received his Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree from
North China Electric Power University, in 2000 and 2007, respec-
tively. After graduation, he joined Rongxin Power Electronic Co.,
Ltd. and worked as an Engineer of Power Electronic equipment and
VSC-HVDC system. From 2007 to 2009, he worked on the 35 kV/
80 Mvar SVC devices which were directly connected to 35 kV bus
in a power plant to damping the sub-synchronous resonance. From
2014, he joined RXHK Electric Technology Co., Ltd. He has also
joined the work of several projects on FACTS and HVDC applica-
tions. At present, he is working on the system design of STATCOM
projects.
Guangjie Zuo, Engineer, Reactive power compensation and

Power Electronics, Researcher of Flexible transmission department
of XJ Group Co., Ltd. Guangjie Zuo received his Bachelor’s degree
from Liaoning Technical University, Fuxin, China, and Master’s
degree from Nanjing University of Aeronautics and Astronautics,
Nanjing, China, both in Electrical Engineering, in 2008 and 2011,
respectively. After graduation, he joined Flexible transmission
department of XJ Group Co., Ltd in Xuchang, China, and worked
as an Engineer of New energy power generation, power electronic
equipment, VSC-HVDC, and STATCOM system. From 2012 to
2013, he worked on the VSC-HVDC system, mainly responsible
for the construction of the test platform and the verification of key
control and protection technologies, the results were applied to
Zhoushan VSC-MTDC project in 2014. From 2015 to 2016, as
the core member, he worked on the 35 kV/100 MVAr
STATCOM for power system application which was installed in
Funing converter station, the receiving terminal of the 500 kVdc
Yongren-Funing HVDC system. At present, he is working on the
application of STATCOM in new energy generation systems.
Colin Davidson is Consulting Engineer – HVDC, at GE Grid

Solutions, HVDC Activity, whose Center of Excellence is in
Stafford, UK. He joined the company in January 1989, when it
was part of GEC, and progressed through the following positions:
Trainee, Thyristor Valve Design Engineer, Thyristor Valve Man-
ager, Engineering Director, and R&D Director, his current role. He
is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institution of Engi-
neering and Technology and has served on several IEC standard-
ization committees for HVDC and FACTS, winning the IEC 1906
award in 2012. He has a degree in Natural Sciences, specializing in
Physics, from the University of Cambridge.
74 S. Xu et al.
Marcio Oliveira was born in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in 1967 and

received the M.Sc. degree in Electrical Engineering from Federal
University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil in 1992. He obtained the
Technical Licentiate and Ph.D. degrees in 1996 and 2000, respec-
tively, in the field of High Power Electronics from the Royal
Institute of Technology in Sweden. He joined ABB FACTS in
2000, where he has worked in several technical areas such as
power system design, real-time simulator studies, control system
design and implementation, and R&D projects. Marcio currently
holds a System Lead Engineer position, primarily driving technical
marketing and sales activities of FACTS technology worldwide.
He participated on CIGRÉ SC B4 WG53 “Guidelines for procure-
ment and testing of STATCOMs,” and he is member of IEC TC22,
being convenor of IEC 61954 maintenance team, related to testing
of SVC thyristor valves. He received the 1906 IEC award in 2017.
Rizah Memisevic has worked at Powerlink, in the Power

Research Institute, and at universities, as Lecturer and Assistant
Professor, at the Faculty Electrical Engineering at the Univer-
sity of Tuzla, Bosnia, and Herzegovina, and as Research Officer
at the University of Queensland. He was always involved into
research across multiple technical areas of renewable energy
(solar and wind), power quality, energy applications (power
generation), and energy and economic interaction.
Dr. Memisevic is a member of the Australasian Association
for Engineering Education, IEEE (Senior Member), and the
Institution of Engineers Australia.
Georg Pilz, Engineering Director for System Engineering and

Network Studies for FACTS installations worldwide, Siemens,
Germany. Georg Pilz was born in Dresden, Germany, in 1972
and received the Graduate Engineer degree 1999 in Electrical
Engineering and the Ph. D. degree 2007 from the Technical Uni-
versity of Dresden. He joined Siemens AG 2005 where he worked
in the System Engineering department of FACTS application. His
main fields of interest were design of FACTS installations espe-
cially transient simulation as well as several R&D projects. Cur-
rently he is Engineering Director for System Engineering and
Network Studies for FACTS application worldwide. He was mem-
ber on CIGRÉ SC B4 WG53, works in IEC TC22, and is Vice
Chair of IEEE WG P2745 “Guide for Technology of Unified
Power Flow Controller Using Modular Multilevel Converter.”
Bilgehan Donmez joined AMSC’s Network Planning and

