19-21 June 200 HVDC Light technology key to 40-kilometer subsea link in the U.S.ABB has recently won a US$ 120-million order to supply the transmission system for the HVDC (high-voltage direct current) Cross-Sound Cable subsea power interconnection linking Connecticut and Long Island, New York, in the U.S. The order for the 330-megawatt, 40-kilometer link was placed by TransÉnergie U.S. Ltd., a subsidiary of TransÉnergie, the transmission division of Hydro-Québec, Canada. The link is scheduled to begin operation by May, 2002. Under the terms of the contract, ABB will provide a complete HVDC Light transmission system. The system is made up of high-tech extruded cables buried under the seabed, with a converter station at each end of the link. The stations convert electricity from alternating current used in the local power grids to direct current for efficient power transmission enabling the operators to control the flow of power accurately and rapidly in both direction. The Cross-Sound link is expected to improve the reliability of power supply in the Connecticut and New England power grids, while providing urgently needed electricity to Long Island. The HVDC Light connection is also designed to promote competition in the New York and New England electricity markets by enabling electricity to be traded among power generators and customers in both regions. The Cross-Sound Cable subsea power interconnection follows close on the heels of ABB's two most recent HVDC Light installations. The first links Texas, U.S. to Mexico at Eagle Pass (see separate article in this issue of PowerLink). The second, called Directlink, connects the New South Wales and Queensland, Australia electricity grids, allowing power to be traded between the two states for the first time. |
