Siemens is currently installing the power converter stations for a HVDC transmission link

Siemens is currently installing the power converter stations for a HVDC transmission link between Baixas, to the west of Perpignan in France, and Santa Llogaia, southwest of Figueras in Spain. (Graphic: Siemens)

The new HVDC transmission system between France and Spain will commence commercial operation in the middle of 2015. It will double the energy exchange capacity between the two countries, which currently stands at 1,400 MW. The HVDC link will also increase the supply reliability and ensure that additional renewable energy sources can be integrated without endangering the stability of the grid.

Siemens constructed the power converter stations for the HVDC link between Baixas, west of Perpignan in France, and Santa Llogaia in Spain, southwest of Figueras. The system can transmit a rated power of 2,000 MW in both directions. Power reversal is possible in 150 milliseconds. The stations use HVDC Plus technology from Siemens with a transmission voltage of +/- 320 kV direct current (DC). The distance between the two power converter stations is around 65 km. Underground DC cables in an 8 km tunnel that leads into the Pyrenees Mountains will transmit the power in both directions. Inelfe (Interconnexion Electrique France Espagne), a project joint venture between the grid operators Réseau de Transport d'Electricité (RTE), Paris, and Red Eléctrica de Espana (REE), Madrid, awarded the contract for the construction of the HVDC link. The contract has a total investment volume of approximately € 700 million.

“As a link between France and Spain, this HVDC transmission project can serve as an excellent model. It is a forward-looking approach that shows how bottlenecks in the transmission grids throughout Europe can gradually be eliminated. With our HVDC system, currently worldwide the most powerful of its kind, we have made a significant contribution to these efforts”, said Tim Dawidowsky, CEO of the Business Unit Transmission Solutions, Siemens Energy Management Division.

The establishment of a European electricity market requires further interconnections to be developed, so that the 34 interconnected European countries can reap the benefit of the most effective production resources. This interconnection will foster a closer convergence in electricity prices in the European countries linked up to the markets, and will allow Europe to benefit more widely from the renewable energies generated in the Iberian peninsula.

Katharina Garus

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