"The targeting of 330 kilovolt transformers in various switching stations has cut some 50% of the distribution capability of Ukraine’s electricity network. These transformers weigh up to 200 tons. There are no replacements. You do not buy them at the next corner but will have to order them with years of lead time. As far as I can tell Russia is currently the only producer of transformers of that type."
Where do these uninformed "experts" come from? Highly doubtful they bombed High Voltage transformers at the Power Plants ...That involves precise bombing and zero unintentional damage to the plant. So the first substation out away from the power plant would be the choice ....Just as the US does when they disable power during war situations. Far easier to build a substation. There are numerous large power Transformer plants close to Ukraine ....CG Power Systems in Belgium, (I worked for CG and have been to their plant in Belgium ) France has several, Germany (Siemens) (ABB) is around the corner. ...If the Ukraine engineering documents survived ...the specs can be sent in a day ....someone will have an emergency space available within a few weeks. Not years as stated.... I've had transformers blow up and had a spot in line within several days ...maybe a month and on a truck ...
Years ....someone definately doesn't know the nearby capability ...Keep in mind that Japan and Korea are always looking to jump in the pond with everyone else ....My bet is that Korea (Hyaundai) (SP) would leap at the chance to play ...With an economic downturn worldwide ....there is plenty of space on manufacturing lines ...Just have to look a little ...
LPTs require substantial capital and a long-lead time (in excess of six months) to manufacture, and its production requires large crane capacities, ample floor space, and adequate testing and drying equipment.
An LPT (Large Power Transformer) is a large, custom-built and very expensive equipment that is a critical component of the bulk transmission grid
electrical-engineering-portal.com
The destroyed LPT's and however many exist, were probably built in Russia and then to transfer construction to another company is possible as long as they know the required specifications, which may also increase the lead time further. And who replaces LPT's in the midst of a major destructive war.
And the availability today, there is a real shortage of them and Ukraine low man on the totem pole. Many other more reliable and likely customers are inline ahead of them. 38 months to delivery is a long time without power for Ukraine, and 39 months is for a normal customer not in a war zone..
The U.S. is running short on a critical power grid component – large transformers.
www.tdworld.com
Today, people in the industry are reporting longer lead times to get needed equipment, including transformers. Jim Templeton, a third-party consultant to POWER Engineers with 40-plus years in the industry and his own consulting firm, JB Templeton Consulting LLC, said an aging power grid and ongoing supply chain issues are mixing in disruptive ways.
“I deal with a number of different clients on the utility side and about a year ago we started to see lead times from transformer manufacturers creep up. Before the pandemic, you could get a large transformer ordered in less than a year. Today that is rare.
A relatively large manufacturer in the US was at about 38 months. That used to be 38 weeks if you were to compare,” Templeton said.
The dramatically lengthening lead times for needed parts is throwing utilities’ emergency contingency plans into confusion.
“The danger I see in this is you don’t know in that 38-month period will you lose another transformer and what will you then need to repair that spot on the grid? Our grid is, I think, fairly old. There’s a lot of aging transformers on the grid. Dealing with my clients, they are trying to come up with how do I respond to an emergency situation,” Templeton said.
Scott Marshall. principal engineer with POWER Engineers, said equipment distributors used to have reservation slots for emergency situations, but now are not able to find used transformers.
“When I was with a utility, we could go to a transformer supplier in an emergency and get what we needed in about six months. That quick replacement we used to be able to get, you might be waiting a year or more. They can’t find those slots for you,” Marshall said. “They may put in a dicey unit just to get the power flowing, knowing that they may have to replace it in one or two years.”
In a video interview with T&D World, Templeton said many utilities get their equipment, including transformers, from an approved supplier list. The tightening of certain supplies led to utilities going off their usual lists and make compromises just to get needed gear.
“[Utilities having trouble finding equipment] now have to open up the doors to a much larger set of potential suppliers, ones they’ve never had a relationship with before just to get what they need. That might not sound horrible, but these relationships have a positive effect on the procurement slide,” Templeton said. “Now people are having to purchase from companies and countries that they never worked with before.”
It is still relatively easy to get a 10 MVA transformer from a supplier utilities know and are used to dealing with, but a 1000 MVA transformer might not be available from a reliable source, Templeton said.