The fire took place at in the early hours of Wednesday at Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA), in Sellindge, Kent. CCTV images released following theft of catalytic convertor from Tunbridge Wells driveway, Cannabis cultivation unearthed in Chatham town centre, 5 unusual Kent properties currently up for auction including seafront house, former pumping station and river, Kent lifeboats deployed after fire on board ferry in the Channel, Street fighting in Bakhmut but Russia not in control, Russian minister laughed at for Ukraine war claims. A fire at a National Grid site has shut down a power cable linking electricity supplies between the UK and France. According to data from the National Grid (LON: NG ), flows on the 2,000 megawatt (MW) IFA-1 cable were halted overnight, however, the IFA-2 cable is . The nearest railway station to postcode TN25 6AH is Westenhanger. Capula has been awarded the design, manufacture, test, install and commission of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System for National Grids Ventures Sellindge High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter substation. Since the commissioning of the 2,000MW DC link in the 1980s, the bulk of power flow through the link has been from France to Britain. Following a tender process, the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) contracts were awarded to partners with an international reputation: Siemens has built the converter stations, Balfour Beatty/Prysmian are responsible for the manufacturing and installation of the DC cables in the Tunnel and the underground AC cable system in the UK. The electricity is then transported as Direct Current via high voltage transmission lines over distances of up to several thousands of kms. . 62.171.130.70 The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. This does get around the limited direct links between Belgium and France. This scheme was equipped with mercury-arc valves, each having four anodes in parallel.[4]. A fire at a National Grid site has shut down a power cable linking electricity supplies between the UK and France. Gas and power prices jumped. 0000064333 00000 n
Dear Customers, We wish to update you on the major incident that occurred at IFA yesterday. The system was built with solid-state semiconductor thyristor valves from the outset. "The fire at the IFA site essentially means the loss of 2 gigawatts (GW) of. Cookie policy. Except where otherwise indicated, Everything.Explained.Today is Copyright 2009-2022, A B Cryer, All Rights Reserved. A fire in September 2021 caused the link to be removed from service. The blaze halted electricity imports via the 2,000 megawatt power cable until March of next year. Typically over five years to design, procure and build an HVDC converter stationdelivered in 16 Mission Impossible? [10] Repairs were completed by the end of February 2017. National Grid Sellindge HVDC Convertor Stations, life extension of the control and monitoring systems. JavaScript and reload the 3. REVIEW OF THE MAJOR FAILURES IN THE CURRENT HVDC CONVERTER STATIONS 3.1 General It forms a high voltage direct current (HVDC) bridge for the transmission of 2,000MW of electricity. Not for Mission Sellindge! 0000006495 00000 n
GE's new state-of-the-art HVDC Valve Testing Facility (VTF) in Stafford, UK is the world's first fully programmable waveform generator for HVDC valves. Imports through the interconnector have generally been around the highest possible level, given the capacity of the link. Twelve fire crews were sent to the site in Sellindge near Ashford on Wednesday,. Cloudflare Ray ID: 7a2be5c65bed2bc9 [9], In November 2016, during Storm Angus, a ship dragging an anchor cut four of the eight cable components, reducing capacity by 50%. A subsequent lull in wind production saw system margins fall. An aerial photo shows the damage after the electricity interconnector fire at Sellindge in Kent A further 1000MW planned outage will be in place until 25 September. Way History: Sellindge Converter Station (23281217) Version #15 Power mapping Edited almost 2 years ago by Russ; Changeset #100435100; Tags. At its core will be the introduction of new protection solutions supported by As part of the EDF Group, Capula has supported many EDF programmes across their Generation, Customer, Renewables and International businesses delivering support right across the EDF energy mix. The link connects converter stations at Rush North Beach, County Dublin, Ireland, and Barkby Beach in North Wales. 0000019365 00000 n
Or by navigating to the user icon in the top right. Smoke rises from an electricity converter station following a fire, in Sellindge, U.K., on Sept. 15. , Photographer: Edward Evans/Bloomberg (Bloomberg) -- A fire has broken out at a key electricity converter station where power from two cables connecting France to the U.K. comes to shore. Please note that there might be constraints on site display and With over 130 years of pioneering experience, GE offers two HVDC technologies, Line Commutated Converters (LCC) and Voltage Source Converters (VSC), to support a broad range of applications and deployable in different schemes including overhead line (point to point), back to back, submarine/land cable and offshore. 0000008142 00000 n
