Completed in October 2025
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Coordinated Offshore Design for Wind and Network Reinforcement for an international TSO
The National HVDC Centre worked with an international TSO to provide expert advice on their proposed HVDC offshore network designs. This focused on the proposal for a new HVDC multiterminal network to connect offshore wind to the system and transport the power to the load centres across the country.
CLIENT: International Transmission Owner
Completed in September 2025
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Feasibility Study for Multiterminal Rigid Bipole
The National HVDC Centre worked with WindGrid to conduct a detailed feasibility study for a multi-purpose HVDC interconnector between Germany and the UK. WindGrid, a subsidiary of Elia Group, focuses on the development, construction, ownership and operation of electricity transmission infrastructure.
CLIENT: WindGrid
Completed in September 2025
REPLICA HOSTING: SCADA System Implementation
This project was proposed to include GE PowerOn, as used in the Control Room, into the simulator setup at the National HVDC Centre. Adding this functionality would enhance the training that can be provided for the operators as it would give them the interface to the link that would be use in normal operation of the facility. This means that they would have the the equivalent to a full ‘flight simulator’.
CLIENT: SSEN Transmission
Completed in August 2025
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Support for the Shetland Extension of the Caithness-Moray HVDC Link
The National HVDC Centre is playing a pivotal role in the de-risking of what will both be the first multi-terminal VSC-HVDC connection in Europe, and an excellent insight into the design of future multi-terminal offshore connections and Multi-Purpose interconnection going forward.
CLIENT: SSEN Transmission
Completed in August 2025
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: ESO offshore network operation, performance, and technical code impact
The increasing penetration of inverter-based resources and HVDC interconnections have created dynamic interactions, oscillations, and low inertia related stability issues. National Grid ESO’s HND project will introduce more and more DC links leading to a meshed AC-DC grid in near future.
The Electricity System Operator has requested that the National HVDC Centre model the offshore HND networks.
CLIENT: National Energy System Operator (NESO)
Completed in June 2025
INNOVATION: INCENTIVE -Innovative Control and Energy Storage for Ancillary Services in Offshore Wind
INCENTIVE is a project supported by Ofgem, UKRI and Innovate UK . This project aims to de-risk the integration of increasing offshore wind capacity onto the GB network, by ensuring system stability is maintained as traditional synchronous generators are displaced from the system
FUNDED BY: OFGEM’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
Completed in May 2025
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Performance Analysis of Energy Islands with Multiple Interconnections
In this project, the HVDC Centre has been commissioned by National Grid Ventures to investigate various operational and commissioning scenarios for a future possible Energy Island, aiming to identify essential considerations and specifications.
CLIENT: National Grid Ventures
Completed in May 2025
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Analysis Support for HVDC Interconnector
The National HVDC Centre worked with Greenlink Interconnector Ltd (GIL) to support late-stage project delivery activities as they commissioned their new HVDC interconnection between the electricity grids in Ireland and Great Britain. The HVDC Centre performed studies using our specialist in-house analysis tools and provided an expert review of information to support activities between GIL and Siemens Energy, the converter supplier.
CLIENT: Greenlink Interconnector Ltd (GIL)
Completed in September 2024
INNOVATION: INSIGHT
INSIGHT (Innovative Network Status Intelligence Gathered by Holistic use of Telemetry and Simulation) was an innovation project. INSIGHT aimed to deliver a virtual, real-time alert and control system that can monitor and mitigate different types of oscillation events experienced on the networks.
FUNDED BY: OFGEM’s Strategic Innovation Fund (SIF)
Completed in June 2024
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Offshore Wind HVDC Interaction Studies:
The National HVDC Centre conducted a study to explore possible control system interaction risks between multiple HVDC converter stations. The studies used the PSCAD software to build suitable models of the network area of interest with the new HVDC converter stations and conduct a range of studies to assess interaction risks.
CLIENT: Wind Farm Developers
Completed in May 2024
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: HVDC OWF Resonance Stability Analysis
RTEi International, in partnership with The National HVDC Centre (GB) was selected by Carbon Trust for the Offshore Wind Accelerator programme. This project focuses on Resonance Stability Analysis in HVDC-connected Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs).
FUNDED BY: The Carbon Trust
Completed in March 2024
INNOVATION: TOTEM: Transmission Owner Tools for EMT Modelling (with SSEN Transmission)
TOTEM is a project led by Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission along with Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN), National Grid Electricity Transmission and National Grid Electricity System Operator. The National HVDC Centre supported this project by providing technical support, model review and verification- and hosted IT infrastructure to run the extensive off-line Electromagnetic Transient (EMT) models in a large-scale simulation environment focussing on the Scottish areas of GB but with the capability of covering the whole of GB.
