Renewable Energy World | By: Tom Ewing | May 22, 2017:
In the U.K., National Grid (NG) is the utility that owns the high voltage electricity network in England and Wales. It is also one of four British gas distribution companies. It’s a big player — “joining everything up” (NG writes) — within the U.K.’s overall energy system.
Now, NG is working on projects to “join up” the U.K. and continental Europe. One project is a 240-km (149-mile), 1,000-MW subsea “interconnector” between NG substation facilities in Hampshire, England, and Réseau de Transport d’Electricité (RTE), the French Transmission System Operator at the Tourbe substation, Normandy, France. Similar projects with Denmark and Belgium are in the works.
The new English-French project is formally known as IFA2 — “Interconnexion France Angleterre 2.” It’s NG’s second French link; the first was built 30 years ago. Regulatory approvals started in 2014. NG wants completion in 2020.
The project took a big step forward in April when the Swiss company ABB was awarded a contract worth €270 million for two high-voltage direct current converter stations. Conversion enables efficient and reliable long distance transmission, with minimum losses. ABB’s technology can regulate fluctuations and power restoration, benefits, obviously, both for operations and reliability.
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