Month: May 2022

The Thyrow converter plant will convert electricity from the public three-phase distribution network to a frequency of 16.7 Hz and feed it into the traction current network

Zurich, Switzerland, May 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — Hitachi Energy, the global technology and market leader in power grids, announced today that it has won an order from Deutsche Bahn to provide a 120 megawatt (MW) converter station which enables DB Energie to secure power supply for the Greater Berlin rail network. The network serves a metropolitan population of around 3.5 million people and is the hub for multiple high-speed train services to cities throughout Germany and neighboring countries.

The Thyrow converter station, south of Berlin, will enable Deutsche Bahn to convert electricity from the public three-phase power distribution grid, which operates at a frequency of 50 hertz (Hz) to 16.7 Hz, and feed it into the rail power grid used to power trains and rail infrastructure.

The order follows one awarded last year by Deutsche Bahn to Hitachi Energy for the 160 MW Delitz converter station in the greater Halle/Leipzig area, which will be one of the most powerful converter stations for rail power worldwide.

“We are delighted that Deutsche Bahn has selected Hitachi Energy as partner of choice to secure the 16.7 Hz power supply for their rail network,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director of Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. “This is an excellent example of how we collaborate together with customers and partners to accelerate the energy transition and advancing a sustainable energy future for all.”

The Hitachi Energy solution for the Thyrow converter station comprises three compact 40 MW static frequency converter modules, which use Hitachi Energy’s advanced power semiconductors to provide a steady and reliable power supply at maximum availability and with minimal electrical losses. The solution includes a 30-year service contract and a digitalization package to provide Deutsche Bahn with condition-based and reactive maintenance and data insights into the system status of the converter station over the life cycle.

Hitachi Energy is the world’s leading supplier of grid integration and power quality solutions, including rail converter stations and the integration of renewable energy into power transmission systems.

Notes to the Editor

Static frequency converters

Rail frequency converter stations are based on static frequency converters (SFC). They connect three-phase power distribution or transmission grids, which typically operate at 50 or 60 Hz, with single-phase railway power grids, which operate at 16.7, 25, 50 or 60 Hz. Besides the transfer of active power, the SFC can also control reactive power in both grids independently. It responds immediately to grid faults and enables a smooth and interruption-free transition to island mode during an outage.

Power electronics

SFCs are based on Hitachi Energy’s power electronics. These integrated gate-commutated thyristors (IGCTs) will be part of this solution. They maintain grid stability and power quality by responding rapidly to frequency fluctuations and grid disturbances. Power electronics are an integral part of many Hitachi Energy technologies, including high-voltage direct current (HVDC) and flexible AC transmission systems (FACTS).

About Hitachi Energy Ltd.

Hitachi Energy is a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all. We serve customers in the utility, industry and infrastructure sectors with innovative solutions and services across the value chain. Together with customers and partners, we pioneer technologies and enable the digital transformation required to accelerate the energy transition towards a carbon-neutral future. We are advancing the world’s energy system to become more sustainable, flexible and secure whilst balancing social, environmental and economic value. Hitachi Energy has a proven track record and unparalleled installed base in more than 140 countries. Headquartered in Switzerland, we employ around 38,000 people in 90 countries and generate business volumes of approximately $10 billion USD.

About Hitachi, Ltd.

Hitachi drives Social Innovation Business, creating a sustainable society with data and technology. We will solve customers’ and society’s challenges with Lumada solutions leveraging IT, OT (Operational Technology) and products, under the business structure of Digital Systems & Services, Green Energy & Mobility, Connective Industries and Automotive Systems. Driven by green, digital, and innovation, we aim for growth through collaboration with our customers. The company’s consolidated revenues for fiscal year 2021 (ended March 31, 2022) totaled 10,264.6 billion yen ($84,136 million USD), with 853 consolidated subsidiaries and approximately 370,000 employees worldwide. For more information on Hitachi, please visit the company’s website at https://www.hitachi.com.

Attachment

• Rendering of the Thyrow converter station, Germany

Rebecca Bleasdale
Hitachi Energy Ltd.
+41 78643 2613
rebecca.bleasdale@hitachienergy.com

International organizations aim to transform global ocean governance by enabling access to data, technology and analytics at scale

Washington, D.C., May 31, 2022 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — A new collaboration aims to boost equitable access to vital fisheries intelligence, data analysis and capacity building assistance to help developing maritime States combat illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. Founded by the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Network, Global Fishing Watch and TMT, the Joint Analytical Cell, or JAC, will harness innovative technology and fisheries expertise to facilitate collaboration among State and non-State actors and transform ocean governance.

