Dynamic voltage support with the rector SVC in California’s San Joaquin Valley

Southern California Edison (SCE) commissioned the rector static Var compensator (SVC) with a continuous rating of -120 to +200 Mvar in June of 2007. This paper presents the big creek corridor portion of the San Joaquin Valley transmission system, the requirements for voltage and var support, the planning and dynamic performance studies used in rating and verifying performance of the SVC, and provides an overview of the SVC design and control strategy. The rector SVC is connected to the 230 kV bus at SCE´s Rector substation for dynamic var support to meet the transient voltage dip reliability requirements of the Western Electricity Coordinating Council (WECC), and to enhance local and remote steady-state voltage control. The SVC configuration includes six thyristor valve controlled/switched branches, six harmonic filter branches, and employs coordinated control of a local 230 kV mechanically switched capacitor (MSC) bank to ensure sufficient dynamic vars remain available for system disturbances.