FACTS for power quality improvement in grids feeding high speed rail traction

Modern high-speed rail traction systems exert heavy and complex loadings on supply grids. Usually, power is taken between two phases, thereby causing substantial unbalance between phases in networks originally not at all built for this kind of operation. Unless remedied, the result will be deterioration of power quality, not only harmful to the traction system itself, but also prone to spreading through the supply grid, disturbing other users of power in the same grid. The paper treats SVC and STATCOM as means for power quality improvement in grids dominated by high speed rail traction, as well as highlights a couple of recent installations for this same purpose.