AQUIND Interconnector
is a new marine and underground High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electric power transmission link between the South of England and Normandy in France.
With a net capacity of 2,000 MW, AQUIND Interconnector will be able to transmit more than 17,000,000 MWh of electricity each year between Great Britain and France, which amounts to 5% and 3% of their total consumption, respectively.
To take part in the consultation, please call our Freephone information line on 01962 893 869, or send an email to aquindconsultation@becg.com. You can visit our consultation website by clicking on the link below.
AQUIND in Numbers
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2,000
MWNOMINAL
NET CAPACITY -
17
TWhANNUAL TRANSMISSION
CAPACITY -
5 %
OF BRITAIN’S
TOTAL CONSUMPTION -
3 %
OF FRANCE'S
TOTAL CONSUMPTION
WHY AQUIND?
Interconnectors are a key element of achieving Net Zero goals in the United Kingdom and other European energy markets
Interconnectors provide long-term flexibility for managing electricity networks, making power generation and transmission more efficient. They help integrate more electricity generated from renewable sources, such as wind and solar, while reducing reliance on fossil fuel power plants and CO2 emissions. Interconnectors help adapt to changing demand patterns, such as the electrification of transport, industry and other sectors.
- 22.5 – 25.7 Mt CO2 avoided*
- 73,000 - 87,000 GWh of RES curtailment avoided
- 92,000 GWh (eq) of fossil fuels in power generation avoided
AQUIND will help optimise the use of the existing and planned power generation plants and grids.
The project will enable greater competition between energy producers and flexibility providers and help avoid building underused power generation, delivering better value for consumers.
- £5.3 – 9.6bn in social economic welfare benefits
- 40-year useful life of the Project
- Around £1bn corporate and business tax revenues generated by the Projectin the first 25 years
Modern interconnectors like AQUIND allow almost instantaneous switching of power flow directions in response to changes in demand, production and market prices.
This will result in more efficient use of production capacities and better management of electricity consumption and production fluctuations in connected countries. The interconnector will also be able to provide various services to the national system operators in both countries to help ensure the safe and reliable operation of national electricity transmission systems.
- 18GW of interconnection by 2030*
- £175m reduction in Energy Not Served
- Capacity markets
- Reactive compensation
- Frequency response
AQUIND has selected a development option that rules out building any overhead lines.
The project team have developed a comprehensive set of measures to mitigate the construction and operational impacts of the project, following rigorous engagement with stakeholders and scrutiny by planning authorities. AQUIND will create and support nearly a thousand of direct and indirect full-time jobs during construction with opportunities for local suppliers, aiding economic recovery.
- No overhead lines. Minimal environmental impact compared to any other energy infrastructure of similar capacity
- Up to 1,000 full-time jobs
- Up to £250m of contracts and subcontracts to be placed at a regional level, creating up to 500 jobs
HVDC Interconnector
High Voltage Direct Current
The distance between the connecting stations at Lovedean in Hampshire and Barnabos in Normandy renders the use of a simple Alternating Current (AC) connection impossible.
Furthermore, it is essential that disturbances in one network do not affect the consumer power supply in the other network. For these reasons, the interconnector will utilise the High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology. It provides the most controllable and efficient power connection between the networks while effectively de-coupling the networks in terms of disturbances that could affect consumers on each network.
The HVDC technology had been widely used for high power interconnectors since the 1960’s but in the early 2000’s a new generation Voltage Source Converter (VSC) based HVDC technology entered the market. It uses state-of-the-art power electronic converters and digital control systems to create compact stations that convert AC power to DC power.
The AQUIND converter stations will leave no more than half of the footprint left by an equivalent conventional LCC converter station. Applying the new VSC technology will further enable AQUIND to offer ancillary services to the transmission networks by providing rapid voltage and frequency support during system disturbances.
Inside the Converter Station
At the heart of the Lovedean and Barnabos converter stations will be the latest generation of power electronic converters.
The converter features hundreds of sub-modules complete with redundant units. This maintains the station in service at full power even with multiple sub-modules out of service. A key design requirement for AQUIND Interconnector is a considerably high level of energy availability coupled with minimal maintenance requirements. To ensure that no single fault results in a complete loss of the interconnector, AQUIND will be designed as two independent 1,000 MW links. Each link will be fully self-sufficient in terms of control systems, protection systems, auxiliary power supplies and cooling systems. Very few credible faults can result in a complete loss of a 2,000 MW power capability.
Procurement
AQUIND Interconnector will create in the region of £1.2bn / €1.4bn of contract opportunities, and is now seeking interested parties to participate in the procurement event for the Engineering Procurement and Construction (EPC) Contracts as detailed below, via a voluntary OJEU Invitation to Negotiate Process.
