The UK Government has announced plans to integrate 50 GW of renewable energy into the GB transmission system by 2030. During this period, interconnection capacity is expected to grow to at least 18 GW, with coordinated solutions integrating interconnection with offshore wind farm connections being considered.
In this project, the Centre was commissioned by National Grid Ventures to explore a range of operational and commissioning scenarios for such multi-purpose interconnectors, identifying key considerations and areas of relevant specification. The work included detailed real-time modelling of these arrangements and associated control and protection using functional design models, which are also used to support Project Aquila and other HND arrangements. Our experience in de-risking existing multi-terminal projects, including some in operation, was leveraged. These studies were conducted for various short circuit levels and considered a range of operational switching and event scenarios.
The work is now completed, and a paper outlining general findings related to this project has been published at CIGRE 2024. Here is the link to the paper: https://www.e-cigre.org/publications/detail/b4-11116-2024-assessment-of-operational-challenges-of-hvdc-multi-purpose-interconnectors-with-low-short-circuit-levels.html
Interactive Infographic Source: National Grid Ventures (https://www.nationalgrid.com/national-grid-ventures/interconnectors-connecting-cleaner-future/multi-purpose-interconnectors)