SR NET HVDC 001 HVDC Technology Capability VB
SR NET HVDC 001 HVDC Technology Capability VB
The National HVDC Centre is part of Scottish & Southern Electricity Networks and is funded through the Electricity Network Innovation Competition as the Multi-
Terminal Test Environment (MTTE) Project. Scottish and Southern Electricity Networks is a trading name of Scottish Hydro Electric Transmission plc, Registered in
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Revision Record
Rev Date Originator Checker Approver Description
A 27-10-2017 Ian Cowan Dumisani Simfukwe Yash Audichya First Issue – For Comment
Simon Marshall
B 16-03-2018 Ian Cowan Simon Marshall Paul Neilson Approved for Publication
Table of Contents
Abbreviations .................................................................................................................................................................... ii
1 Background ............................................................................................................................................................... 1
2 Introduction .............................................................................................................................................................. 1
3 Literature Review of Supplier Information ............................................................................................................... 2
3.1 ABB .................................................................................................................................................................... 2
3.2 GE Network Solutions ....................................................................................................................................... 2
3.3 Mitsubishi.......................................................................................................................................................... 2
3.4 Nexans (Cable Supplier Only) ............................................................................................................................ 2
3.5 NKT (Cable Supplier Only) ................................................................................................................................. 2
3.6 Prysmian (Cable Supplier Only) ......................................................................................................................... 3
3.7 RXPE .................................................................................................................................................................. 3
3.8 Siemens ............................................................................................................................................................. 3
3.9 Other Suppliers ................................................................................................................................................. 3
4 Operational and Future Schemes ............................................................................................................................. 4
5 Grid Limitations ......................................................................................................................................................... 9
6 Future Technology .................................................................................................................................................. 10
7 Conclusions ............................................................................................................................................................. 11
8 References .............................................................................................................................................................. 12
Abbreviations
Abbreviation Meaning
A Amperes
AC Alternating current
EU European Union
G Giga (x109)
HVDC High Voltage Direct Current
k Kilo (x103)
LCC Line Commutated Converter
m meter
M Mega (x106)
MI-PPL Mass Impregnated Polypropylene Laminate
P Real Power
PILC Paper Insulated, Lead Covered
Q Reactive Power
SQSS Security and Quality of Supply Standard
V Voltage / Volts
VA Volt-Amperes (measure of apparent power)
VSC Voltage Source Converter
W Watts (measure of real power)
XLPE Cross-linked polyethylene
1 Background
The National HVDC Centre ("the HVDC Centre") produced this report for the Eastern HVDC Link project
team. The report is a high-level technology review with a view to informing project specification of the
proposed HVDC link.
This was the first engagement for the HVDC Centre with this client which is expected to be the start the
Centre’s ongoing support of the project. Following this piece of work, the Centre has been asked to
provide a proposal to provide an Integration Risk Management Strategy for the Eastern HVDC Link.
2 Introduction
The Eastern Link HVDC Project team had previously made certain assumptions on what technology would be
available for delivery pre-2020, based on the technology and manufacturers available at that time. Now that the
project delivery date has moved back, more technologies and other manufacturers of HVDC links may be available;
which could be suitable for a project due for contract placement around 2021-23.
In order to determine the optimal solution for the East Coast Reinforcement, the three Transmission Owners (SPT,
SHETL & NGET) aim to refresh the research carried out in 2013 through engagement with The National HVDC Centre
to determine what will be feasible to deliver by the project contract placement date of around 2021-23.
As part of this research, The National HVDC Centre was asked to investigate three main questions:
1. Is it reasonable to assume that the technology will be available to commission an offshore HVDC VSC link
with a rating of 2GW with the anticipated contract placement date of around 2021-23?
2. Is there potential for an offshore HVDC VSC link with a rating greater than 2GW? If so, what level of capacity
may reasonably be obtained?
3. Are there limiting grid network characteristics, for example, available short circuit level that are required to
be satisfied to enable a practicable HVDC VSC link of the ratings indicated in the preceding points?
This report answers these questions by: identifying what is being offered by suppliers; identifying relevant existing
and contracted schemes; investigating grid limitations; and highlighting key developments in future technology.
There are a small number of suppliers of VSC technology globally [1]. The two key aspects which limit the capability
of the scheme are the valves and the cables. Currently the limiting factor for VSC schemes involving a subsea link is
the availability of cables with sufficient voltage ratings.
From the review it can be seen that converters with ratings in excess of 500 kV are coming to the market resulting in
the ratings of several gigawatts. The cable technology for these voltage ratings has undergone major development
phase. However, perceived risk of first deployment and abundance of mature technology at ±320 kV from all major
suppliers has meant that this voltage level has been the preferred option. The highest rating offered by
non-European suppliers in the European market is still limited to ±320 kV and therefore a power output of 1 GW will
be a safe assumption.
3.1 ABB
The VSC product offered by ABB is called HVDC Light. ABB is a market leader in VSC technology with over 20 years
experience in the technology [2]. ABB sold its cables business to NKT in 2016 but still has access to the products
through a long term partnership [3]. Their documentation states valves of ratings up to ±640 kV are available with
ratings up to 3270 MVA for asymmetrical monopole topology [4]. The highest rating of subsea cable though appears
to be 525 kV with a resultant rating of 2.6 GW [5].
