Energy — renewables & gridRenewables & grid (Interconnector)

BritNed Netherlands-UK interconnector

North Sea, between Isle of Grain (Kent, UK) and Maasvlakte (Netherlands) · 2007–2011 (commercial operation April 2011) · N/A (estimated €600 million, specific GBP value not readily available)

The judgement call

Account-gated at launch

The first HVDC interconnector between Great Britain and the Netherlands, marking a significant step in European energy integration. - Awarded the 'Excellence in Engineering' award, recognizing the technical achievements in its design and construction. - Demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of long-distance subsea power transmission for energy security and market efficiency.

Key engineering challenges

Laying a 260 km HVDC submarine cable across the North Sea, a busy shipping route. - Ensuring precise cable placement and separation, especially in areas like the Maasvlakte II land reclamation zone. - Integrating the interconnector with the existing electricity grids of the UK and the Netherlands.

Project facts

Client / owner: National Grid (UK) and TenneT (Netherlands) (joint venture)
Lead contractor: N/A (multiple contractors, e.g., Siemens for HVDC converter stations)
Lead designers: N/A
Project type: new build
Scale: 1 GW (1000 MW) capacity; 260 km HVDC cable (230 km subsea, 30 km land)
Disciplines: electrical; civil; marine; geotechnical
Standards & frameworks: N/A

Sources: BritNed: https://www.britned.com/ - Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BritNed - European Investment Bank: https://www.eib.org/en/projects/all/20070229 - TenneT: https://www.tennet.eu/projects/britned

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