Second service contract for Alstom Grid in Thailand

Alstom Grid has been awarded a contract by Sri U Thong Co. Ltd, for services worth over €4 million, to install seven gas-insulated substation (GIS) bays for the Vibhavadi extension project in southern Thailand. The end customer is Thailand’s Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA) – the state enterprise company, responsible for energy distribution in Bangkok area.
 

Alstom’s scope in the project includes the supply and supervision of the installation of five 230 kV, one 115 kV and one 69 kV GIS bays. Due to be commissioned in April 2014, the bays will be installed by Alstom’s local services team, based in Thailand. The project will connect the existing substation to two 300 MVA transformers installed at Vibhavadi substation. The particularity of this project concerns the varying ages of the different GIS equipment. Sri U Thong Co. selected Alstom Grid for its significant expertise in matching new bays to complement the existing ageing equipment.
 

The aim of the extension is to meet the increasingly high electricity demand in the Vibhavadi area and surrounding Bangkok Metropolitan Region, which has a population of nearly 15 million¹. This demand is fuelled by continuous economic growth in the country spanning the last 30 years.
 

Commenting on the award, Jan Masschelin, Alstom Grid Vice-President for the Service business, said, “This award demonstrates our expertise in both legacy equipment and new solutions. We are committed to providing the most efficient, economic and sustainable services to maximise the life of our customers’ assets.”
 

This is Alstom’s second services contract in the last year for Thailand’s MEA. Alstom Grid has also provided a sustainable solution to the Surawong substation modernisation project, using refurbished parts of a decommissioned gas-insulated substation. The complete 69 kV bay extension was successful tested and energised in August 2012.