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ISSN 2753-7757 (Online)

Hitachi Energy hands over world’s longest subsea power interconnector: the North Sea Link

26/10/2022

News

Aerial view of a converter station Photo: Hitachi Energy
Hitachi Energy designed and commissioned the two converter stations for transmitting electricity between Norway and the UK

Photo: Hitachi Energy

Global technology company Hitachi Energy has handed over the North Sea Link, which has the capacity to transmit 1,400 MW of renewable power, to Statnett, Norway’s national power grid operator, and to National Grid, which owns and manages the UK’s gas and electricity infrastructure.

The 720 km HVDC underwater cable allows the UK to import hydropower from Norway, and Norway to import wind power from the UK. Its capacity can supply enough electricity to power 1.4mn UK homes and has the potential to avoid almost 21mn tonnes of CO2 emissions by 2030, says Hitachi.  

 

The company designed, engineered and supplied and commissioned the enabling technology for North Sea Link: two ‘HVDC Light’ converter stations, at Blyth in northeast England and at Kvilldal in Norway. These stations convert the alternating current power of the grid into direct current for more efficient transmission through the subsea cable, and then reconvert it back into alternating current again for use in the receiving grid.