| BritNed | |
|---|---|
 Location of BritNed | |
| Location | |
| Country | United Kingdom,Netherlands |
| Coordinates | 51°26′24″N0°43′0″E / 51.44000°N 0.71667°E /51.44000; 0.71667 (HVDC BritNed - Grain Static Inverter Plant) 51°57′27″N4°01′17″E / 51.95750°N 4.02139°E /51.95750; 4.02139 (HVDC BritNed - Maasvlakte Static Inverter Plant) |
| General direction | north–south, west–south |
| From | Isle of Grain,Kent |
| Passes through | North Sea |
| To | Maasvlakte,Rotterdam |
| Ownership information | |
| Partners | National Grid plc(United Kingdom) TenneT(Netherlands) |
| Construction information | |
| Manufacturer of conductor/cable | ABB |
| Cable layer | Global Marine Systems |
| Manufacturer of substations | Siemens |
| Installer of substations | BAM Nuttall |
| Construction started | 2009 |
| Commissioned | 2011 |
| Technical information | |
| Type | submarine cable |
| Type of current | HVDC |
| Total length | 260 km (160 mi) |
| Power rating | 1,000 MW |
| DC voltage | 450 kV |
| No. of poles | 2 |
BritNed is a 1,000 MWhigh-voltage direct-current (HVDC)submarine power cable between theIsle of Grain inKent, the United Kingdom; andMaasvlakte inRotterdam, the Netherlands.
The BritNedinterconnector would serve as a link for the foreseeableEuropean super grid project.
The project was announced in May 2007.[1] The installation of the first section of cable link started on 11 September 2009,[2] The entire 260 km (160 miles) cable was completed in October 2010.[3] It began operation on 1 April 2011,[4][5] and as of January 2012, electricity flow has mostly been from the Netherlands to the UK.[6]
The 260 km (160-mile) long bi-pole 450 kV interconnector consists of two HVDC cables, which are bundled together. The capacity of the cable is 1,000 MW. The interconnector has twoconverter stations for connecting the link with the British and Dutch high-voltage electricity transmission systems.[7] The cable was produced byABB and laid byGlobal Marine Systems, while theBAM Nuttall/Siemensconsortium was responsible for the construction and equipping of the converter stations.[7][8] BritNed was completed on time and within the budget of €600 million.[5]
The respectivetransmission system operators of the United Kingdom and the Netherlands -National Grid plc andTenneT; formed a joint venture to fund and operate the interconnection, independently from National Grid and TenneT's regulated businesses.[9]
BritNed suffered a number of outages due to undersea cable faults in 2020/21. A significant outage happened on 9 March 2021 and the connection was scheduled to be restored on 8 May 2021, but this was later delayed until 7 June 2021.[10]
| Site | Coordinates |
|---|---|
| Grain Static Inverter Plant | 51°26′24″N0°43′0″E / 51.44000°N 0.71667°E /51.44000; 0.71667 (HVDC BritNed - Grain Static Inverter Plant) |
| Maasvlakte Static Inverter Plant | 51°57′27″N4°01′17″E / 51.95750°N 4.02139°E /51.95750; 4.02139 (HVDC BritNed - Maasvlakte Static Inverter Plant) |
