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Over the coming years, more than 145 high voltage substations in the Netherlands will be approaching the end of their service life and must be prepared for the future. The current high voltage substations are not designed to be the same everywhere, which means that custom work is required at every substation. The replacement and enhancement of this many high voltage substations over a limited period of time is a tremendous challenge.
TenneT is tackling this challenge in different, innovative ways with its Bay Replacement Programme (BRP). The programme does not only address the technical aspects. The buildings at some substations will also be renovated. The Rijssen substation is the first to be renovated. The bays, the large ‘circuit breakers’ located outside, are currently being manufactured in a large production hall in Oldenzaal.
The Central Service Building (CDG), the building that houses all of the technical systems, will also be renovated. Just like the rest of the substation, it will be renovated using a modular concept. Five units will be built in the factory after which they will be transported, fully fitted up, to the construction site. At the construction site the units will be installed adjacent to each other. At that point the only thing that remains to be done is to ensure that the roofs and façades neatly fit together. In the past construction was performed on-site and took at least six months. This is because concrete needs to cure and because masonry work takes a lot of time, for example. The CDG in Rijssen was installed in a few days.
Of course, it is important to start making the preliminary preparations well ahead of time. While the on-site construction of a prefabricated building is much shorter than that required for a traditional building, the total elapsed time, including work planning and manufacture, is more or less the same. In fact, production shifts from the construction site to the factory.
Although it is a technical systems building, attention has also been given to the building’s appearance. TenneT prepared an architectural design quality plan and Strukton hired an architect to develop a design that meets the specifications set out in this plan. In Rijssen we settled on a sustainable wood façade finish with vertical planks of various widths and thicknesses. TenneT and the involved contractors continue to give thought to further improvements relating to technical, structural, sustainable, as well as aesthetic constructional applications
A new standard for high voltage substations
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