Utilities Success Stories ABB Electrification Service (APAC)

How Singapore's Hospital upgraded outdated air circuit breakers without disrupting critical medical services

and other Utilities success stories

Utilities success stories provide valuable insights on how to utilize preventative maintenance, retrofits & upgrades, training and Power Care services to maximize uptime and operational efficiency, reduce breakdowns and prolong equipment lifespanContents

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ABB Circuit Breakers Minimize Downtime at Singapore's Largest Women's and Children's Hospital

The Challenge
KK Women’s and Children’s Hospital needed to upgrade outdated air circuit breakers without disrupting critical medical services. Ensuring patient safety and maintaining a reliable power supply during surgeries and life-support operations was essential.

The Solution
ABB implemented Direct Replacement and cradle-in-cradle technologies to swap out old Megamax breakers with Emax smart breakers. This phased approach allowed the hospital to modernize its power system during short shutdown windows, minimizing downtime. ABB’s reliable service ensured the hospital could continue providing uninterrupted patient care.

Maximum Uptime for INPEX's Offshore Operations in Japan with Expert Maintenance and Testing

The Challenge:
INPEX, Japan’s largest petroleum company, required major maintenance and testing on its Floating Production, Storage and Offloading (FPSO) and Central Processing Facility (CPF) platforms. The task involved servicing ABB-installed medium and low-voltage electrical systems, complicated by debris in the bus ducts that could jeopardize the equipment’s operation.

The Solution:
ABB Australia’s Electrification Service team provided expert maintenance, ensuring minimal downtime during the necessary shutdown. The team’s specialist knowledge, combined with thorough preparation, enabled the project to be completed safely and on schedule, securing optimal equipment performance and positioning ABB for future support in 2026.

LondonEnergy upgrades and extends its energy-from-waste (EfW) facility in North London

The Challenge:
LondonEnergy needed to upgrade and extend its decades-old energy-from-waste (EfW) facility in North London to maintain sustainable energy production and waste processing for 1.9 million people. The aging generators required modern protection and control, while ensuring seamless integration with new equipment.

The Solution:
ABB deployed a modern digital control system that integrates four existing generators and a new one, using ABB Ability™ Monitoring and Control. The upgrade improved plant resilience and added a new turbine, boosting energy output to 1,000 MWh annually. ABB’s advanced switchgear and generator circuit breakers provided comprehensive protection and seamless grid connection, ensuring reliable and sustainable operations.

Collaborative retrofit project key to reliable energy supply for Stuttgart

The Challenge

EnBW, one of Europe's largest energy suppliers, needed to modernize its ageing electrical infrastructure at the Altbach power plant in Stuttgart, Germany. Nhat Linh Hohn-Phung, project manager at EnBW Altbach, explains: “We recognized that we needed to do something about our low-voltage switchgear. Our existing MNS2.0 system was of an early generation and there was a shortage of spare parts, which of course meant a serious risk of disruptions in energy supply.”

The Solution

Rather than investing in a completely new switchgear, ABB upgraded over 1,000 switchgear drawers in 120 cubicles with the latest MNS 3.0 system and UMC 100.3 motor controllers, enhancing smart automation and condition monitoring. This cost-efficient approach retained functional components, boosting safety, sustainability, and reliability, while minimizing operational downtime and reducing OpEx costs.

Leading hydropower customer ‘on top of the world’ with leaner SF6-free retrofit solution

One of Finland’s biggest hydro and regulating power producers is accelerating the removal of harmful SF6 gases from its electrical systems, via a cost-effective generator circuit breaker retrofit geared up for a more resource-efficient future.

The challenge

Two of Kemijoki’s most northerly plants up in the Arctic Circle – Matarakoski and Kelukoski had long been running on their original SF6-based HPA circuit breakers.

The aging circuit breakers were due to be replaced and no longer in line with Kemijoki’s strict environmental diversification program or the latest global Dual Logo Standard. Lack of available spare parts was also becoming an issue.

The ‘retrofit’ solution

ABB provided a type tested and SF6-free alternative, which really kept costs low and downtime minimal. It was also a comprehensive turn-key solution including design, supply of materials, plus installation and commissioning. Colleagues from the Finnish-based Service division are experts at retrofitting, and they carried out the upgrade.

A customized 12kV version of the market leading MV VD4G vacuum circuit breaker family was specified, which clears potentially harmful short-circuit faults in tens of milliseconds, thereby preventing severe damage and lengthy plant downtime.

City of Cape Town shores up sustainable energy distribution

The Challenge

The City of Cape Town needed to modernize its electrical infrastructure to deliver reliable energy to 4.8 million residents. The existing legacy medium voltage (MV) switchgear, including 11kV oil-filled and SF6 insulated circuit breakers, required updating to prevent potential faults and downtime, especially during loadshedding.

The Solution

ABB was awarded a three-year contract to retrofit the City's infrastructure, replacing over 400 circuit breakers with ABB VD4 vacuum circuit breakers, including new 12kV VD4 models. This upgrade enhanced safety with arc-vent doors and improved fault-clearing capabilities, supporting the City's environmental commitments by safely disposing of SF6 gas and avoiding the use of 358,400 liters of oil. The project also preserved existing infrastructure, reducing costs and emissions, while extending asset life and minimizing maintenance needs.