HVDC Interconnectors

[AE-NMidlands]

About 2300 miles, am I right? How does that compare to longest existing interconnector?

probably makes it even more at risk of interference by some malefactor or other!

[nowty]

About 2300 miles, am I right? How does that compare to longest existing interconnector?

probably makes it even more at risk of interference by some malefactor or other!

Allegedly the recent Viking link is the longest at 475 miles, or nearly 5 times as short.
Never going to happen what with political / security risks unless the UK government is going to insure it.
https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-g ... and-subsea

[dan_b]

VikingLink is currently the longest subsea HVDC interconnector at 745km in total (although some of that is on the ground).

The longest actual HVDC transmission line is in China (where else).
That is a 12GW (yes, 12!) connection which travels some 3200km overground in total from Zhundong to Wannan on transmission towers.

[dan_b]

AQUIND update - the MoD has lodged an appeal against the project after the previous decision by Govt to not grant permission was overturned in the high court.

And so the plot thickens!

[Adokforme]

Unashamedly copied from Ripple community page!
https://uk.finance.yahoo.com/news/brita ... EL4Us5C_4d

[dan_b]

I still can't quite believe this XLinks project is actually going to go ahead - the distance seems so extreme - but then as we've discussed often, the actual cost of the project is so much less than an equivalent 3.6GW of new nuclear, and it's a much less complex engineering project in the end I suppose - "Just" laying loads and loads and loads of cables.

[Joeboy]

Thar ain't no cable laying ship. Looks like a billionaires plaything fitted with an Aframe!

Needs a big ass carousel on a 2 year leased vessel with two work class rovs and a survey crew.

I might come out of retirement for that contract!

The time it takes to build and sea trial a vessel then a year of gremlins... Go to the existing market! Then again, still to build the cable manufacturing site....

This is YEARS out from being anything.

I'd very much like to see it succeed!

[GarethC]

https://www.energylivenews.com/2024/03/ ... -of-homes/

[dan_b]

Ooh nice, new interconnectors!

Tarchon Energy Link - that appears to be a new 1.4GW connection to Germany, so the 2nd to that country. Landfall in the UK is listed as "Essex".
They're claiming a commission date of 2030.

Lion Link is in a way a lot more interesting. Not least because it was previously known as "EuroLink" and since Brexit, any project with the word Euro in it is doomed for failure (or at least derision from the Daily Mail)...

So that one is a 1.8GW connection to The Netherlands, again the 2nd one to that country. with landfall in "Suffolk".
What makes it more interesting is that the route for this one will take it via a new Dutch-developed offshore windfarm - so power flows on that cable will be quite complex! They're again claiming a commission date of 2030 - whether that's the link alone, or also the windfarm is unclear.

[Joeboy]

Long distance!
https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/20 ... wer-cable/