Rapid City DC Tie

HVDC > HVDC References > North America > Rapid City

Another application of ABB's CCC HVDC technology.

The 200 MW Rapid City DC Tie, South Dakota, owned by Basin Electric Power Cooperative interconnects the power system of eastern USA with the western system. Because of the low short circuit power in the 230 kV networks, ABB's Capacitor Commutated Converter (CCC) concept was the ideal choice for this back-to-back station.

The Rapid City DC Tie consists of two parallel HVDC CCC power blocks each nominally rated at 100 MW. Together the two power blocks are rated to deliver 200 MW in either direction to the receiving 230 kV network.

The thyristor valves for each 12-pulse bridge are housed in a valve enclosure and transported to the site as factory tested units. The enclosures are placed together at the site and connected to the commutation capacitors on the ac side and to the smoothing reactor on the DC side.

Areal photo of Rapid City DC Tie

Inside valve enclosure.

Main data
Commissioning year:	2003
Power rating:	200 MW
No. of circuits:	2
AC voltage:	230 kV (both sides)
DC voltage:	± 13 kV
Type of link	Back-to-back station with CCC
Main reason for choosing HVDC:	Asynchronous networks