First three way HVDC LionLink power line for the North Sea
A three way 525KV DC power line is to be built between the UK, the Netherlands and the wind farm grid in the North Sea.
LionLink will be the world’s largest multi-use electricity power line, says the UK government, and follows the similar Kassø-Frøslev interconnect from Denmark to Germany but with four times the capacity at 1.8GW.
The interconnect is planned to be operational by the early 2030s to boost the existing 8.4GW interconnector capacity in the UK.
The offshore converter platform will be in the Dutch North Sea and owned by TenneT, which is developing a grid out at sea. The platform will have a fixed capacity of 2 GW, which will connected to a Dutch offshore windfarm.
Via 66kV cables, the energy from the offshore wind turbines is transported to the platform where four transformers increase the voltage before the electricity enters the converter halls. The energy is converted to 525 kV DC for transmission to land.
European cable supplier Nexans and Prysmian both have underwater HVDC contracts in the North Sea.
“It is our conviction that offshore hubs configured in a meshed DC grid must form the backbone of the North Sea powerhouse. This is a view that is increasingly shared, and for us, it is more than a vision of the future,” said Manon van Beek, CEO of TenneT. “In fact, we are already doing it by kicking off this ground-breaking LionLink project right now. It is a first step and a great opportunity to learn as the offshore grid takes shape.”
This is a key step towards the development of an offshore North Sea electricity grid, he says. The Multi Purpose Interconnector is ahead of a planned meshed, interconnected and hub-based offshore (and partly onshore) DC-system.
“Connecting wind farms to multiple markets simultaneously is a game changer for energy infrastructure and brings us one step closer to realising the enormous green energy potential of the North Sea,” said Ben Wilson, President of National Grid Ventures which is developing the cable with TenneT.
“Not only can we deploy every spare electron where it is needed most, we can help to reduce the impact of infrastructure on coastal communities. We now need the right political, legal and regulatory framework to make it happen and establish a mutually beneficial North Sea grid to deliver a cleaner, fairer, more secure and more affordable energy future for British and European consumers,” he said.
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