Hvdc Technology News

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has successfully commissioned and handed over the DolWin1 offshore wind grid connection to the Dutch-German transmission system operator TenneT. The 800 megawatts (MW) High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) link connects offshore wind farms around 75 kilometers off the German coast in the DolWin cluster, with the country’s transmission grid. The DolWin1 grid connection can integrate 800 MW of offshore wind power, enough to supply around one million households with clean energy. The DolWin1 grid connection is part of Germany’s ambitious energy transition roadmap, called “Energiewende”, which foresees the generation of more than 6.5 gigawatts (GW) from offshore wind by 2020 and 15 GW by 2030.

Drydocks World signed an agreement today with Petrofac to build the BorWin3 high voltage direct current (HVDC) converter platform in the North Sea, named BorWin gamma. When completed, this will provide an essential renewable offshore resource to meet increasing energy demands. Drydocks World has successfully secured the contract for the fabrication, commissioning and load out of the BorWin3 platform, which will transmit electricity from the connected offshore wind farms to the mainland of Germany. Scheduled to go online in 2019, the platform will be installed nearly 100km off the German coast in the North Sea, at a water depth of approximately 40m. The Dutch-German transmission system operator TenneT ordered the HVDC link BorWin3 from a consortium comprising Petrofac and Siemens.

DNV GL, the world’s largest resource of independent energy experts today share the findings of its latest report “Offshore wind: a manifesto for cost reduction” at WindEnergy Hamburg 2014. Industry action on reducing offshore wind costs is widely regarded as essential to secure the future of this strategically important energy source in Northern Europe as well as in new markets in Asia and North America. The DNV GL manifesto for offshore wind cost reduction does more than identify and quantify cost reduction opportunities. It sets out the challenge and commits DNV GL to action on the most important issues. The cost reduction strategies outlined in the manifesto are categorised into three basic types: “Doing it right” (by mitigating risk and increasing certainty)…

ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won an order worth about $35 million from Hydro-Québec to upgrade the 350 megawatt (MW) Madawaska high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission link, that connects the grids of New Brunswick and Hydro Québec in southeast Canada. The order was booked in the second quarter of 2014. The project scope includes installation of ABB’s MACH control and protection system and the upgrade of the valves and valve cooling system. The back-to-back converter station has been in operation for more than 25 years and the modernization is expected to significantly improve grid reliability and help reduce maintenance needs. The new station is scheduled to go into full operation in 2016.

Siemens has installed the HelWin1 offshore platform in the North Sea, marking the completion of a stage in German grid connection projects. HelWin1 will link the two offshore wind farms Nordsee Ost and Meerwind to the mainland. Using the Siemens technology installed on the platform, the alternating current power generated by the wind turbines is transformed into low-loss direct current for transmission onto land. Starting next year, this will enable the network operator and purchaser TenneT to supply clean electricity to more than 500,000 German households on the mainland.

ABB commissions world's highest capacity HVDC Light underwater power link, a 500 MW HVDC inter-connection between Ireland and the UK enables leveraging of wind energy and facilitates power flows between the two countries. ABB has delivered the East West Interconnector to EirGrid, the Irish transmission system operator. The 500-megawatt (MW) transmission connection is the highest capacity link of its kind, based on voltage source converter (VSC) technology, to go into commercial operation. The interconnector establishes an important link between the Irish and U.K.

World’s most powerful HVDC Light® sets new record voltage level of ±320 kV- more than 50 per cent higher than existing record. The HVDC Light converter station was energized at the Dörpen West substation in northern Germany, for the Dutch-German transmission system operator, TenneT. This station is the receiving end of the DolWin1 transmission link, which will integrate 800 MW of offshore wind power generated in the North Sea into the European transmission system and will operate at the new record voltage level of +/-320 kilovolts (kV). HVDC Light is a manifestation of HVDC that helps to address the needs of underground and subsea transmission and ABB leads the way in this technology, having delivered more than 20 such converter stations.

GL Garrad Hassan was technical adviser to Mitsubishi Corporation (MC) on their recent acquisition of a 49% stake in the BorWin1 and BorWin2 German offshore high-voltage, direct current (HVDC) links. The company acted as the sole technical advisor to MC providing due diligence assessment of the BorWin assets and follow on support to the MC team, utilising experts from across the company but in particular from the offshore and electrical groups. MC, Japan’s largest trading group, acquired a 49% share in the offshore transmission assets BorWin1 and BorWin2 from TenneT Holding B.V. in December 2012. Together these transmission assets represent 1.2 GW of electrical connection capacity available for German offshore wind farms.