Sumitomo Electric, Siemens Energy hand over 500 MW Ireland-Great Britain interconnector

The consortium of Sumitomo Electric Industries and Siemens Energy has completed the trial operations and handover of the Greenlink interconnector linking the electricity grids of Ireland and Great Britain to its client, Greenlink Interconnector Limited, for operational and commercial use.

The 500 MW Greenlink Interconnector Project is a submarine and underground electricity interconnector cable with associated converter stations linking the existing electricity grids in Ireland and the UK.

It provides a new grid connection between EirGrid’s Great Island substation in County Wexford, Ireland, and National Grid’s Pembroke substation in Pembrokeshire, Wales, UK. Electricity flows in either direction, depending on supply and demand in each country.

The consortium of Sumitomo Electric Industries and Siemens Energy began the construction in January 2022, with the link starting commercial operations this February.

Siemens Energy constructed two HVDC converter stations linked by Sumitomo Electric’s HVDC cross-linked polyethylene (XLPE) cables. The cable installation includes onshore HVDC cables along a 24-kilometer route in Ireland and a 6-kilometer route in Wales, plus submarine cables along a 160-kilometer offshore route across the Irish Sea.

Ireland’s Minister for Climate, Environment and Energy, Darragh O’Brien TD, officially launched the opening of the interconnector at an event in Enniscorthy.

Greenlink CEO James O’Reilly said: “It will increase security of supply, which is very topical at the moment, for Ireland and the United Kingdom, it will increase the penetration of renewal energy on both Grids, and it will reduce wholesale electricity prices. The last number of years have shown it is vital for all European countries to have a diversified energy mix, and this interconnector will bring benefits for Ireland, Britain and the wider European community.”