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National Grid announced that half of its capacity would be restored on 20 October 2021, with full capacity being restored by October 2023. [5] Given that the cable was laid on the surface of the seabed it was prone to being fouled by fishing nets, causing damage. Not for Mission Sellindge! This means that we may include adverts from us and third parties based on our knowledge of you. -S3aRLs705eavj-x6M#L%aK|L5`
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aXE:59`` (eZ'pd`:p5Ei4 From there, Adam and Alie board a helicopter to visit the DolWin Alpha Offshore Converter in the North Sea and the facility where the wind power is converted to help power one million German homes. The interconnector runs between Deeside in north Wales and Woodland, Co Meath. We use your sign-up to provide content in the ways you've consented to and improve our understanding of you. IFA is the European link combining the technical and commercial expertise of both RTE and National Grid Interconnectors. The order includes the supply, installation and commissioning of the transformers for the Sellindge converter station in England. 0000099245 00000 n
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The converter stations on both sides of the English Channel were built by Alstom, with the link capable of supplying around three million homes. It couldn't be simpler and it takes seconds - simply press here, enter your email address and follow the instructions. The onshore converter station will convert the electricity generated by the wind farm to 400 kV, before it enters the national grid. This latest project aims to support the extension of the operational life of the converter station through a refurbishment programme, with a focus on ensuring interoperability of legacy and the latest control systems. 0000008712 00000 n
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This HVDC-link is 73km (45miles) long in route, with 70km (40miles) between the two ends. However, most HVDC converters are connected as twelve-pulse bridges. 1 The Sellindge Converter Station is the UK terminal for the France Interconnector. 0000005111 00000 n
Leave your review of National Grid. I've been working as an apprentice at the Sellindge converter station, dividing my time between the training centre and site. GE is globally recognized for designing, manufacturing and delivering customized HVDC solutions for utilities worldwide. 0000003378 00000 n
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With this topology, quasi-sinusoidal voltage waveforms can be created and no filter is required for connection to the grid. of the existing Pole 2 as well as the new Konti-Skan 1 pole p Automatic balancing currents to cancel current flow in the sea Converter stations fully automated Control to be from a dispatch centre . Subcategories This category has only the following subcategory. 0000064625 00000 n
The interconnector is around 260km in length and has the capacity to carry 500 megawatts of electricity between southern Ireland and Britain. Sellindge Converter Station is situated nearby to the power station Partridge Farm (Solar Farm) and the forest Backhouse Wood. Indeed, by 1984 the circuit was disconnected from the Main Transmission System. This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. The role will assist in the management and any future updates of the Siemens O&M, SPAC Monitoring and Maintenance and expert call-off contracts. %PDF-1.4
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National Grid said that it had been able to reduce that outage time slightly, meaning that it will come back to service on October 20 rather than October 23. Capula will be involved in an important part of the refurbishment of the converter station control room, with the replacement of the SCADA system. The landing point for IFA 1 is Folkestone, from where underground cables connect to the Sellindge converter station and then onto the UK's transmission station. Voltage levels of 800kV and above have been considered but no converter stations have been built at these voltage levels. Converter station footprint (relative size) 200m x 120m x 22m (100%) 120m x 60m x 22m (~40%) Conversion losses (per converter end) 0.7% to 0.8% of transmitted power 1% of DC voltage Up to 800kV We deliver unparalleled efficiency and safety, vital to the energy needs of GB and the north-western European Region. Converter Station 1 Sellindge, UK Rosser, Canada So Roque, So Paulo Yigne, Sweden Inga, Zaire Apollo, South Africa Dickinson, Minnesota Arrowhead, Minnesota North Cowichan, British Columbia New Brunswick, Canada Converter Station 2 72 km 92.9 km 33 km Length of Cable Some systems that used thyristors from rst . 0000011967 00000 n
