Reactive power controller SVC PLUS FS® (E-STATCOM)

Overview
Siemens Energy SVC PLUS FS® (E-STATCOM I SVC PLUS) is a frequency stabilizer designed to emulate system inertia and provide high active-power injection for rapid frequency support in grids with high renewable penetration. It also delivers dynamic reactive-power compensation and grid-forming control to stabilise voltage and respond instantaneously to disturbances.

Key features and functionality

• Inertia emulation via fast active-power injection/absorption to stabilise grid frequency.
• Dynamic reactive-power compensation for voltage support and stability.
• Large array of supercapacitors for short-term energy provision with high power density and fast charge/discharge cycles.
• Grid-forming control (software-emulated) enabling immediate response to system events and future adaptability.
• Modular multilevel converter (MMC) topology for multilevel voltage synthesis, reduced harmonic distortion and scalability.
• Millisecond-scale active and reactive power response to changes in voltage magnitude and phase angle.

Technical and operational benefits

• Prevents cascades and blackouts through fast inertial response and high active-power capability.
• Compact and cost-efficient footprint compared with large rotating masses or extensive battery storage.
• Flexible control settings to adapt to transmission, utility and bulk-power applications.
• Low operational noise and zero direct CO₂ emissions during operation.

Applications

• Frequency stabilization in transmission and distribution networks with high renewable penetration.
• Voltage regulation and reactive-power support to prevent voltage collapse.
• Short-duration inertial bridging and fast frequency response (FFR) to avoid load rejection or blackouts.
• Integration support for inverter-based resources (wind, solar) and dynamic load compensation (e.g., data centres).

Technical specifications

• Adaptable to any system voltage level
• Installed power (Snom): 300 MVA
• Active power (Pmax): ±200 MW
• Reactive power (Qnom): ±300 MVar
• Available short-term energy: 400 MJ (upscaling possible)
• Emulated inertia contribution: up to 6000 MJ
• Footprint: 4050 m² including power transformer