Schweitzer Engineering Laboratories (SEL), Pullman Washington, U.S., is playing a part in the new 500-kV, 1276-km (793-mile) link connecting the northern and southern electric power systems in Brazil. The link allows Brazilian power companies to share generating resources more efficiently and eliminates the need to add approximately 600 MW of generation capacity to the Brazilian power system, saving an estimated USdollars15 per MWh of generated power.
SEL protective relays-transmission, breaker and transformer protection equipment-are being used for the interconnection project. SEL is supplying the main protective relays, which include three new substations, additions to five existing substations and five transmission lines with capacitive series-compensation. Two of the transmission lines include thyristor control series capacitors.
