Rețele Electrice România, part of the PPC Group in Romania, has completed modernization works on the 110/20/10 kV Filaret electrical substation, located in Bucharest’s Sector 4, to enhance the safety and quality of electricity supply for customers in the southern part of the capital. The investment totaled nearly RON 79 million, funded entirely by the company. Filaret was the last of the company’s substations in Bucharest requiring modernization; consequently, all Rețele Electrice România substations in the capital now feature modern technologies.
“The modernization of the Filaret substation is more than just a technical investment—it is the final piece in upgrading Bucharest’s entire substation network. We are living in a time when the electrification of transport, heating, and industry will fundamentally alter electricity demand, and the grid we are building today must be ready for the needs of future generations. By retrofitting the Filaret substation and enabling remote control capabilities, we are providing a safer, more flexible distribution service for over 25,600 customers in the south of the capital and strengthening a key node in the city’s energy infrastructure,” stated Mihai Pește, General Manager of Rețele Electrice România.
The Filaret substation modernization project began in 2019 and was carried out in stages to ensure continuity of supply for consumers. The substation currently serves over 25,600 customers in southern Bucharest—including households, businesses, and institutions—via 202 transformer stations connected to the 20 kV and 10 kV networks. Thanks to its expanded capacity, the Filaret substation can accommodate new types of demand—ranging from electric vehicle charging stations to heat pumps and smart systems—as the energy transition progresses in the Capital.
The project, fully funded from internal resources, began in August 2019 with the modernization of the concrete bases for outdoor equipment—power transformers, the neutral treatment system, and auxiliary service units. Work continued from April 2020 with the reconfiguration of indoor spaces to house 110 kV GIS (Gas-Insulated Switchgear) equipment, 40 MVA power transformers, and a modern control room located on the upper floor.
Following the modernization, the substation’s installed capacity increased from 160 MVA to 200 MVA, provided by five 40 MVA transformers: two with a 110/20 kV transformation ratio and three with a 110/10/20 kV ratio (currently operating at 10 kV on the medium-voltage side). Adding a 40 MVA transformer to the configuration provides extra redundancy and operational flexibility for the grid.
The modernization involved a vast array of equipment: for the 110 kV system—7 line bays, 5 transformer bays, 3 metering bays, and 3 bus-coupler bays; for the 20 kV network—30 line bays, 2 transformer bays, 4 bus-coupler bays, 2 metering bays, and 2 TFN-type bays. …and in the 10 kV network—49 line panels, 4 transformer panels, 4 metering panels, 6 bus-tie panels, 3 neutral treatment panels (RTN), and 2 TSI panels. The protection cabinets were also replaced and are now housed in a new control room.
A novel feature of the investment is the installation of a photovoltaic solar power generation system—complete with an energy storage system—on the substation roof; this system is designed to offset the substation’s own technological energy consumption and improve energy efficiency.
The modernization of the Filaret substation complements the upgrade of the 110 kV Filaret–Grozăvești high-voltage line, completed last year. That project, costing approximately 22 million lei and funded entirely through internal resources, increased the line’s transmission capacity to 170 MVA, benefiting around 70,000 consumers in Sectors 4 and 5. For the first time, a monitoring system was installed on this line to measure infrastructure temperature and vibrations in real time.
The major benefits of modernizing the Filaret substation include enhanced reliability of customer power supply, greater flexibility in the high- and medium-voltage networks, and the capacity to integrate new types of consumption arising from the progressive electrification of the economy and society. With the modernized Filaret substation, Rețele Electrice România concludes an investment cycle that provides Bucharest with a fully renewed transformer substation network capable of meeting future consumption demands.
Foto in arhiva revistei