GE Vernova Expands to Meet Growing HVDC Technology Demand
On the 24th of September, GE Vernova announced the expansion of its manufacturing facilities in Stafford, UK.
This expansion has been driven by the growing demand for High-Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission systems to help support the UK's renewable energy transition and power renewable energy products across Europe, North America and Asia.
The expansion focuses on two key sites of GE Vernova's Electrification Systems’ Grid Solutions business in Stafford; the company's HVDC facility in Redhill and its Stafford Transformer Facility in Lichfield.
HVDC & transformer growth
The facility in Redhill is expected to double its valve manufacturing capacity, supporting the increasing demand for HVDC systems with the installation of an additional Voltage-Sourced Converter (VSC) valve assembly line.
The valves are the 'heart' of a HVDC converter station, playing a critical role in the optimal transition of power from offshore wind farms and other renewable energy sources to the grid.
The Lichfield facility- the UK’s only large-scale grid manufacturing facility- produces transformers that play a vital role in integrating renewable energy into the grid. Transformers produced here have been installed recently in the North Sea, supporting the 1.4 GW Sofia Offshore Wind Farm.
The site will undergo significant upgrades to boost capacity and enhance its production of HVDC converter transformers.
"Helping our customers deliver sustainable, affordable and reliable energy to people worldwide is central to GE Vernova’s mission," says Philippe Piron, CEO of GE Vernova’s Electrification Systems business.
"By expanding our Stafford operations, we are strengthening our ability to support the energy transition in the UK and the rest of the world and creating new jobs as a result.”
Creating new employment opportunities
This expansion is GE Vernova’s second major round of investment in its Stafford site.
Back in 2018, the company constructed one of the world's most advanced HVDC valve test facilities and a control system testing facility.
This facility now supports the large-scale testing and validation of HVDC systems for projects across Europe and beyond.
GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business expects this expansion to create around 600 new jobs in the UK from 2023 to the end of 2025.
This will include positions for engineers and skilled craftsmen to support the testing and assembly of the valves.
GE Vernova is not just playing a powerful role in electrifying industry and the world through its advanced grid and power transmission technologies.
It's also modelling the ways in which the green energy transition will create new opportunities for manufacturing labour.
A topic which has been under heavy discussion in the UK with the recent job losses of the Port Talbot Steelworks closure.
Boosting Europe's energy transition
GE Vernova’s Grid Solutions business operates three manufacturing sites in total in Stafford.
There's the HVDC and the Transformer site as discussed, but there's also its Grid Automation site at Redhill.
The company's continued investment and expansion here keeps Stafford a critical hub for the production of clean energy technologies, supporting local and overseas energy needs.
For example the manufacturer recently signed an agreement to supply HVDC systems for five of TenneT's offshore wind projects.
These projects are part of the Dutch-German Transmission System Operator’s goal to connect 40 GW of offshore wind farms to the high voltage grids in the Netherlands and Germany.
The plan is to manufacture the valves and transformers for these projects at the Stafford facilities, highlighting its strategic importance to the broader renewable energy transition.
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