Rețele Electrice România, the electricity distribution operator, part of the PPC group in Romania, will implement a project of 123.49 million lei (VAT included) to modernize and increase the capacity of the Cetate transformer substation, which serves over 25,000 customers in the central area of Timisoara.

Of the project’s total value, approximately 65.1 million lei (excluding VAT) is attracted in the form of co-financing provided from the Sustainable Development and Just Transition Program, as a result of the contract signed with the Ministry of Investments and European Projects.

The substation’s current capacity of 65 Mega-Volt Amperes (MVA) will be increased by adding a new power transformer, of 40 MVA, in addition to the two existing ones. The Cetate substation can take over, if necessary, the power supply of adjacent stations, serving a number of about 51,000 customers.

“The Cetate substation in Timișoara supplies electricity to a significant number of customers and essential institutions in the central area of the city, such as the Municipal Emergency Clinical Hospital; the Louis Țurcanu Children’s Hospital; the Military Emergency Hospital. The signing of this project, supported by the Sustainable Development and Just Transition Program, reinforces our company’s objectives of continuously developing the resilience of the distribution network through modernization works that allow us to adapt to the consumption needs brought about by the energy transition”, said Mihai Pește, General Director of Rețele Electrice România.

The main activities are aimed at modernizing and digitizing the electrical infrastructure of the substation, by replacing the 110 kV primary equipment with state-of-the-art ones, with a modern GIS technology.

The primary equipment for the 10 and 20 kV medium voltage busbars, as well as the neutral treatment groups, will also be replaced. The control room will also be modernized, and the network equipment will be integrated into the AADMS-SCADA automated distribution management system, which ensures centralized and automated network management, facilitating remote monitoring and operation, as well as performing quick maneuvers without the teams moving to the field.

The implementation period of the project is 39 months from the date of signing the financing contract.