Börse Express – 167 tons of transport by APG: delivery of the first transformer leg to the Salzburg substation
Transport of another five transformer legs for the UW Salzburg in the next few weeks.
During the night from Monday to Tuesday (September 27th), the first of a total of six transformer parts was delivered to the Austrian Power Grid (APG) substation in Salzburg (Elixhausen). Starting from the Siemens Energy plant in Weiz, Styria, the so-called “transformer leg” with a transport weight of 167 tons was first taken by train to a Siggerwiesen and then by road to the Salzburg substation. The two transformers each consist of three parts, so-called transformer legs.
Arriving at the substation, the transformer leg was carefully unloaded, placed on special rails with millimeter precision using precision work and finally pulled onto its foundation. By October 31, five more transformer parts are to be transported, assembled and completed into two 380/220 kV transformers on the same route. The substation Salzach (Hagenau) is connected via the existing 220 KV lines.
“The Salzburg substation is being upgraded as part of the first section of the 380 kV Salzburg line and made fit for the new high-voltage line. With the two transformers, the greater Salzburg area will be connected directly to the 380 kV Salzburg line. Completely installed and upgraded, the total weight of a transformer is around 822 tons. The Salzburg substation, modernized for 380 kV, will increase the transmission capacity of APG as part of the Salzburg line and thus contribute to a secure power supply in Austria and to the success of the energy transition. The two transformers, each with a switching capacity of 550 megavolt amperes, will ensure the connection of the business location Salzburg to the transmission grid,” explains UW project manager Andreas Sommer.
The work to complete the Salzburg line continues at full speed. Around 320 of a total of 449 masts have already been erected. In 2025, the 128 km long line will go into operation as planned and will thus be an essential part of the future-proof APG network infrastructure.
Around 890 million euros will be invested in the Salzburg line, but that is only a small part of the total investment. “APG will invest around 3.5 billion euros in the domestic electricity infrastructure over the next ten years. These investments are the key to future requirements and the success of the energy transition with a secure supply,” explains APG company spokesman Christoph Schuh.
“Renewable energies are elementary for our sustainable energy future, but in order to make them optimally usable, the power grid infrastructure needs to be expanded at the same time. Electricity from renewable energy sources in eastern Austria can only be brought to the storage power plants in the Alps with strong lines. The Salzburg line increases the transport capacity sevenfold and is therefore a prerequisite for a secure transformation of the energy system in Austria, for the availability of inexpensive electricity and the electrification of society, business and industry. The current developments in electricity and energy prices, as well as the uncertainties of the Ukraine crisis, show how important additional capacities in all areas of the energy system – grids, storage, production, reserves and digital platforms for the integration of all actors into the energy system – for securing the economic and industrial locations Salzburg and Austria are.”
The Salzburg line is one of the central energy transition projects in Austria. The Austrian 380 kV ring – the backbone of the domestic power supply – in western Austria will be closed with the commissioning. This enables the efficient integration of renewable energies into the domestic power grid and secures the country’s stable power supply.
About Austrian Power Grid (APG)
Austrian Power Grid (APG) is Austria’s independent electricity grid operator, which controls and is responsible for the national electricity transmission grid. APG’s infrastructure secures Austria’s power supply and is therefore the lifeline of Austria, the population and its company. The APG network extends over a route length of 3,400 km, which the company operates and maintains with a team of around 700 specialists and in some cases adapts it to the increasing demands of the economy and society. The capacities of APG’s power grid and the use of state-of-the-art technologies are the prerequisites for a sustainable, secure power supply in Austria, the immediate climate and energy goals and for the increasing electrification of society, business and industry. With our digital platforms, we make their flexibilities usable for electricity management. Employees: Develop reliable market products, master the physics and guarantee the safe and efficient power supply for Austria. With an investment volume of around 370 million euros for the expansion and conversion of the network infrastructure in 2022, APG is giving the domestic economy a strong boost. In total, APG will invest around 3.5 billion euros in grid expansion and conversion by 2032. That is around 19 percent of the total of 18 billion euros that the e-business will invest in the network infrastructure over the next ten years. In the Sustainable Brand Rating 2022, APG has been voted number one in the supply infrastructure category for the third time in a row.