Английская Википедия:Gridlink Interconnector

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Шаблон:Short description Шаблон:Use dmy dates Шаблон:Infobox power transmission line Gridlink Interconnector is a proposed submarine power cable between England and France. The 1,400Шаблон:NbspMW high-voltage direct current connector would link Kingsnorth National Grid substation in north Kent, England, with Réseau de Transport d'Électricité Warande substation in Bourbourg (Nord) near Dunkirk in northern France.[1][2]

Background

Electricity interconnectors are high-voltage transmission links, linking two electricity grids. Electricity can flow in both directions, allowing a grid to import electricity when it is running short so it does not have to fire up old, inefficient fossil fuel power stations. Renewable sources are dependent on the time of day and on the weather conditions; the required load can be balanced by interconnecting grids over a large region, in this case over the Northern Seas Offshore Grid, and the North–South Western EU Interconnections.[3]

Current status

On 28 January 2022 the Шаблон:Ill rejected an investment request by Gridlink to operate the interconnector in France citing legal uncertainties and possibly reduced benefits due to Brexit, stating that "The cost-benefit analysis of the project does not show with sufficient certainty, on average based on the available contrasted scenarios, that the project brings a net benefit to the community." .[4]

Technical description

The project to build this Шаблон:Convert interconnector comprises

  • Шаблон:Convert submarine cable (Шаблон:Convert in UK waters and Шаблон:Convert in French territorial waters), working at a direct current voltage of approximately 525Шаблон:NbspkV.
  • Underground cables from the shoreline to the converter station at Kingsnorth and Warande.
  • Converter stations in Kingsnorth and Warande where the high-voltage direct current voltage is converted to 400Шаблон:NbspkV alternating current, which is the working voltage of both the networks.
  • Underground high-voltage connector cables from the converter stations to the UK and French networks
  • An additional substation in France.[3]Шаблон:Rp

Proposed project timescale

Шаблон:Update The projected timescale is:

Awarded Project of Common Interest status by European Commission 23 November 2017 (Commission Delegated Regulation 2018/540)
Application for UK development consents September 2020, and in France November 2020.
Construction contracts to be awarded July 2021, detailed planning consents September 2021.
Construction starts December 2021
Commissioning June 2024
Commercial operations start December 2024
Regulatory Decision in France: On 28 January 2022, the French Energy Regulatory Commission [fr] declined an investment request by Gridlink to operate the interconnector in France.[3]Шаблон:Rp

Route

Шаблон:OSM Location map

The undersea cable connects two national grids, so must run from locations, close to the coast, capable of injecting the extra 1.4Шаблон:NbspGW of power into the grid. Three points in Northern France were considered Penly, Les Attaques and Warande. Only Warande had sufficient capacity. On the UK side sites along the south coast were rejected as there was not sufficient infrastructure available to transport the electricity to the main network, while the North Kent coast and the banks of Thames Estuary was well supported. The following seven suitable sites were considered before Kingsnorth was selected: Cleve Hill, Coryton, Grain, Kemsley, Kingsnorth, Northfleet East and Rayleigh Main. The existing Kingsnorth sub-station already had the capacity, as the Kingsnorth coal fired power station had been decommissioned, and was 1.5Шаблон:Nbspkm (1 mile) from the shore.[3]Шаблон:Rp

The 400Шаблон:NbspkV alternating current link from the substation at Kingsnorth passes though a 1.5Шаблон:Nbspkm (1 mile) underground duct to the converter station which is on the shoreline. The two high-voltage direct current undersea cables enter a trench under the sea perpendicular to the shore and under the shipping channel where it follows the southern bank until off Grain where it crosses the channel and leaves the Medway passing to the north of the Sheppey anchorage berths.[3]Шаблон:Rp

The Шаблон:Convert cable lies on the seabed protected by a covering of rocks or in a trench. Other users must not be disrupted, and a series of hazards must be avoided: anchorages, navigation channels, environmentally sensitive areas, known wrecks, moving sandbanks, unexploded ordnance, windfarms and other subsea cables. The route was chosen to take all this into account, and to turn south on the most western route to minimise cable length. In the Thames, it runs to the south of the Pan Sands sand bank and south of the BritNed interconnector cable.[3]Шаблон:Rp

In France the high-voltage direct current cable crosses the coastline in an industrial area owned by the Grand Maritime Port of Dunkerque (GMPD) and passes under their land for Шаблон:Convert to a site alongside the RD11 junction (52a/b) with the A16 autoroute to the new converter station. The 400Шаблон:NbspkV alternating current link travels Шаблон:Convert underground to the new Warande substation that is to be built adjacent to the existing RTE Bourbourg substation; they will share connection to the 400Шаблон:NbspkV alternating current overhead lines of the RTE.[3]Шаблон:Rp

References

Шаблон:Reflist

External links

Шаблон:National Grid Шаблон:Energy in the United Kingdom