East-West Interconnector
| Country | United Kingdom, Ireland |
|---|---|
| General direction | East–West |
| From | Shotton, North Wales 53°13′38″N 3°4′22″W / 53.22722°N 3.07278°W |
| Passes through | Irish Sea |
| To | Rush North Beach, County Dublin 53°28′16″N 6°34′3″W / 53.47111°N 6.56750°W |
| Partners | EirGrid |
| Manufacturer of conductor/cable | ABB |
| Manufacturer of substations | ABB |
| Construction started | 2010 |
| Commissioned | 2012 |
| Type | submarine cable |
| Type of current | HVDC Light |
| Total length | 261 km (162 mi) |
| Power rating | 500 MW |
| AC voltage | 400 kV |
| DC voltage | ±200 kV |
| No. of circuits | 1 |
| Country | United Kingdom, Ireland |
|---|---|
| General direction | east–west |
| From | Pentir, North Wales |
| Passes through | Irish Sea |
| To | Arklow, County Wicklow |
| Partners | Imera Power |
| Manufacturer of conductor/cable | ABB |
| Manufacturer of substations | ABB |
| Type | submarine cable |
| Type of current | HVDC Light |
| Total length | 135 km (84 mi) |
| Power rating | 350 MW |
| AC voltage | 220/400 kV |
| DC voltage | ±150 kV |
| No. of circuits | 1 |
The East–West Interconnector is a high-voltage direct current submarine and subsoil power cable which connects the British and Irish electricity markets. The project has been developed by the Irish national grid operator EirGrid.
The interconnector is aimed to increase competition and security of supply, and better use the capacity of wind energy. The additional capacity headroom provided by the interconnection will assist in reducing the Electricity Supply Board's dominant position in the Irish electricity market. By joining the two markets it will allow Irish suppliers to access power in the British market and for Britain-based suppliers to enter the Irish market without initially having to commit to large capital expenditure, significantly reducing barriers to entry. Irish renewable generators will benefit from the interconnection as it will increase their available market and may make it more economically attractive to construct more large scale renewable generation.
ESB Power Generation announced in 2007 its intention to withdraw approximately 1,300 MW of capacity by 2010. This would effectively reduce the installed capacity of fully dispatchable plant from 6,437 MW to 5,150 MW. This closure of older inefficient power plants, such as a 461 MW fossil fuel capacity at Poolbeg Generating Station Dublin, and coupled with the high growth demand forecasts presented, created a major threat to the security of the Irish electricity grid.
The interconnection will enhance security of supply and grid stability on both countries and create conditions suitable for the development of a new regional market. The European Commission has expressed the view that European electricity markets would benefit from further interconnection investments. The EU Trans-European Energy Networks Project have classified the UK–Irish Interconnector as a priority project.
Upon the completion of the project in 2012, that connects County Dublin with Wales, Ireland has partly been supported with electricity from the Welsh 490 MW Wylfa nuclear power station.
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Wikipedia