By Dr. Nor Asiah Muhamad (Universiti Sains Malaysia)

Group photo of visitors to HVDC Station, Gurun, Kedah (on 9th October 2017)

On 9th and 10th October 2017, the IEEE Dielectrics and Electrical Insulation Society (DEIS) Malaysia Chapter, School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (SEEE), Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) and Malaysian High Voltage Network (MyHVnet) had successfully organized a technical visit to Tenaga Nasional Berhad (TNB) High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) Station at Gurun, Kedah. The visit was conducted in 2 days. The visit was attended by 76 participants, where 40 participants joined the visit on the first day, led by Ir. Dr. Nor Asiah from USM, and 36 participants on the second day, led by Associate Professor Ir. Dr. Mohamad Kamarol from USM. The participants consisted of undergraduate and postgraduate students, and academic staffs from SEEE and other public institutions in Malaysia.

During the visit, Ir. Shaiful Nizam, the manager of the station gave a briefing on the vision and mission of TNB, organization structure, HVDC in Malaysia and South East Asia at a glance, HVDC system, maintenance activities, challenges and way forward for HVDC. After the briefing, the participants were divided into two groups for visit to control room and converter room inside the station. Finally, all participants had an opportunity to look closer at the outdoor equipment and system in the station during the site visit.

The committee members of the IEEE DEIS Malaysia Chapter wish to extend their sincere thanks to Ir. Shaiful Nizam and his team for their time and commitment during the visit.