The announcement comes in advance of the International Day for the Fight Against Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing on June 5 and the second United Nations Ocean Conference taking place in Lisbon, Portugal June 27-July 1at which the Joint Analytical Cell will be showcased by States that recognize the importance of novel collaboration and new technology to help sustainably manage the ocean.

“The establishment of the Joint Analytical Cell marks a sea change in fisheries intelligence and analysis. It will set a precedent for a global shift toward greater use of open data, data analytics, and integrated technology to provide greater transparency of activities occurring in the maritime domain and strengthen fisheries monitoring, control and surveillance efforts,” said Mark Young, Executive Director of the International Monitoring, Control and Surveillance Network. “Collaboration between States, nonprofits and technology providers can help tackle IUU fishing by providing actionable data, credible intelligence and capacity building to those that need it most, ultimately improving global fisheries management.”

IUU fishing causes significant harm to the health and resilience of the ocean, which is crucial in assuring global livelihoods and food security. Costing States millions of dollars in lost revenue and causing untold damage to marine ecosystems, it is also linked to increases in associated crimes, including labor and human rights abuses, as well as broader maritime security challenges.

Technology and transparency of information can drive change at scale in the fight against illegal fishing. But the global community lacks equitable access to the necessary data and tools, and the resources and training required to use them. Management authorities have traditionally relied on proprietary monitoring systems that have limited information sharing and are not available to all States.

In an effort to streamline the various technology and data offerings in the sphere of fisheries intelligence, the JAC seeks to facilitate a more open, collaborative model that will catalyze pooled data and technology, and conduct capacity-building efforts to improve upon current operating procedures. These insights can be shared across partners and deployed to support maritime enforcement authorities, enabling them to carry out targeted, risk-based and intelligence-led fisheries monitoring, control, surveillance and enforcement operations. These actions are also designed to act as a deterrent, since illicit activities will be harder to hide. The JAC will particularly focus on the strengthening of port controls, transshipment activity, and air and sea patrols. Insights from JAC analyses will also be made available to evidence-base international policy and legal processes that target the closure of loopholes that are exploited by illegal fishing operators.

“The IUU fishing challenge continues to evolve, and so must the responses,” said Duncan Copeland, Executive Director at TMT. “The opportunities that the appropriate data, the right tools and technologies, and targeted personnel training present to bolstering fisheries enforcement capacities are enormous, but only if they are accessible and adapted to a national or regional context. State and non-State actor cooperation and collaboration are essential, and the Joint Analytical Cell has been formed to enable this objective.”

“What we have established with the Joint Analytical Cell is a partnership mechanism that is designed to grow and bring in more complementary platforms and technology providers,” said Tony Long, Chief Executive Officer at Global Fishing Watch. “This initiative, when taken to scale, will mobilize the combined expertise of its partners and allow for more targeted analyses and actionable intelligence offerings.”

The Joint Analytical Cell will focus on four key areas: fisheries intelligence; monitoring, control and surveillance capacity building; access to data and technology, and partnership development. It will build on existing tools created by the founding members such as Global Fishing Watch’s vessel tracking map and related tools like its carrier vessel portal, as well as TMT’s Fisheries Analytical Capacity Tool, a fisheries intelligence management system built to capture and support analysis of identities and characteristics of the global fishing fleet and the companies that comprise it.

“Fish are a livelihood and source of nutrition for billions of people globally and it’s critical to prevent actions like illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing that threaten this vital resource,” said Melissa Wright from Bloomberg Philanthropies. “The new Joint Analytical Cell is an unprecedented step to enhance global collaboration to end fishing piracy, and Bloomberg Philanthropies is excited to support this major effort to expand fishing data. We know that you can’t manage what you can’t measure and the data from this new fisheries intelligence force will ensure governments, civil society partners, and communities can hold bad actors accountable and fish continue to be an available resource for billions around the world.”

Attachment

• Collaboration toward enhanced maritime security 

Kimberly Vosburgh
Global Fishing Watch
kimberly@globalfishingwatch.org

Larissa Clark
TM-Tracking
larissa@tm-tracking.org

Damian Johnson
IMCS Network
djohnson@imcsnet.org