Dogger Bank HVDC Connection

Hitachi Energy has been selected to supply its high-voltage direct current (HVDC) Light^® systems to connect the world’s largest offshore wind farm at Dogger Bank, located 130-190 km off the North East coast of England, to the mainland transmission network at Teesside and Creyke Beck.

Dogger Bank Wind Farm has been developed in three phases, A, B and C, as a joint venture between SSE Renewables of the UK and Equinor of Norway (50:50), and ENI of Italy will take a 20% stake in the first two phases. Collectively it will become the world’s largest offshore wind farm.

The three HVDC systems, with the total transmission capacity of 3.6 GW, will facilitate power transfer to the mainland. For each system an offshore HVDC converter station will turn the generated wind power from alternating current (AC) to direct current (DC) and transmit to shore where a second converter station will turn the power back to AC and integrate it into the AC-grid. By using HVDC, power losses are minimized meaning more power reaches the end consumer. HVDC also increases reliability in the AC-grid due to the uniquely flexible and controllable features of the system. The system can also support the offshore wind farm, when needed.

These installations will significantly contribute towards the UK government’s goals of sourcing up to a third of its electricity from offshore wind by 2030.

HVDC Light technology is a key enabler for remote wind farms. The latest HVDC Light system used for these connections provides the most compact design and the lowest energy losses in the power industry. According to an independent life cycle assessment, the implementation of this pioneering technology will reduce the lifetime CO2 impact by almost two-thirds, compared to previously commissioned installations, supporting the green energy transition and the strong global focus on carbon-neutral energy systems.

HVDC technology has been recognized as a key technology for enabling the clean energy transition, contributing to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 7: increasing access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all.

With this pioneering HVDC technology, Hitachi Energy continues to shape the offshore power landscape, enabling the efficient transmission and dynamic integration of distant offshore wind power to the onshore grid.

Hitachi Energy total scope of supply includes design, engineering, procurement, construction and installation of six converter stations, three onshore and three offshore. Aibel AS, with whom Hitachi Energy has a strategic partnership on offshore wind connections will provide the three offshore platforms which will house the HVDC equipment.

Hitachi Energy has delivered more than half of the world’s HVDC projects. These include North Sea offshore wind grid connection projects such as DolWin 1 and DolWin 2, and the world’s first offshore wind farm, BorWin1. In addition, Hitachi Energy is connecting the SSE-owned Shetland link to its Caithness-Moray HVDC system for integration to the UK mainland transmission network.

Hitachi Energy pioneered commercial HVDC technology more than 65 years ago. HVDC Light, invented by Hitachi Energy based on Voltage Sourced Converter (VSC) technology, is a highly dynamic and efficient alternative to alternating current for transmitting large amounts of electricity with higher efficiency, over longer distances, and with lower electrical losses.