ABB announced that it has won an order worth around USD 30 million from Cemig Distribuição SA, the largest power distribution company in Brazil, to supply an indoor distribution substation to be located in downtown Belo Horizonte, capital city of the state of Minais Gerais, in the southeastern part of the country.

The new substation will replace an existing 40 year old installation and will occupy only two thirds of the space compared to the current facility, freeing valuable land for other uses. The order was booked in the fourth quarter of 2011.

Mr Oleg Aleinikov, head of ABB's substations business, a part of the company’s Power Systems division, said that "The compact and innovative technologies deployed have a significantly smaller footprint and low maintenance requirements. The new substation will boost the supply of electricity to the city, improve power quality and help reinforce the reliability of the city's distribution grid."

ABB's scope of supply includes 145 kilovolt gas insulated switchgear, 15 kV air insulated switchgear, four 145/15 kV power transformers with a total capacity of 240 MVA, electromechanical equipment and the civil works. ABB will also deliver fully integrated substation automation, protection and control systems compliant with the global IEC 61850 standard. As part of the turnkey contract, ABB is responsible for the design, engineering, supply, installation and commissioning of the substation. The project is scheduled for completion by 2013.

Cemig D manages the largest electricity distribution network in Latin America and supplies power to about 18 million people in 774 municipalities of the state of Minais Gerais.