02/16/2017, 09:00
| Media release
Lausanne – Alpiq has been awarded the contract for the construction of new switchgear in order to upgrade the electricity grid of the European Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva. The construction of the new transformer station will enable CERN to carry out uninterrupted experiments and research. The deciding factors for the awarding of this internationally tendered contract were Alpiq’s experience and expertise in the planning and construction of high-voltage systems.
The construction of the 400/66 kilovolt (kV) substation with a 220 megavolt ampere (MVA) power transformer will enable CERN to secure and upgrade its electricity supply grid. The new transformer station will be constructed in the French municipality of Prévessin and cover an area of approximately 1 hectare. CERN’s goal behind the project is to increase the availability of its supply grid. This will facilitate the maintenance of the existing systems and allow CERN to carry out uninterrupted experiments and research. An additional reason for the new systems is that in 2019, CERN will carry out comprehensive maintenance work on its accelerators. The construction work will start in the first half of 2017 and is scheduled for completion at the beginning of 2019.
As the project leader, Alpiq will perform the technical implementation in close cooperation with the French grid operator RTE and suppliers from various member states of CERN. With this contract Alpiq underscores its experience and expertise for high and medium voltage applications and demonstrates the company’s international competitiveness.
CERN is one of the largest and most renowned research facilities in the world and specialises in fundamental physics, particle research and the fundamental laws of the universe.