The single-phase, oil-insulated, auto-transformer is a behemoth, measuring 11,6 meters long, 11,3 meters wide, and 11,7 meters high – the height of a small house – and weighing up to 240 tonnes.
Because of its size and weight, manufacturing, testing, and transport required unique solutions. The main body of the transformer, which is 10 meters long, 3,4 meters wide, and 4,3 meters high, and the associated components will be transported to the site by road in trucks.
The site is the Hungarian terminus of the only 750 kV transmission line in the European Union, where the new transformer will be connected as a phase unit to two other transformers of the same type to form a three-phase system with a capacity of 1100 MVA, providing Ukraine with the critical infrastructure to connect to the European electricity grid.
A major challenge for Ganz engineers was that the transformer had to match not only the electrical characteristics of the other two units but also their physical dimensions, as it had to be installed in their place.
The entire transformer division of the company was involved in the construction of this installation. After production, a team of eight people spent five days testing the electrical machine in Ganz’s accredited laboratory, checking all the features of the transformer to ensure its expected 40–50-year life and reliable operation. The testing included lightning impulse tests, winding resistance, temperature rise, and noise level measurements, as well as diagnostic tests on the insulation system. The transformer passed all the required tests and met all the guaranteed criteria.
“It was a challenging task to manufacture this transformer, which involved the whole business unit, while the manufacturing process also pushed the limits of the physical capacity of our factory in Tápiószele. The 750 kV transformer will be an indispensable part of Hungary’s energy infrastructure and we are proud that it will help power our entire region for decades to come. We look forward to similar successful collaborations in the future,” said Gergely Gál, managing director of Ganz Transformers and Electric Rotating Machines Ltd.
The project started on August 29, 2022, following a negotiated procurement procedure launched by the European Union, in which Ganz was one of the bidders. Following the award of the contract, Ganz and Mavir signed the contract on April 21, 2023, after which design and production commenced.
The transformer is expected to be commissioned at the same time as the Szabolcsbáka substation is connected in November 2024.
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