FUNDED BY: NIA (Network Innovation Allowance)
Completed in November 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Multi-purpose interconnectors
In this project, the Centre was commissioned to explore a range of operational and commissioning scenarios relating to multi-purpose interconnectors to identify key considerations and areas of relevant specification.
CLIENT: National Grid Ventures
Completed in September 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: East Coast Interaction Study
The National HVDC Centre performed a wide interaction study in the coast of Yorkshire, where many power electronic resources (both existing and planned) are expected to arise; these include a range of offshore, potentially coordinated HVDC connections. The purpose of this study was to assess the impact of different technology options for offshore wind farm connection on potential network interaction, and to determine what the nature of the types of interactions across projects in this area of the network might be.
CLIENT: Wind Farm Developer
Completed in July 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: HVDC-Connected Offshore Wind Farms
This project investigated the risks associated with the integration of, and interaction of HVDC connected Offshore Wind Farms (OWFs). The project identified the key contributing factors of controller interactions and their associated risks with focus on HVDC connected OWFs power system infrastructures.
CLIENT: The Carbon Trust
Completed in February 2023
INNOVATION: Distributed ReStart
The Distributed ReStart project looked at how distributed energy resources (DERs), such as solar, wind, biomass and hydro, could be used to restore power to the transmission network in the unlikely event of a blackout
FUNDED BY: Network Innovation Competition (NIC)
Completed in January 2023
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Eastern Link
The National HVDC Centre provided technical supporting to the Eastern link project team work going the development of the designs for connection schemes.
CLIENT: SSEN Transmission
Completed in December 2022
INNOVATION: HVDC Phasor Based Monitoring
The aim of this project was to evaluate the electricity network system strength using the Phasor Point Wide Area Monitoring System (WAMS) to potentially support the stability of the large embedded HVDC links (for example Caithness-Moray located in the north of Scotland).
FUNDED BY: Network Innovation Allowance (NIA)
Completed in August 2022
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Coordinated Offshore Functional Designs
The aim of this project was to provide an environment to support the ESO, manufacturers, developers and transmission owners develop and test coordinated solutions for offshore wind.
CLIENT: BEIS & OFGEM
Completed on December 2021
INNOVATION: Adaptive Damping of Power Oscillations:
In Collaboration With: Energy Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Completed on November 2021
INNOVATION: Stability Assessment and Mitigation of Converter Interactions – Phase 2:
The proposed project builds on the previous work done by the University of Strathclyde for the National HVDC centre on the development of small-signal impedance model of MMC converter and its use for assessing multi-converter interactions. The project will concentrate on developing further converter models for stability analysis of complex networks with significant converter presence.
In Collaboration With: University of Strathclyde
Completed on September 2021
INNOVATION: Protection Performance Overview
The purpose of the proposed study is to investigate the impact of the low short circuit levels on the performance of existing protection relays. The settings of certain types of relays may be more impacted than others. This study aims to identify if generator, transformer and line protection will be impacted due to system changes and identify necessary mitigation measures. The impact of power electronic devices including HVDC on protection performance will also be considered across the analysis of Generator, Transformer and Transmission Line protection.
In Collaboration With: Manitoba Hydro International (MHI)
Completed on May 2021
INNOVATION: Evaluation of HVDC with Synchronous Condenser
This project aims to develop and use high-fidelity and representative network models, test configurations, and procedures for comprehensive testing and assessment of the impact of HVDC system and, more generally, converter-interfaced sources, on AC protection performance. The network model will be simplified but representative and configurable, in order to emulate different levels of NSG penetration, overall system strength and fault level for evaluating AC protection performance.
In Collaboration With: University of Strathclyde
Completed on March 2021
INNOVATION: COMPOSITE Testing of HVDC-connected Offshore Wind Farms
The National HVDC Centre was invited to support follow on work between National Grid Electricity System Operator and SHE Transmission, with an activity focusing on composite testing of HVDC-connected offshore generation. The National HVDC Centre and RTE International, have a unique international experience of undertaking HVDC de-risking studies involving replica control and protection equipment supplied by different manufacturers in Europe. Therefore, RTEi in collaboration with the HVDC Centre performed analytical studies as part of this activity and produced a report on the findings.
In Collaboration With: RTE international
Completed on December 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Offshore Coordination
Provision of expert advice on co-ordination across multiple connectors to ensure efficiency when connecting 83-88GW network connected wind together with 27GW interconnectors.
