Contact usElia and FGC UES Representatives’ Meeting
One of the strategic activities of the Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy System of Russia is creating environment for import substitution, Russian OEMs’ exports promotion and manufacture localization of highly technological power equipment.
Federal Grid Company is the operator and manager of Russia’s unified electricity transmission grid system, including high voltage transmission lines, and holds the status of a natural monopoly. The Company’s assets include more than 139,000 km of transmission lines and 924 substations with more than 332 GVA of 35–750 kV transformer capacity. Based on the length of transmission lines and installed transformer capacity, Federal Grid is the largest publicly traded electricity transmission company in the world. Federal Grid’s business is to provide electricity transmission and technological connection services. It maintains and develops the grid system and supervises grid facilities and infrastructure in 77 Russian regions, covering a territory of 15.1 million square kilometres. Its customers are regional distribution companies, electricity suppliers and large industrial enterprises. The Company is a natural monopoly with 80.13% stake controlled by Russian Grids.
The Federal Grid Company and Izolyator plant are actively involved in CIGRE (International Council for large high-voltage electrical systems) work, which ranks high among the largest non-commercial, non-governmental international organizations of scientific technical cooperation in power engineering and influences greatly the power industry strategy development across many countries.
With the purposes of Russian Federation’s standing improvement on European electric power markets and Russia — Belgium power industry dialog development, Russia’s CIGRE member Federal Grid Company of Unified Power System and Belgium’s State Power Grid Company Elia shared experience in power equipment operation.
Elia is not just Belgium’s transmission system operator — it is also a key player at European level. Elia is Belgium’s high-voltage transmission system operator (30 kV to 380 kV), operating over 8000 km of lines and underground cables throughout Belgium. Elia plays a crucial role in the community by transmitting electricity from generators to distribution systems, which in turn deliver it to the consumer. Elia also plays an essential part in the economy, as our system supplies power directly to major companies connected to the grid. Boasting a pivotal location in Europe, Elia is also a key player in the energy market and the interconnected electricity system.
Strategic Partnership
Belgium represented by Elia became the first in Europe to start transition program to HV bushings with hard internal RIP insulation from oil-in-paper technology. In line with this program realization, Izolyator became the first Russian supplier of high-voltage bushings with hard internal RIP insulation to Belgium.
Meeting at Elia in June 2015 (L-R): 2nd — Dominique Gathoye, then — Herald van Outryve, Paul Leemans, Yaroslav Sedov and Ivan Panfilov
The start of successful cooperation with Belgian power grid company Elia became possible due to the large amount of work on Izolyator side to seek partnerships in Europe and active support from the Federal Grid Company. Over the past few years, Izolyator increased exports signing HV products delivery contracts to the countries of European Union including Belgium.
Meeting at CG Power Systems Belgium NV in September 2015. (L-R): Natalia Mazova, Yaroslav Sedov, 4th L — Dirk Cousy, 5th — Bert Wouters (Elia)
Introduction to HV Bushings Manufacture Process
The visit of representatives of Belgian State Power Grid Company Elia and CG Power Systems Belgium NV transformer plant to Russia began with Izolyator HV bushings manufacturing facility. The guests saw the plant, audited the production system, inspected high-voltage tests of finished equipment and discussed trilateral cooperation development.
CG Power Systems Belgium NV (formerly Pauwels Trafo Belgium NV) with manufacturing units in Belgium, Ireland, USA, Canada and Indonesia is a developer of innovative, high-quality, reliable products and turnkey solutions for a wide range of power applications. CG Power Systems Belgium NV Businesses: transformers, switchgear, systems, automation, services. The CG strategy is based on creating solutions for its customers, combining state-of-the-art technology and manufacturing with international systems and aftersales services, making sure that project needs are met, anywhere in the world.
Plant’s Production Process Audit
Representatives of the Belgian delegation familiarized themselves with the details of production process and quality management system in the plant scrutinizing every production stage of a high-voltage bushing. They met with designs and modern production technologies of high-voltage bushings with hard internal RIP insulation.
In the result of the successful production audit, Bert Wouters appreciated highly the reliability of Izolyator bushings and showed confidence on their applicability for Elia’s power grid facilities.
Rudy Van Den Bosch marked the high level of the plant’s technological infrastructure and product quality that meets all relevant international standards’ requirements.
Production audit of Izolyator plant (L-R): Dirk Cousy, Yaroslav Sedov, Bert Wouters, Natalia Mazova and Victor Kiryukhin
Inspection of High-Voltage Bushings Tests
Representatives of the Belgian companies inspected the second stage of type tests ran on Izolyator transformer 100 and 172 kV bushings made for operation in Elia’s power grid.
The tests results showed that the bushings features correspond to all international standards.
Izolyator HV bushings tests (L-R): Dmitry Ivanov, Rudy Van Den Bosch, Alexander Novikov and Victoria Loshchinina
Trilateral Talks
Izolyator plant hosted trilateral talks between Elia, CG Power Systems Belgium NV and Izolyator representatives.
The Belgian companies’ representatives marked a number of Izolyator’s advantages and achievements, namely:
- a high technological level of HV RIP bushings production,
- unique history of the plant,
- ability to design RIP bushings for high and ultra-high voltages and quickly implement new designs into experimental and mass production,
- turn-key solutions availability for customers: from design to technical service in warranty and post-warranty period,
- positive track record with European power grids and leading international power equipment OEMs.
Prospects of International Cooperation
The business visit agenda continued with the Belgian delegation’s talks at the Federal Grid Company of Unified Energy Systems of Russia headquarter with participation of FGC UES JSC and Izolyator top management.
Nikolay Shvetz, Deputy Chairman of the Board of Directors at FGC UES JSC headed the delegation of the Federal Grid Company. On Izolyator side Alexander Slavinsky, Chairman of the Board of Directors, Ivan Panfilov, Commercial Director and Natalia Mazova, International BDM took part in the meeting.
The sides shared experience of power grids operation in Russia and Belgium and high-voltage equipment operation on power grid facilities of the two countries.
The specialists of the Belgian companies and Russian Izolyator told about their joint activities and international cooperation, illustrating HV RIP bushings application on European grid facilities.
Izolyator is a regular supplier of high-voltage bushings to power grid facilities of the Unified national (all-Russian) power network. It has positive conclusions of FGC UES’s attestation commission.
Based on the long term successful cooperation with Izolyator plant and the high quality of its products, FGC UES confirmed intention to recommend Izolyator as a HV bushings supplier to the power system of Belgium and Europe in general.
At the end of the meeting, FGC UES and Elia expressed their interest in development of the dialog and further experience sharing on implementation and operation of electrical equipment including bushings with hard internal RIP insulation made by Izolyator.
Business meeting at FGC UES
The main outcomes of the business visit of the Belgian delegation to Russia:
- FGC UES and Elia showed interest in continued dialog regarding power industry and experience sharing in implementation and operation of power equipment,
- Elia representatives and FGC UES management showed agreement of opinion on the need to evaluate the Russian high-voltage products manufacturer Izolyator as a regular supplier of high-voltage bushings with hard internal RIP insulation for the needs of power grids of Belgium and Europe in general.
We would like to thank representatives of the Belgium State Power Grid Company Elia, CG Power Systems Belgium NV transformer plant and FGC UES management for the high appreciation given to Izolyator’s activities as well as the demonstrated trust with innovative power equipment supplies to the European power market.