3.3 Mitsubishi
The VSC product offered by Mitsubishi is called HVDC Diamond. They are new to the market, having announced the
product in 2016 with the creation of a test facility in Japan [8]. There is little information available about the ratings
that they can offer and they are yet to win a commercial contract. It is understood that their ambition is to offer a
VSC HVDC converter rated at ±320 kV. They do however have experience of HVDC through LCC schemes such as the
Kii-Channel HVDC System [9].
More recently Nexans has confirmed that an order has been placed for two 320 kV cables with a combined rating of
900 MW for the connection to DolWin6 [11].
3.7 RXPE
The VSC product offered by RXPE is called Smart VSC-HVDC. They are new to the market but have already completed
a number of projects within China. They have recently announced type testing of an 800 kV, 5 GW valve [14].
However, rigour of their claim to commercial deployment, especially to European standards remains unclear. They
do not have any HVDC deployments in any Europe so far.
3.8 Siemens
The VSC product offered by Siemens is called HVDC Plus. They are heavily involved in ongoing HVDC projects and
have a good track record in the technology. They do not have a readily available list of equipment ratings however
they have recently commissioned a 2 x 1 GW scheme involving a cable system (although not subsea) [15].
A list of both the currently operational schemes and likely future schemes follow in Table 1 and
Table 2 respectively [16]. As can be observed, a rating of 2 GW would be bigger than any existing subsea HVDC and
one of the biggest future schemes currently being discussed. The biggest submarine transmission schemes under
construction has a rating of 1400MW with ±525 kV.
5 Grid Limitations
Traditionally with LCC HVDC there have been issues with grid interaction in terms of requiring a strong point of
connection to ensure commutation of the thyristor valves, and management of harmonic distortion to the network.
VSC technology can work at low short circuit levels, or indeed in islanded network. VSC schemes also produce
significantly less harmonics than the LCC technology.
Requirements on HVDC schemes at low fault levels, islanded operation, harmonic distortion, fault ride through, P-Q
and V-Q capabilities etc. amongst other aspects of design requirements can be comfortably achieved by VSC
technologies. Although any short circuit level can be accommodated by the VSC technology, an aspect that may be
overlooked is the ability of a controller to cope with a wide range of network strengths.
Due to connection of remote intermittent sources being a driver for VSC technology, the end of the HVDC scheme
that typically sends power could be subject to a wide range of short circuit levels. As the network strength changes
the required speed of response from any scheme would also differ. This can impact the tuning of the VSC controller.
As more power electronic are introduced to the network there is an ever increasing likelihood that there will be
some adverse interactions between the different controllers. As a scheme increases in size the impact of these
interactions also increases. Where a number of schemes are connected in close proximity there may be a
requirement to perform detailed studies with HVDC control replicas to ensure no adverse interactions exist and that
the grid reacts to events in a stable manner. This phenomenon will be required to be investigated as part of the
detailed design phase of any project.
As schemes increase in size, the power flow management becomes ever more important aspect of the design. The
aspects of power flow management, SQSS requirements, and operational management become more relevant for a
large capacity HVDC link. There are commissioned embedded links which are relevant from the perspective of power
flow management [15].
6 Future Technology
There is currently significant effort and investment being put into developing HVDC technologies. This is due to the
global shift towards non-conventional generation (typically located distant from load centres) and the push towards
greater interconnectivity.
In terms of hardware, there is a drive towards increasing the available power throughput by: achieving greater
power density from each submodule; increasing the available voltage rating both in terms of converters and
conduction medium (be it cable or overhead line). Further to this, there is research into different topologies,
technology mixes (i.e. combining LCC and VSC in the same scheme) and how to implement DC grids (a key aspect
being the development of DC breakers).
Best Paths is an EU funded project which has the objective of overcoming the challenges of integrating renewable
energies into Europe’s energy mix. It aims to develop novel network technologies to increase the pan-European
transmission network capacity and electricity system flexibility [17]. Although none of the project’s objectives
directly deal with equipment ratings, the aspects looking into integration of HVDC links within AC meshed networks
may feed into the design of Eastern Link HVDC Project.
PROMOTioN is another EU funded project more focussed on HVDC for offshore grids. Again whilst none of the
project objectives deal directly with developing increased equipment ratings, some of the key outcomes could feed
into the design of Eastern Link HVDC Project. The specific items being: interoperability of components and initiate
standardisation; recommendations for a coherent EU and national regulatory framework regarding DC offshore
grids; and to develop deployment plans for HVDC grid implementation [18].
All the European suppliers whose literature was reviewed are partnered to at least one of the EU funded projects
that have been mentioned. Further to this they can be seen to contribute to the work done by CIGRE and other
organisations around the development of VSC HVDC solutions.
Current valve ratings/ power through are limited by IGBT voltage and current capability (around 4 kV and 2000 A).
