May 24 2007
ABB, the leading power and automation technology group, has won its biggest cable order ever for a high-voltage connection between the power grids of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands.
The $350 million contract was awarded by National Grid in the U.K and state-owned TenneT in the Netherlands. The 260-kilometer BritNed link will allow energy trading between the two countries and increase the reliability of electricity supplies to both.
“BritNed is another step towards an integrated electricity network for Europe,” said Peter Leupp, head of ABB’s Power Systems division. “We are proud to demonstrate once again that we have the technologies needed to modernize the European grid, stabilizing supplies and increasing capacity.”
Under the terms of the contract, ABB will supply the underwater and underground cables for the high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link. The system will have a total capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW) and will be commissioned in 2010.
HVDC technology is used to transport electrical power over long distances with low losses using underground or submarine cables. Power flow can be exactly controlled and the technology also prevents disturbances from spreading, making a significant contribution to the stability of the European grid.
ABB pioneered the technology in the 1950s, when the company built the world’s first commercial HVDC transmission link in Sweden. ABB remains the world leader in HVDC transmission technology, having supplied more than half of the world’s HVDC projects, providing an installed transmission capacity of more than 45,000 MW.
ABB’s HVDC projects include the world’s longest underground power link, in Australia, and the world’s longest underwater connection, the NorNed project between Norway and the Netherlands, which is under construction.
ABB is a leader in power and automation technologies that enable utility and industry customers to improve performance while lowering environmental impact. The ABB Group of companies operates in around 100 countries and employs about 109,000 people.