The announcement comes shortly after Ofgem agreed to fast track ScottishPower’s plans for transmission network upgrades between 2013 and 2021. The full £2.6 billion investment over this period will increase capacity from Scotland to England from 3.3 gigawatts (GW) to close to 7GW by 2021.
Due to be operational by 2016, the 260 mile long high voltage cable link will run from Hunterston in Ayrshire to a landing point on the Wirral peninsula. Subject to planning approvals, this new link will be one of the first major upgrades to be delivered as part of ScottishPower’s approved plans.
The link will be the longest high capacity HVDC (High Voltage Direct Current) cable in the world. It will also be the first sub-sea interconnector ever using DC voltage level of 600 kilovolts (Kv).
The added capacity will allow grid access to 6GW of new renewable energy projects in Scotland that could power 3 million homes. It will also give rise to lower transmission losses, and because it is also bi-directional, will allow electricity to flow north or south according to future supply and demand. This is an essential part of the UK’s strategic energy plan for an integrated electricity network.
“The HVDC link is a major project in the context of a vital upgrading of the UK electricity grid over the coming years, with the electricity grid between Scotland and England already running close to maximum capacity. The additional capacity from this link will provide a significant boost to renewable energy projects being developed in Scotland in order to bring clean energy to consumers throughout the country and at the same time help meet carbon reduction targets,” commented Ignacio Galán, Chairman of ScottishPower.
Frank Mitchell CEO of SP Energy Networks said that the project had been under development for over 3 years and will create “a benchmark for future projects both in the UK and globally and will help connect existing renewable projects that are waiting to be linked into the grid”.
It is estimated that the £2.6 billion investment will create of up to 1,500 new jobs in the ScottishPower Transmission licence area, connect offshore and onshore wind generation in Scotland of around 11 GW (enough to power over 6 million homes), save over £2 billion in reduced carbon emissions (equivalent to 45 million tonnes of CO2), and reduce constraint costs to the UK consumer by £1.7 billion. The link is scheduled to be operational by late 2015.
HVDC essential to low carbon economy
One of the contractors commissioned to install the Western HVDC Link interconnection is Prysmian, which says the project is “strategic for the upgrade of the entire British transmission grid, as the UK is heading towards a low carbon economy with a massive utilization of power from renewable sources”.
The project represents a milestone not only for its value but also in terms of technological features, setting new industry records. The interconnection, designed as a low loss High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) transmission system, will operate at the record voltage level of 600 kV, the highest ever reached by an insulated cable (to date the record is 500 kV) with a rating of 2200 MW - both currently unmatched for long-haul systems.
“This milestone reconfirms our undisputed prominent role in the submarine cables sector,” states Fabio Romeo, Prysmian’s Executive Vice President Energy Business, “In addition, I would also like to highlight our ever-increasing commitment to the renewable energies sector, with a wide range of high-end products and technologies available to support the development of greener and smarter power grids”.
Prysmian has been taking part in the development of some of the most strategic submarine power interconnections worldwide. In particular, the Group is currently involved, in the USA, in the execution of the Hudson Transmission Project which will bring clean power to about 600,000 new homes in Manhattan, New York, and has commissioned the Transbay Cable Project in San Francisco.
In Europe, Prysmian is playing a key role in the development of power connections for offshore wind farms, with projects either completed or on-going in Denmark, Holland, UK and in Germany. Prysmian has been especially active in the development of renewable energies by the German government, with multiple contracts for offshore HVDC grid connection awarded over the last 18 months, namely BorWin2, HelWin1, Helwin2 and SylWin1.
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