An official ceremony has been held to commission the new 330 kV Rzhevskaya substation, the first power grid facility of this voltage class to be built in Saint Petersburg and the Leningrad region over the past twenty years. The 330 kV Rzhevskaya Substation and overhead transmission lines were built under the Agreement on Interaction between the Saint Petersburg Government and RAO "UES of Russia" in ensuring reliable electricity supply signed in July 2006. The total amount of funds invested in the new substation project made RUB3.1 billion. North West Transmission Grids Branch acted as the customer and OAO "Sevzapeletrosetstroy" as the general contractor for the construction. The new subsuation will help relieve the load on the 330 kV Vostochnaya Substation, the key facility in the Leningrad energy system, which has experienced overload for the past few years. This will help improve the reliability of power supply in the North-East of Saint Petersburg.
The most advanced technological solutions and equipment were used to construct the Rzhevskaya substation. The substation has two 330-kV autotransformers with 200-MVA capacity and two 110-kV transformers with 40-MVA capacity. The facility also features compact outdoor 110-kV switchgear (OSG), the first one of the kind to have been installed in the Leningrad Energy System. The new switchgear occupies half the usual area for such installations.
In order to link the substation to the Leningrad Energy System, 4 km of 330-kV cable lines were built. between the Rzhevskaya Substation, the Kirishskaya TPP and the Vostochnaya Substation. Compared to overhead transmission lines, cable lines are more reliable, convenient and have a higher transfer capability. Moreover, cable lines are fully protected from adverse atmospheric effects, such as voltage spikes caused by lighting, wind load, glaze, and, importantly, are not accessible by unauthorized persons.
