Image: Cross-border interconnectors in the UK and Denmark. Photo: Courtesy of Siemens.

German conglomerate Siemens has won a contract for two converter stations for Viking Link, the first high-voltage direct-current (HVDC) link between Great Britain and Denmark.

The link will allow the exchange of electricity up to 1.4GW to provide reliable and secure power supply to consumers in both countries.

Viking Link, which will enable transmission in both directions, will also support the integration of renewable energy sources into the power grid.

National Grid Ventures of Great Britain and Energinet of Denmark, via National Grid Viking Link and Energinet Eltransmission, are jointly developing the interconnector.

Siemens will deliver a 1,400MW converter system

Under the terms of the contract, Siemens will deliver a 1,400MW converter system for DC voltage of ±525kV (kilovolts) using HVDC Plus technology.

The two converter stations will be established in Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire, Great Britain, and in Revising in southern Jutland, Denmark.

Both stations will be linked by a 767km DC power cable through the North Sea, making Viking Link one of the longest DC electricity interconnectors in the world.

Siemens will be responsible for the system design, supply, installation and commissioning of the converter stations.

Viking Link is scheduled to begin commercial operation in 2023.

Both stations will use HVDC Plus voltage-sourced converters in a modular multilevel converter arrangement (VSC-MMC), offering benefits such as AC voltage control, black-start capability, improved performance and network stability of the connected AC networks.

Viking Link will be used to transmit surplus energy to areas where there is a higher demand. The link is expected to result in lower prices in peak consumption periods, enable effective use of renewable energy, and give consumers access to a broader energy mix.

The link, which has been designated as one of the Projects of Common Interest of the European Commission, is expected to help create an integrated European Union energy market.

Siemens Gas and Power CEO of EPC projects Tim Dawidowsky said: “We’re extremely pleased that, with every new interconnection, Siemens is advancing the development of an integrated European energy market.

“With Viking Link, we’ll be working on another landmark HVDC project that is paving the way to a secure, affordable, and sustainable energy supply.”