PJSC "Zaporozhtransformator" (ZTR) has signed a contract with the leading Argentine company in the ultra-high voltage transmission industry Transener S.A. for the manufacture and supply of three single-phase shunt reactors POM-55125/525-T1. The equipment will be installed at ET Puelches substation to replace the old equipment. ZTR has been cooperating with Transener S.A. for a long time. and has made more than one delivery for this Customer.
In general, the plant has been present on the Argentine market since the 70s and over the years a lot of transformer and reactor equipment has been supplied there. The last order to Argentina was completed in 2014. At the end of 2017, it was decided to return to the Argentine market. For this purpose, representatives of the plant traveled to Argentina, where, together with a representative of ZTR, negotiations were held on the renewal of relations with Argentine energy companies. The result of this work was the victory in the tender and the signing of the contract.
Preparation for the tender and receipt of this order took about 6 months. The main competitors were Brazilian manufacturers, in particular ABB (Brazil). It should be noted that when delivering to South America, the lion's share of the costs is logistics, which often makes manufacturers from other continents uncompetitive. Therefore, in order to compete with local producers in this tender and give the best price offer, ZTR managed to work with transport companies to work out the possibility of shipping reactors by container lines, which significantly reduced the cost of the logistics of this order and made it possible to compete with Brazilian companies.
Separately, it should be said that unusual in this project is the requirement to provide a 250V auxiliary winding in the reactor, which is unusual for this type of equipment. However, this was very important for the Customer, since there are no other sources of power supply for auxiliary equipment at the installation site. The design department of ZTR successfully coped with this task.
It should also be noted that not all companies wishing to participate in the tender received admission to the tender. Applicants must have had at least 10 years of experience in the design and manufacture of similar equipment (single-phase reactors with a maximum voltage of 550 kV). This requirement significantly narrowed the circle of participants and gave ZTR an opportunity to compete in the tender only with serious competitors. The receipt of this order by a Ukrainian company indicates that despite all the difficulties, a Ukrainian manufacturer can with dignity represent their country on the world market.
In view of the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic, trials were conducted online using two fixed cameras and one portable camera for a better overview of the ongoing testing. Despite the fact that ZTR for the first time presented the equipment for acceptance tests remotely, the Customer received all the necessary information even taking into account the five-hour time difference with Argentina and was satisfied with the test results. At the moment, the reactors have been successfully tested and are being prepared for shipment. Immediately upon arrival of the reactors at the facility, it is planned to install and start up equipment in the presence of a representative of the Service Center of PJSC "ZTR".