Cutting-Edge Technology
Cross-section of a typical XLPE cable
From each converter station two pairs of HVDC cables, one positive and one negative, will connect to a remote station. The cables will run underground from the converter stations to the coastline and underwater across the English Channel. The cables will be buried below the seabed to protect them from shipping damage.
The cables consist of a central aluminium (or copper) core surrounded by plastic extruded insulation known as Cross-linked Polyethylene (XLPE), which allows the cable to operate at ±320kV.
No oil-based insulation is used in the design of these cables meaning no leakage in the event of damage to the cables. The submarine sections of the cables have additional armouring to provide mechanical protection as they are delivered off the back of a cable-laying vessel directly onto the seabed.
Company Management
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Alexander Temerko
Director
Alexander is a prominent British industrialist, a vocal meritocracy advocate and a believer in Great Britain as a high-tech hub for industries of the future.An engineer and a lawyer by training, Alexander was a junior minister and a key negotiator in the Boris Yeltsyn government before turning his attention to industry and manufacturing. In 2000, Alexander joined Yukos Oil Company where he served as director and deputy chairman of the board before moving to the UK in 2005. Between 2008 and 2017, Alexander was director and deputy chairman of Newcastle-based OGN Group, an engineering, procurement and construction services provider to the North Sea offshore energy industry.
Alexander regularly contributes to major UK and international media on economic and political affairs.
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Richard Glasspool
(BA, FCA)Director
A non-executive director with AQUIND Limited and a former Partner at KPMG Russia and CIS.Richard is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales and where he began his career with Arthur Andersen & Co in London qualifying in 1983. He worked for several UK listed companies before joining KPMG where he advised on the Middle East, Russia and Central & Eastern Europe.
Following his 17 years with KPMG, Richard has served as an independent and non-executive director for a number of companies, including the OGN Group and from 2008 to 2014 on the Supervisory Board of Credit Bank of Moscow where he was also Chairman of the Audit and Risk Committee.
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Kirill Glukhovskoy
(LLM, MBA, ACMA)Managing Director
Kirill has been leading the AQUIND Interconnector project since its inception in 2014.Formerly a senior lawyer with major Russian energy companies and industrial heavyweights, he holds an MBA from the London Business School. Kirill has advised UK companies, including OGN Group, on corporate and business development and joined the board of Aquind Limited, the OGN Group renewables arm, in 2011. Following a corporate spin off, Kirill became Managing Director of the newly independent AQUIND Interconnector business in 2016.
Company news
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22 November 2023 , London
Government admits 4 year DCO delay!
Learn more › -
14 November 2023 , London
FOUR LONG YEARS! AQUIND Ltd applied for the Development Consent Order for the £1.35bn AQUIND Interconnector ENERGY SUPER-HIGHWAY joining France and Great Britain on the 14th of November 2019. It is still pending four long years on.
Learn more › -
05 September 2023 , London
AQUIND Ltd signs a Works Co-operation Agreement with Portsmouth City Council
Learn more ›
In the media
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New Civil Engineer
Monday 9 October, 2023
Long waits for interconnector DCOs means missed financial and environmental opportunities
Learn more“It can be difficult not to feel frustrated at the opportunities missed by delays.
Our project alone could be saving a million of tonnes of CO2a year (the equivalent of emissions from almost 600,000 fossil-fuelled cars). As capital costs become higher and the cost of construction and manufacturing becoming higher, delays mean opportunities to avoid these emissions have been irrevocably lost, investments are not made, jobs are not created, the Treasury and thus the public as a whole misses out on huge amounts of tax.”
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Proximo Infra
Thursday 28 September, 2023
AQUIND: Reaching beyond the red tape
Learn more“Interconnectors like AQUIND are a vital part of the energy transition, transporting intermittent renewable energy from where it is being generated to where it is needed. They also make energy markets more efficient by connecting a greater number of electricity sources to the grid, potentially reducing consumers’ energy bills.
The government’s goal of installing 18GW of interconnector capacity – up from 8.4GW today – by 2030 will drift out of reach if other projects are subjected to the tortuous permitting process experienced by AQUIND.”
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Business Age
Tuesday 15 August, 2023
Let's defeat the NIMBYs! Britain needs the Aquind electricity interconnector.
Learn more‘Hyper-local #NIMBYism, isn’t persuaded by national need or saving the planet but by the back-yard, and that as every politician knows is where votes grow.’
@businessage_ Editor @charlesOJ
#netzero #aquind #subseacable #ukneedsinterconnectors
