Hatch launches electrical transmission centre of excellence in Winnipeg
January 22, 2021
By CCE
The global HVDC transmission market is expected to see significant growth over the next few years.
Photo courtesy Hatch.
Hatch has launched a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) and flexible alternating current (AC) transmission system (FACTS) centre of excellence in Winnipeg, nearly three years after the concept’s inception.
The global HVDC transmission market is expected to experience significant growth over the next few years. As such, the new centre will be supported by ‘satellite’ teams around the world, building upon Hatch’s 16,000 MW of HVDC and FACTS services delivered to date.
“Our aim is to drive large quantities of clean, renewable energy from the point of generation to load centres, but also to shape the electricity grid of the future by using accessible, sustainable power,” says Robert Francki, Hatch’s global managing director of energy. “This will require innovative thinking.”
The centre’s service offering aims to enable the integration of both onshore and offshore electricity transmission projects, from engineering services, project development, power system studies, specifications and detailed design to construction supervision, factory testing, commissioning and operational readiness.
“What’s unique about our team is we’ve assembled a group of engineers from utilities, design, consulting, manufacturing and academic backgrounds,” says Dan Kell, Hatch’s global lead for HVDC and FACTS. “This mix of skills and experience reflects a deep understanding of all project aspects.”
In recent years, Hatch has worked on such HVDC and FACTS projects as the Maritime Link, connecting Newfoundand and Nova Scotia’s power systems; the Matiari-Lahore HVDC transmission line in Pakistan; and the Cahora Bassa Songo converter station refurbishment in Mozambique. That said, its Winnipeg office has been a hub for supporting the energy, infrastructure and mining sectors.
“Our footprint in Manitoba goes back more than 55 years,” says Rauf Ahmed, the office’s manager and Hatch’s global electrical engineering discipline lead. “We want to give back to a community that has given us so much.”
