Hitachi Energy to continue to support Ireland - UK power connection after a decade of successful operation

Hitachi Energy, a global technology leader that is advancing a sustainable energy future for all, today announced it has signed an eight-year service agreement to provide service solutions to link the electricity grid in Ireland and the United Kingdom, via submarine cables.

The long-term agreement will provide service solutions for the East West Interconnector (EWIC) high-voltage direct current (HVDC) link that is owned by EirGrid Interconnector Designed Activity Company (EIDAC), Ireland’s grid operator. The submarine cables run between HVDC converter stations in Ireland and Wales. The 500-megawatt interconnector is approximately 260 kilometers long and supplies enough energy to power 300,000 homes. Hitachi Energy designed and built the link and has been providing service solutions since it first went into operation in 2013.

EnCompass is Hitachi Energy’s portfolio of partnership-oriented service offerings, signaling a step-change in life cycle thinking. This order underlines Hitachi Energy’s commitment to trusted long-term partnerships and builds on its proven track record of delivering innovative and reliable energy service solutions.

“We’re proud to be selected once again to provide our unique service expertise to keep the EWIC link operating at maximum efficiency, performance, and reliability,” said Niklas Persson, Managing Director at Hitachi Energy’s Grid Integration business. "With EnCompass, our new service solution, we are building a partnership ecosystem to ensure continued support to the HVDC link throughout its lifetime, delivering cutting-edge digital service with sustainability and customer value at its core.”

“Hitachi Energy has been supporting us for a decade to keep this critical interconnector transmitting power,” said Rodney Doyle, Chief Operating Officer of EirGrid. “The exchange of electricity between the UK mainland and Ireland with this HVDC system from Hitachi Energy is an important part of securing power for our customers.”

Service for an HVDC system includes a wide range of activities and support, from 24/7 on-call support engineers to planned outages for condition-based maintenance, health and safety management to cybersecurity, as well as spare parts, installation, and training.

Hitachi Energy recognizes that the energy transition begins with existing infrastructure, and the company is championing the urgency and the pace of change needed to reach Net Zero.  Leveraging our century of experience and expertise, our dedicated teams deliver exceptional service solutions that cover the entire life cycle of your assets, ensuring resilient operations.  The company offers expert advice at every stage of the process across the whole portfolio, addressing both present and future needs to help customers achieve a sustainable energy future.

Hitachi Energy pioneered commercial HVDC technology almost 70 years ago and has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects and has the largest installed base of HVDC in the world.