The capacitor bank in Ha Tinh Province is one of the 14 banks GE has updated so far in Viet Nam.— VNS Photo

HA NOI (Biz Hub) — GE's Digital Energy business, a subsidiary of General Electric, announced on May 11 that it successfully upgraded and energized 14 of 18 series capacitor banks on the national transmission lines.

GE said the upgrade marks the latest project milestone for the company, which has been continuously advancing Vietnam's 500-kilovolt (kV) transmission lines – the "backbone" of the country's North-to-South power transmission – for four years.

In 2011, electricity demand in Vietnam – largely driven by steel and cement industries – was growing at double the rate of the country's gross domestic product.

With demand for power expected to escalate to an additional 16 percent over the next four years, electricity shortage was virtually unavoidable. Understanding the implications for its economy and its 89 million citizens, the country created a long-term plan to address electricity shortage, centring on Vietnam's 500-kV transmission lines.

To support this growth in demand, the Electricity of Vietnam (EVN) and National Power Transmission Corporation (NPT) needed 18 series capacitor banks throughout the country in a tight timeframe.

Based on its proven expertise in the design and deployment of Flexible AC Transmission Systems within the region, the EVN and NPT chose GE's Digital Energy business for installing and upgrading these capacitor banks. — VNS