BritNed Submarine HVDC Cable To Connect UK And The Netherlands
Aug 29, 2008 - National Grid and NLink
National Grid and NLink — a subsidiary of
TenneT — are building an electricity interconnector between
Britain and the Netherlands called BritNed. The BritNed
cable will join the electricity transmission systems in
the UK and The Netherlands making a significant contribution
to the security and diversity of electricity supplies
in both countries. It will also facilitate further competition
by helping to enhance the (north-west) European energy
market.
BritNed consists of bundled power cables
and associated equipment to connect the two networks and
will be capable of carrying power in either direction
(dependent on market conditions). The cable will have
a nominal capacity of 1000 MW, will be 260 km (161.6 mi)
long and cost around 600 million EUR to build. The first
stage of construction (preparatory and environmental mitigation)
has started and capacity will be available in late 2010.
Converter stations will be also built on
the land to convert the power from direct current to alternating
current. These converter stations will be built at Grain
in the UK and the Maasvlakte, near Rotterdam, in Holland
at existing electricity substations.
The BritNed project is a joint venture between
subsidiary companies of TenneT Holding and National Grid.
Construction - Converter Stations
Preparatory works are underway for BritNed
and are progressing well. At Grain work to prepare an
access road for the converter station has started and
will be complete by September 2008. Site mobilization
for the converter station will also start this September.
The civil works at the Maasvlakte in Holland
are planned for October 2008.
Construction - Cable Laying
Work to lay the land cables at Grain and
in the Maasvlakte is planned for November 2008 and the
marine installation of the cable will start in June 2009.
SOURCE: National Grid and NLink