Hafslund Celsio selects ABB for swift and sustainable upgrade

Norway’s largest district heating and waste incineration company has completed a notable modernization project to refurbish the switchgear in its waste-to-energy plant at Klemetsrud, in the outskirts of Oslo. As their trusted partner, engineers from ABB’s Electrification Service team in Norway were determined to deliver a smooth and on-schedule delivery.

‘Green capital’ of Norway

Hafslund Celsio describes itself as ‘Oslo’s entire energy company’, supplying district heating to the capital city which was voted five years ago to be the European Green Capital. The main energy source in this district heating network is the excess energy produced from the incineration of the city's waste. This frees up electricity from the grid, and over 700 km of underground pipes ensure the stable delivery of hot water and heating to over 200,000 of the city’s inhabitants.

Sustainable solution saves time, money and resources

With its current switchgear having powered their plant for over 30 years, Hafslund Celsio recognized the need to modernize its electrical infrastructure to ensure safe, efficient operations for many more years to come.

ABB’s Electrification Service team proposed a turnkey solution which prioritized sustainability, including a retrofit upgrade solution for the five obsolete boards as well as two new switchboards and over 200 new starters.

Rather than investing in completely new switchgear, a cost-efficient upgrade from MNS2.0 to MNS3.0 meant the customer could benefit from the modern Emax2 air circuit breaker with Ekip Touch relay protection and energy metering.

This integrates new intelligent systems and components inside the existing framework to enable interconnectivity, smart automation and improved condition monitoring. Emax2 is still the only breaker of its kind that can both protect electrical circuits and reduce energy consumption based on its user’s needs.

“Choosing ABB’s retrofit solution has provided improved reliability, energy efficiency and personnel safety, while reducing operational costs and both planned and unplanned downtimes,” explains Einar Bruneau of Hafslund Celsio’s project partner Norsk Energi.

“By upgrading rather than replacing the infrastructure, we not only maximised the potential and life of Hafslund Celsio’s existing equipment, but importantly avoided the carbon emissions associated with manufacturing an entire new system.”

ABB’s solution re-uses the existing frames, power cables and busbars. “More than 50 percent of electrical equipment, including metal cabinets for switchgear, steel plates and busbars, can be used indefinitely without replacement if outdated components like circuit breakers, relays and internal parts are upgraded, regularly monitored and maintained,” attests ABB Project Manager Per Anders Opdan.

ABB committed to delivering the upgrade during the plant’s shutdown in June, and meticulous preparation and collaboration with the teams from Norsk Energi and Celsio Hafslund meant everything went exactly to plan. The main task of replacing and re-building the switchboards was completed in just one week in line with the schedule and with a perfect safety record.