HVDC Interconnectors

[Joeboy]

Update

Viking Link today (11th December) starts final commissioning tests with power flows in both directions starting at 10% of max capacity and steadily increasing during the test period. Aim is to be running at full capacity commercially by 29th December...

Whoever runs the Grid Energy Numbers website might want to add Denmark to the countries on the interconnectors segment pretty soon...

I worked out of Freidrikshaven in Denmark for a while during the installation of Nordstream1(09 to 10 i think).

It was amazing getting up close to the.turbine blades at dockside in their massive multi blade transit units. Six to a case and maybe 8 cases. The hi sodium arc lights pinging off the blade surfaces at night and the change of blade surface along the length.

Those nights are likely when the penny started to drop that I was in the wrong game.

And look what happened to Nordstream1.

Funny that, all those hundred of thousands of man hours, probably millions when shoreside taken into account. Up to 6 vessels at a time on project. Well over a couple of million per day in sterling for vessels alone. Pretty sure we ran for about 2 years on that job.

One yacht, a crew of eight maybe and its done in. Anyway...

Just had a look & read on Wiki. It's a reasonably interesting read. I'll stick with wind turbines (and interconnects) though thank you. Although my mind immediately started to trip off on how you'd repair it. Won't happen though and shouldn't as it is a political weapon without obvious blood.

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nord_Stream_1

[dan_b]

Nordstream - is that the Russian gas pipeline that may or may not have been blown up by the Ukrainians?

[Joeboy]

Nordstream - is that the Russian gas pipeline that may or may not have been blown up by the Ukrainians?

That is the very one. Installed at a time when Russia had apparently opened up and it was the best thing for Europe since sliced bread.

An excellent solution by Ukraine to shut off a money flow to Russia but even better, a way to control wavering Euros who just want the cheap gas and may turn a blind eye for a soft Winter. In the end it turned out to be an accelerant to RE take up across Europe. Which just goes to show.

An asset of the FF industry turns into a catalyst for RE change. Who'd a thunk it?

[dan_b]

VikingLink achieved full 1.4GW export up the cable from the UK to Denmark at 10.30am this morning as part of its final commissioning.

The makers of the various grid tracking websites are going to need to update their gauges to include flows to/from Denmark very soon...

[dan_b]

I haven't kept a running commentary on this one as it's more of a UK grid reinforcement project, rather than a trans-national interconnector. But you're right it's a big phat HVDC line that goes from Scotland to England, so perhaps should be included.

SEGL1 is a 2GW HVDC from Torness in Scotland, to Hawthorn Pit, in County Durham, NE England. Aims to be up and running by 2027/2028.
EGL2 is also a 2GW HVDC link but is a much longer one, going from Peterhead in Scotland, to Drax, in Humberside. This one aims to be up and running by 2029.

Aim is to be able to shift around a lot more renewable power down from Scotland into England, but also to be able to accommodate the rather large off-shore wind farms being built out in the North Sea as well.

Has this been covered? EGL1.

https://www.theguardian.com/business/20 ... lectricity

[dan_b]

Interesting.

Once commissioned, VikingLink is actually going to be grid constrained to 800MW in regular use for the forseeable future as the Danish grid in West Jutland hasn't yet been fully upgraded to cope. Doh.

https://www.offshore-energy.biz/viking- ... operation/

[Tinbum]

EGL2 is also a 2GW HVDC link but is a much longer one, going from Peterhead in Scotland, to Drax, in Humberside.

Humberside!!! How dare you, it's The East Riding of Yorkshire and has been for years!

Drax is actually in North Yorkshire.

[dan_b]

EGL2 is also a 2GW HVDC link but is a much longer one, going from Peterhead in Scotland, to Drax, in Humberside.

Humberside!!! How dare you, it's The East Riding of Yorkshire and has been for years!

Drax is actually in North Yorkshire.

[Countrypaul]

EGL2 is also a 2GW HVDC link but is a much longer one, going from Peterhead in Scotland, to Drax, in Humberside.

Humberside!!! How dare you, it's The East Riding of Yorkshire and has been for years!

Drax is actually in North Yorkshire.

It may be in what is now North Yorkshire, but since you are talking ridings, remember it used to be in the West Riding

[Tinbum]

Even the royal mail still have it as Humberside.