The deal is worth about $3 million to ABB.
The twelve-month turnkey contract calls for ABB Power T&D Company Inc. of Raleigh, N.C., to deliver a Static Var Compensator (SVC) to Cascade Steel. Consisting of a large number of high power components, electrical measurement devices, and control and protection systems, an SVC helps boost and stabilize voltages in power circuits. Cascade Steel will connect it to the electric arc furnace bus to improve process economy in its meltshop. "The investment in an SVC makes a lot of sense to us," said Ron Camp, superintendent of maintenance & engineering & projects at Cascade Steel. "We think we'll see payback of the investment within a year." The SVC is scheduled to be in operation by November 2001. "We're pleased Cascade has turned to us," said Thomas Johansson, marketing and sales manager for the Power Systems unit of ABB Power T&D Company. "We know how tough competition is in the steel industry, and we welcome the opportunity to strengthen the position of our customers." An ABB SVC is typically custom designed and engineered, then assembled, installed, tested and commissioned on site before being turned over to the customer. In addition to electric arc furnace applications, SVCs are used extensively by power companies to improve the operation of high voltage grids. ABB has more than 30 years experience in the business and can point to more than 320 installations worldwide. END