Thankfully no one was injured and the emergency services got the fire under . In order to keep the disturbances of the magnetic compasses of passing ships as small as possible, a bipolar cable was used. Grid Solutions, a GE Renewable Energy business, serves customers globally with over 13,000 employees. The price cap will be introduced to reflect current wholesale prices which have contributed to the collapse of 18 energy suppliers this year. I am excited to be working on such a technically challenging project and delighted to now be offering National Grid Ventures our engineering services maximising availability and uptime while controlling total lifetime cost. Performance & security by Cloudflare. The undersea section consists of eight 46km (29miles) . Built using GEs proven technology, with fully redundant systems and state-of-the-art software, eLumina delivers a reliable, high-performance platform consisting of: Utilizing cutting-edge technological advancements, GE has developed its most advanced MAXSINE valve specifically to address the complex challenges of the grid. The National Grid has warned a Kent power plant will not be up and running again until 2023. Railway stations nearby postcode TN25 6AH. Home > Systems & Services > High Voltage Direct Current Systems. Map Directions Satellite Photo Map Type: Electrical substation Category: industry GE is globally recognized for designing, manufacturing and delivering customized HVDC solutions for utilities worldwide. This is done by means of high-power, high-voltage electronic semiconductor valves. [{"name":"Home","site_name":"Press | Company | Siemens","description":"","url_str":"\/global\/","level":0,"image":"","base_root":"https:\/\/press.siemens.com","base_nid":"5","base_nodepath":"\/node\/5","base_path":"\/global\/","base_secure_url":"https:\/\/press.siemens.com\/global","children":null}], Siemens will supply four 400 kV HVDC transformers for cross-channel link, Efficient 2,000 MW power transmission link between France and the UK will supply up to 3 million homes with electricity. He has good understanding and appreciation for human factors in collaborative, proactive and safe . Read about our approach to external linking. 0000007642 00000 n
[3] From 1958 the super-grid and its substations were built by the Transmission Project Group within the Central Electricity Generating Board and included architects and landscape architects. 0000015608 00000 n
A large fire at a key substation in the UK has forced the shutdown of one of the most important power cables that import electricity from France. LCC is available as point to point overhead line and submarine/land cable and is ideally suited for back to back schemes. The GB landing point for the sub-sea cables is near Folkestone, Kent, from where underground cables connect to Sellindge converter station and then onto the GB transmission system. 0000005589 00000 n
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The Sellindge converter station was built by GEC and the Les Mandarins converter station was built by CGE Alstom. end power consumers. Licensing Download Line Commutated Converters Line Commutated Converter is a mature cost effective HVDC technology based on thyristor power semiconductors, which enables the bulk transfer of power of up to 8 GW with low losses and inherent DC fault protection. and begin my permanent role on-site at Sellindge. A converter station converts electricity between Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). Prior to the 2021 fire, the link availability was around 98%, which was among the best rates in the world. However, France imports energy as needed during the winter to meet demand, or when there is low availability of hydroelectric power. The first Cross-Channel link was a 160 MW link completed in 1961 and decommissioned in 1984, while the second was a 2,000 . Sellindge was commissioned in 1986 and has many distributed control and monitoring systems. 0000013601 00000 n
GE is globally recognized for designing, manufacturing and delivering customized HVDC solutions for utilities worldwide. You can also enter your email address in the box below the picture on most desktop and mobile platforms. Initially these were air-cooled and used analogue control systems, and in 2011 and 2012 respectively, the thyristor valves of Bipole 1 and Bipole 2 were replaced by modern water-cooled thyristor valves and digital control systems supplied by Alstom. and industries worldwide with equipment, systems and services to bring power reliably and efficiently from the point of generation to 0000063902 00000 n
The picture shows the 400 kV HVDC transformers. It was completed in 1986, and replaced the first cross-Channel link which was a 160MW link completed in 1961 and decommissioned in 1984. Investing.com - The UK's National Grid has confirmed there has been a fire at the IFA interconnector site in Sellindge, UK. Onshore converter station Kier Infrastructure, contracted to GE's Grid Solutions, has been onsite since spring 2022 readying it for the installation of the converter station's state-of-the-art electrical infrastructure. This station is at the British end of the interconnecter which joins the national electricity grids of Great Britain and France via high-voltage DC submarine cable, allowing power to be transferred between the two countries according to supply and demand and converted to the appropriate AC standards for onward transmission. I hope to keep . HVDC systems utilize power electronics technology to convert AC and DC voltage and are ideal for supporting existing systems or building new power highways. 0000058162 00000 n
HVDC converter stations. The new units will replace the old transformers at the site, significantly improving the system's reliability. 0000008823 00000 n