CLIENT: National Grid ESO
Completed in December 2020
INNOVATION: PROMOTioN (WP9 lead)
PROMOTioN was a European Horizon 2020 research and innovation project, working with 33 consortia partners from across 11 countries, that sought to address the challenges of developing meshed HVDC offshore grids for cost-effective and reliable electricity supply
FUNDED BY: EU Horizon 2020
Completed in October 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Stability Assessment and mitigation of HVDC converter interactions:
The rapid growth in the amount of converter-interfaced renewable sources and HVDC transmission links is significantly changing the characteristics of the GB grid. The wide timescale control dynamics of converters located in close vicinities can result in coupled effects among the converters and power networks, and can lead to oscillations across a wide frequency range. Accurate assessment of potential system interactions is critical for ensuring stable operation of future and evolving GB network. This project developed frequency domain models of HVDC converters and representative network considering future HVDC deployment in the GB network for stability analysis. Time-domain RTDS simulation was used to validate the theoretical analysis and assessment.
In Collaboration With: University of Strathclyde
Completed in June 2020
INNOVATION: Improving Grid Code for HVDC schemes
High voltage direct current (HVDC) schemes are used in Great Britain (GB) power systems to facilitate flexible power flow and cross-border power exchange. New HVDC connections are in the pipeline to be installed in the GB system to carry clean and cheap renewables within the country and across the borders. In order to maximise their benefits and to ensure a safe and stable integration into the existing power grid, certain requirements are set-out by the operators, known as Grid Codes. HVDC schemes are required to meet these specifications under all operating conditions. Grid code requirements for HVDC schemes connected to weak grids were reviews and the finding were reported.
In Collaboration With: Cardiff University
Completed in March 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Coordination of AC network protection during HVDC energisation
Voltage Source Converter (VSC) HVDC systems are increasingly used for black start and restoration of AC power networks, especially as traditional synchronous generation declines and interconnections with Europe grow. However, VSCs have limited short circuit current capabilities, which can impact grid dynamics and protection system performance during AC grid energisation. This may lead to protection malfunctions, posing risks to safety and delaying restoration.
To address these challenges, EPRI used its expertise in protection and HVDC systems to assess restoration scenarios and identify vulnerable protection schemes. This involved dynamic simulations of the UK grid, real-time digital simulations (RTDS) of HVDC links, and hardware-in-the-loop testing of protection relays. In collaboration with the project partners, EPRI produced a report which provided the main technical points covered in the project.
In Collaboration With: Energy Power Research Institute (EPRI)
Completed in February 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: ESO Stability Pathfinder
The National HVDC Centre investigated the impact of declining system strength on the stability of HVDC links
CLIENT: National Grid ESO
Completed in January 2020
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: North Sea Link Protection Coordination Testing:
The HVDC Centre supported the protection co-ordination testing for the new HVDC North Sea Link interconnector to ensure the security and resilience of the GB electricity network.
CLIENT: SPT
Completed in December 2019
ANALYSIS & SUPPORT: Maximising HVDC for Black Start
The HVDC Centre technical experts, in collaboration with specialists from SHE Transmission, Scottish Power, National Grid and the Scottish Government, carried out an in-depth study on Black Start.
CLIENT: Scottish Government
Completed in October 2019
REPLICA HOSTING: Caithness–Moray HVDC Scheme during Delivery
The HVDC Centre helped address technical challenges and assure the delivery of the project using Replicas of the control panels to test the operation of the system under a range of conditions, with a detailed representation of the AC network.
CLIENT: SSEN-T
Completed in February 2019
INNOVATION: Developing Open-Source Converter Models
This project with the University of Strathclyde developed high-fidelity, open-access converter models across different Electro Magnetic Transient (EMT)-type simulation tools including PSCAD and RSCAD for real-time hardware-in-the-loop simulation studies.
In Collaboration With: University of Strathclyde
Completed in February 2016
INNOVATION: Stability assessment for co-located converters
In Collaboration With: University of Manchester
Completed in May 2015
INNOVATION: Design of DC/DC Converter
The main objective of this project was to design of a high power Modular Multi-level Converter (MMC) bridge working at medium frequency (0.2-1kHz) and verifying the design results using an appropriate MMC bridge model in PSCAD.
In Collaboration With: University of Aberdeen
Other innovation projects undertaken by the National HVDC Centre:
- AC Protection Solutions in Converter Rich Network
- RTDS Model Development Project (with TransGrid Solutions)
- HVDC R&D Strategy (commissioned by BEIS)
Please contact us if you would like any further information.