GE Vernova will expand operations at two manufacturing sites of its Electrification Systems Grid Solutions business in Stafford, UK.
The investment is designed to support rising demand for high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission systems for renewable energy projects in Europe, Asia and North America.
The Stafford HVDC facility at Redhill produces valves for both HVDC and flexible AC transmission systems. Manufacturing capacity will double following the installation of an additional voltage-sourced converter valve assembly line.
According to the company, these valves, an integral part of HVDC converter stations, enable optimized power transmission from offshore wind farms to the local grid.
The Stafford Transformer Facility at Lichfield Rd., which makes HVDC converter transformers, will undergo upgrades to raise production capacity. Transformers manufactured at the site were recently installed as part of the 1.4-GW Sofia wind farm development in the UK North Sea.
Previously at Stafford, GE Vernova constructed HVDC valve test and control system testing facilities in 2018, which currently support large-scale testing and validation of HVDC systems for projects in Europe and elsewhere.
The Grid Solutions business is recruiting hundreds of engineers and craftsmen to support the latest investments.
One of its newest orders concerns the supply of HVDC systems to five TenneT’s offshore wind projects—all part of the Dutch-German transmission system operator’s initiative to connect 40 GW at offshore wind farms to the HV grids in the Netherlands and Germany.
Stafford will manufacture the valves and transformers.
