High-voltage site distribution

A large biorefinery does not feed every motor from one low-voltage board. Once the site load is on the order of 100 MW, the power is carried across the site at high voltage and stepped down only where a machine needs it. Copper at 11 kV or below, run the length of the plant, is the expensive way to move that power. A higher site voltage cuts the current and the cable cross-section.

The methanol note is the worked case. The plant is over 100 MW, so the site distribution is 132 kV. That is stepped down to 11 kV in local areas, and the machinery takes its supply from those 11 kV points. The saving is in cable copper, not in leaving out the electrical plant. The 132 kV and 11 kV networks still need transformers, cables, switchgear, and protection at each change of voltage.

This network is the plant's electrical backbone. The solar array and battery connect into it. They are not a substitute for it. See the Malaysia green methanol note and the design service.