Siemens has been contracted to supply eight transformers for the 1GW Nemo Link interconnector project between Belgium and the UK.
The order was awarded by Nemo Link, a joint venture between the UK’s National Grid and Belgium’s Elia Group.
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Under the contract, Siemens will supply eight 365MVA transformers, fully assembled and installed, each weighing 448t.
To be manufactured at Siemens’ Nuremberg transformer facility, the equipment will be transported to the project sites in Herdersburg, Belgium, and Richborough, England, by ship and specialised trucks.
Siemens said the transformers measure 17m by 4.1m by 10.6m, not including their cooling systems.
The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) Nemo Link transmission system will run 140km between Richborough on the Kent coast and Herdersbrug, near Zeebrugge, with undersea and underground cables. It will deliver enough energy for around 500,000 homes.
Siemens transformers business unit CEO Beatrix Natter said: "At our Nuremberg transformer plant, where our engineering and sales efforts for these transformers are based, we have developed our HVDC transformers into the industry’s technological state-of-the-art."
"Our extensive expertise and the certified quality of our manufacturing facilities make Siemens Transformers the technology leader for these high-tech products."
Siemens had already secured a contract in June last year to construct the link’s two converter stations in Kent and Zeebrugge using its HVDC Plus technology. The company will serve and maintain the facilities for a period of five years.
Nemo Link will provide a third interconnector between UK and Europe. A 2GW link to France and 1GMW link to the Netherlands are currently in operation.
Image: The photo shows a similar power transformer serving at a converter station on the HVDC link between France and Spain. Photo: courtesy of Siemens.
