HVDC converter terminal maintenance/spare parts philosophy and comparison with performance

Data have been published primarily by CIGRE on operating experience of HVDC power systems in such areas as availability, forced outage rate, thyristor failure rate, etc. Complementary data derived primarily from an electric utility survey are presented to enhance the CIGRE-published data in these same areas on a major portion of the 45 HVDC projects now operating worldwide. The comparison and correlations drawn between the published operating data and the utility procurement, design, and maintenance practices of the corresponding HVDC system serve to illustrate the return the utilities may be receiving in improved system performance from the additional invested resources