Applications group in 2016. His responsibilities center around
technical studies and research on electric power systems, as well
as developing computer models and software tools to simulate and
analyze power system networks. He is experienced in utilizing load
flow, dynamic and electromagnetic transient, and harmonic ana-
lyses, to design solutions that address electrical power systems’
challenges and constraints. Prior to joining AMSC, he worked for
5 years at ISO New England as a Real-Time Studies Engineer in the
Operations Department, where he provided engineering support to
the control room for the day-to-day operation of the New UK
electric grid. Before the ISO, he worked at National Grid as a
Transmission Planning Engineer for 3 years. Mr. Donmez earned
his B.S. degree in Electrical Engineering from the joint engineering
program of University of Missouri and Washington University in
St. Louis. He received his M.S. degree in Electrical Engineering
from Northeastern University and is currently pursuing his Ph.D.
degree there. He is a member of the IEEE and has co-authored and
presented papers at IEEE and other professional forums.
Bjarne Andersen is the director and owner of Andersen

Power Electronic Solutions Limited, which was established in
2003. Before becoming an independent consultant, Bjarne
worked for 36 years for what is now GE Grid, where his final
role was as Director of Engineering. He was involved with the
development of the first chain link STATCOM and the relocat-
able SVCs concept. Bjarne has extensive experience in all
stages of LCC and VSC HVDC projects. As a consultant he
has worked on several international HVDC projects, including
the Caprivi Link, the first commercial VSC HVDC project to
use an HVDC overhead line and a VSC HVDC project for
multi-terminal operation permitting multi- vendor access.
Bjarne was the Chairman of CIGRE SC 14 from 2008 to 2014
and initiated several working groups in the area of HVDC
Grids. He is an honorary member of CIGRE and was the 2012
recipient of the prestigious IEEE PES Uno Lamm Award.

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Application Examples of STATCOM

Shukai Xu, Shaobo Wang, Guangjie Zuo, Colin Davidson,

© Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 1

6 Multiple STATCOMs in Guangdong, China . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22

12.3 Main Operation Modes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

12. A Mobile 50 Mvar STATCOM in USA, which is designed to be relocated in a

2 Brief Introduction of the STATCOM

STATCOM is the abbreviation of static synchronous compensator. The STATCOM

3 STATCOM in East Claydon, UK

3.1 Application Background

The privatization and “unbundling” of the electricity supply industry in the UK

3.2 System Structure and Operating Parameters

The STATCOM was speciﬁed to provide a smoothly variable reactive output of

TSC STATCOM Harmonic filter

Fig. 1 SLD of the STATCOM in East Claydon substation

Table 1 Main technical parameters of STATCOM equipment

Fig. 2 Valve containers and outdoor equipment in East Claydon substation

3.3 Main Operating Modes

Fig. 3 Response to step

The following control modes are also available:

1. Steady-state constant reactive power control mode

3.4 System Performance

One of the main advantages of the STATCOM in comparison with a conventional

4 MMC STATCOM in Shanghai, China

4.1 Application Background

• Provision of fast dynamic voltage support in the event of a network fault,

4.2 System Structure and Operating Parameters

4.3 Main Operating Modes

Fig. 4 SLD of STATCOM

Table 2 Technical data for Shanghai Huangdu District STATCOM

is controlled to regulate the steady-state grid voltage through a proportional

Valve Hall Series Reactor 2

Cooling Tower Water cooling Control room 10kV switch room

Fig. 5 The layout of the STATCOM

Fig. 6 Outdoor STATCOM equipment

Fig. 7 STATCOM valves

Fig. 8 Control and protection system

4.4 System Performance

Fig. 9 Line current ia ib

Fig. 10 Three-phase instantaneous reactive power during step response test

5 STATCOM in Cerro Navia, Chile

5.1 Application Background

Alto Jahuel 500 kV

5.2 System Structure and Operation Parameters

In 2011, two FACTS installations comprising a STATCOM and an SVC were

Fig. 12 Single-line diagram

Table 3 Main technical parameters of Cerro Navia STATCOM

5.3 Main Operation Modes

Fig. 13 Power transformer and MV equipment of Cerro Navia STATCOM

STATCOM is limited, since the negative-sequence compensation increases the dc

5.4 System Performance

6 Multiple STATCOMs in Guangdong, China

6.1 Application Background

In order to support the multi-infeed power system in Guangdong, four

6.2 System Structure and Operating Parameters

Fig. 18 SLD of the 500kV BUS

Table 4 Main technical parameters of each STATCOM

The main technical parameters of the STATCOM are shown in Table 4.

6.3 Control Modes

Step up 35kV Valve

Fig. 19 Valve and outdoor equipment of STATCOM of Dongguan substation

6.4 System Performance

Fig. 20 Valve container internal view of STATCOM of Dongguan substation