Hitachi ABB Power Grids wins order from SSEN
Published by Sarah Smith,
Assistant Editor
Energy Global,
Hitachi ABB Power Grids has won a major order from Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks (SSEN) Transmission, part of SSE plc, to enable Europe’s first multi-terminal high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) interconnection. The link, which will connect Shetland to the UK transmission system for the first time, will enhance security of power supply and help transmit wind power generated on the islands, contributing to the UK’s decarbonisation target of bringing all greenhouse gas emissions to net zero by 2050.
As part of the project, Hitachi ABB Power Grids will deliver and commission an innovative HVDC system, facilitating a multi-terminal link, providing flexibility to transfer power in multiple directions, based on supply and demand, with minimal power losses. This will support power exchange and cost optimisation while lowering the carbon footprint.
The HVDC system will convert the harnessed wind power from Alternating Current to Direct Current at an HVDC Converter Station. This power will then be transmitted via underground and subsea cables to an HVDC switching station at Caithness, in the north of Scotland. It will then be transferred via the Caithness Moray HVDC link (previously executed by Hitachi ABB Power Grids), before being converted back to Alternating Current for onward transmission to meet electricity demand in the north of Scotland and beyond, forming a three terminal DC-system.
The HVDC connection will play a key role in the development of Shetland’s renewable energy potential by connecting it to what will be the UK’s largest onshore windfarm. Scheduled for completion in 2024, the system is enabled for future connections and integration of more renewables.
Hitachi ABB Power Grids pioneered HVDC technology more than 65 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects - a recent success being an order to connect the world’s largest offshore wind farms in the Dogger Bank region of the North Sea to the UK transmission network. HVDC technology is increasingly being deployed across the world to integrate and transmit large scale renewable energy and has been recognised as a key technology to facilitate a clean energy transition, contributing to the UN Sustainable Development Goal of increasing access to reliable and affordable energy for all, whilst reducing climate impact.
Read the article online at: https://www.energyglobal.com/electric-hybrid/04082020/hitachi-abb-power-grids-wins-order-from-ssen/
You might also like
Fortum to modernise 110-year-old Malta hydropower plant in Sweden
Fortum has decided to extensively modernise the Malta hydropower plant in Uvån, in the municipality of Hagfors, Sweden.