ABB has commissioned a high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link between Norway and Denmark to increase availability of renewable hydroelectric and wind power in the region’s electricity grid.
At 500 kilovolts (kV), the Skagerrak 4 link sets a new record in transmission voltage using Voltage Source Converters (VSC). The converters rely on semiconductors to convert electricity from high–voltage alternating current to direct current and back, while offering controllability and compact design. ABB has delivered all four of the Skagerrak system’s links, with Skagerrak 1 and 2 in the 1970s, Skagerrak 3 in 1993 and now this latest project. The system spans 240 kilometers and crosses the North Sea’s Skagerrak Strait, providing 1,700MW of transmission capacity. For Skagerrak 4, ABB delivered two 700MW Voltage Source Converter stations based on the company’s HVDC Light technology. The new link operates in bipolar mode with the Skagerrak 3 link that uses classic Line Commutated Converter HVDC technology. ABB’s MACH control system was used to master the different ways power reversal is handled between the two technologies.