Development of higher rated devices is underway with the promise of devices in excess of 4 kV and 2000 A [19]. This
will result in higher density valves allowing higher power rated schemes than currently possible (for the same
voltage rating). This is likely to be available for projects starting in early to mid 2020s.
Another aspect of development underway is on higher voltage rated DC cables. Currently there are proposals for VSC
projects with cable rated at ±525 kV. There is a push for higher rated cables including new technology. A 600 kV
MI-PPL cable is already in use in the Western Link (note that scheme is LCC HVDC).
7 Conclusions
There were three main questions asked by the Eastern Link HVDC Project with a view to identifying the optimal
solution for the East Coast Reinforcement. The work undertaken answered those questions by researching what is
being offered by suppliers; identifying relevant existing and contracted schemes; investigating grid limitations; and
highlighting key developments in future technology.
Yes, a rating of 2 GW appears to be currently available on the market. Converters with a rating of 500/600 kV can
meet that power requirement and there is a subsea cable available to meet that voltage. Currently there are no
schemes greater than 2 GW in existence or development. However, the technology will be more mature at such
power levels in 2021-23. In timescales of 2021 and beyond it is likely that power ratings of 2 GW and above become
the norm rather than the exception.
Is there potential for an offshore HVDC VSC link with a rating greater than 2GW? If so, what
level of capacity may reasonably be obtained?
Yes, converters capable of power transfers greater than 2 GW are already available. However, due to limited
maturity in the corresponding subsea cable technology, required to achieve this power rating, there is no HVDC link
currently available as a reference project. Importantly, several manufacturers claim to have developed and tested
cables in excess of 650 kV, which could give a rating in excess of even 3 GW. However, these new cables have not
been applied in any project.
Are there limiting grid network characteristics, for example, available short circuit level that
are required to be satisfied to enable a practicable HVDC VSC link of the ratings indicated in
the preceding points?
VSC technology overcomes many of the issues traditionally associated with LCC HVDC technology. One of the key
advantages of VSC is that it can operate across any grid short circuit rating. Normally, the range of short circuit levels
has not limited the rating of the HVDC VSC links. However, it is recommended that the range of short circuit values is
provided to the manufacturer at an early stage. This will allow the scheme’s controller to be specifically tuned for
such a range without imposing constraints on grid operators.
If the scheme size becomes large, considerations related to power flow management, overloads and maintaining
SQSS compliance for various scenarios need to be considered. These aspects will need to be addressed at an early
stage and may introduce a limit to the size of the scheme. As the use of power electronics becomes more prevalent
throughout the network there may be control interactions between the different devices that have not previously
been experienced. The risk of this issue can be reduced by performing real time simulations using replica controls.
8 References
[1] https://www.ofgem.gov.uk/ofgem-publications/108621
[2] http://new.abb.com/systems/hvdc/hvdc-light
[3] http://www.abb.co.uk/cawp/seitp202/bd680df21386a3db8525803500230db8.aspx
[4] https://search-ext.abb.com/library/Download.aspx?DocumentID=POW-
0038&LanguageCode=en&DocumentPartId=&Action=Launch
[5] https://library.e.abb.com/public/7caadd110d270de5c1257d3b002ff3ee/The%20new%20525%20kV%20extrude
d%20HVDC%20cable%20system%20White%20PaperFINAL.pdf
[6] http://www.gegridsolutions.com/alstomenergy/grid/Global/Grid/Resources/Documents/Effective%20HVDC%2
0solutions%20up%20to%20800%20kV-epslanguage=en-GB.pdf
[7] http://www.gegridsolutions.com/alstomenergy/grid/products-services/product-catalogue/electrical-grid-
new/hvdc/hvdc-solutions/hvdc-maxsinetm/index.html
[8] http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/news/2016/1012.html
[9] http://www.mitsubishielectric.com/bu/powersystems/products/transmission/pss/index.html
[10] https://www.nexans.com/eservice/Corporate-en/navigatepub_333663_-
35330/Nexans_achieves_a_triple_technology_milestone_in_H.html
[11] https://www.nexans.com/eservice/Corporate-en/navigatepub_344497_-
35910/Nexans_supplies_320_kV_cables_for_DolWin6_offshore.html
[12] http://www.nkt.com/fileadmin/user_upload/01_Page_images_global/general_images_pages/About_us/Innova
tion/640_kV_extruded_HVDC.pdf
[13] https://www.prysmiangroup.com/en/PRYSMIAN_AT_HANOVER_TRADE_FAIR_news.html
[14] http://www.rxpe.co.uk/corporate/news/800kv-5gw-vsc-hvdc-valve/?ccm_paging_p_b236=2
[15] https://www.energy.siemens.com/hq/pool/hq/power-transmission/HVDC/HVDC-PLUS/hvdc-plus_US.pdf
[16] Prof. M. Barnes, ‘HVDC VSC Newsletter’, Vol. 5, Issue 8
[17] http://www.bestpaths-project.eu/en/project
[18] https://www.promotion-offshore.net/objectives/
[19] https://globenewswire.com/news-release/2017/05/16/985450/0/en/IXYS-Introduces-New-4-5kV-Press-Pack-
IGBT-with-Record-Current-Rating-and-Record-Power-Density.html