In September 2021, a major fire at the Sellindge converter station led to the shutdown of the link. A fire occurred in the early hours of Wednesday 15th September 2021 at our UK Sellindge site resulting in the cables capacity being reduced to 0MW. HVDC systems utilize power electronics technology to convert AC and DC voltage and are ideal for supporting existing systems or building new power highways. Joe Roberts Wednesday 15 Sep 2021 9:54 am. Capula will be involved in an important part of the refurbishment of the converter station control room, with the replacement of the SCADA system. The HVDC Cross-Channel (French: Interconnexion France Angleterre) is the name given to two different high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnectors that operate or have operated under the English Channel between the continental European and British electricity grids.. It looks like you are using a browser that is not fully supported. Siemens will complete the work by mid-2019. As an example, poster "It Doesn't Add Up" identified on here recently a situation where the exact same volume of electricity was simultaneously being imported and exported from the same point (Sellindge Converter Station) over the Interconnector France Angleterre 1 and the ElecLink (through the Channel Tunnel). There are currently no reviews for this company. Capula has been awarded the design, manufacture, test, install and commission of the Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition (SCADA) System for National Grids Ventures Sellindge High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter substation. The cable is also known as IFA,[1] [2] and should not be confused with the new IFA-2, another interconnect with France that is three times as long but only half as powerful. 8o0 5
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The first 400 kV substations in Scotland were commissioned in 1972 associated with the line from Hunterston, Ayrshire to Neilston, Renfrewshire. It plays a vital role, increasing the UKs energy security, reliability and capacity by connecting with the French electricity transmission network to bring a number of benefits, including lower cost electricity, increased access to low-carbon energy and improved security of supply. Meanwhile, Ofgem has warned households face another steep increase in energy bills from next April when the new price cap comes into force. Grid Solutions is focused on addressing the challenges of the energy transition by enabling the safe and reliable If you want more mind-blowingly complicated information look at; Link Copyright Jonathan Billinger and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence. . Your review will appear immediately. Unlike most HVDC schemes, where the two converter stations are built by the same manufacturer, the two converter stations of the 2,000MW scheme were built by different manufacturers (although both have subsequently become part of the same parent company, Alstom). The equipment occasionally faults, causing capacity to drop: in a bad year, this might happen several times. 0000056347 00000 n
The twelve-pulse bridge is composed of 12 "valves" each of which may contain many series-connected thyristors in order to achieve the DC rating of the HVDC scheme. . The interconnector, which has been operating since 1986 and imports largely nuclear-generated power from France when needed, had only been operating at half capacity due to repair work, according. 0000002512 00000 n
AC is used in each country's transmission system, while DC is used for sending electricity long distances along the subsea cables. The blaze at the Sellindge converter station in Kent forced a shutdown of the high-voltage cable that brings electricity from France to the UK last month as energy markets rocketed to all-time highs amid global energy supply difficulties. Electricity is converted from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) and vice versa in a converter station. VSC is an ideal technology for submarine/land cable interconnection, integrating renewables, offshore and urban infeed applications. This HVDC-link is 73 km (45 miles) long in route, with 70 km (43 miles) between the two ends. That's why AC can be conveyed for such long distances because the higher the applied voltage the deeper (or further) the conveyance can reach without too much loss. Amperage is the number of atoms involved in the distance conveyance. The event comes during a difficult time for the UK power market, which is . The offshore converter platform will be the heart of the wind farm and will comprise a 10,000 tonne topside attached to a 7,000 tonne jacket foundation piled into the seabed. GE has designed, delivered and supports an installed HVDC capacity of more than 35 GW globally in a broad range of applications and environments. On top of the fire, a planned outage has been taking place at the IFA link which covers a further 1000MW capacity. View information about postcode TN25 6AH in Sellindge. The undersea section consists of eight 46km (29miles) long 270kV submarine cables, laid between Folkestone (UK) and Sangatte (France), arranged as two fully independent 1,000MW Bipoles, each operated at a DC voltage of 270kV. The below details are a selected representation of HVDC projects. Voltage Source Converter is a newer technology based on power transistors with a reduced footprint compared to LCC technology. National Grid said staff were evacuated from the IFA interconnector site in Sellindge, which imports electricity from France to a converter station in Kent.