Given that the majority of the line connecting Serbia’s Košava with Alibunar dates back to 1966, it comes as little surprise that it was no longer up to the task of distributing the power generated by the latter’s new 42MW wind farm. In choosing Lamifil’s state-of-the-art ACCC Helsinki conductor for the reconductoring project, Elektromreža Srbije not only found a cost-effective solution for boosting capacity but also solved several challenging height-clearance issues along the way. In so doing, Serbia has taken an important step towards reaching its target of 27% renewable energy by 2020.
Green Energy Boost
Backed by investments from Elicio, the World Bank’s IFC Group, Unicredit Bank, FMO and the Green for Growth Fund (GGF), the newly completed 21-turbine, 42MW wind farm in Alibunar is expected to produce enough renewable energy to service around 27,600 households. It is the largest energy capacity connected to the grid in Serbia since 1991.Getting that green electricity to those households, however, not only called for increased capacity but also reduced sag, since the height clearance of the existing line was starting to be a real problem in several places.
First ACCC Upgrade in Serbia
Elektromreža chose Lamifil’s advanced 150.8mm2 ACCC Helsinki conductor, replacing all 22km of the existing 150/25 ACSR conductors on the Košava – Alibunar line in collaboration with local distributor, Elektro Merkur. As such, the new 110kV line is the first ACCC project brought to fruition in Serbia. The ACCC conductor offers superior performance and capacity compared to conventional conductors of the same diameter and weight.
Increased Capacity While Addressing Sag
The installation of the new Lamifil ACCC line has resulted in a 41% increase in capacity, up from 460 amps (87MVA) to the 650 amps (124MVA) required to distribute the new wind farm’s 42MW total installed power. The durable, high-tensile line also eliminates the older line’s ground clearance issues, significantly reducing sag across all 22km of line. In so doing, Lamifil has made a positive contribution to enabling Serbia’s transition to green energy, helping the Alibunar wind farm save over 88,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions every year.
This article was republished with permission from CTC Global’s manufacturing partner Lamifil www.lamifil.be
