£22bn Pan-European Marine Energy Supergrid Proposed

The Supergrid is designed for two uses, carrying energy generated by wind turbines to suppliers and acting as a transmission network to deliver electricity around Europe, making its power markets more efficient at energy trading.

Airtricity briefed MPs in the UK House of Commons last month on the first phase of Supergrid, which is a 2,000 turbine, 10 gigawatt wind farm in the North Sea, the largest in European waters, which would supply electricity to eight million homes in coastal East Anglia, the Netherlands and Germany.

Airtricity and its technology experts, Swiss engineering group ABB, began work on the Supergrid last September with the aim of designing a high voltage AC/DC power network to link national grids and deliver power from offshore wind farms.

ABB has established an advanced transmission technology called HVDC Light, which is used for demanding offshore applications. HVDC Light not only feeds electricity to platforms but also connects and supports the integration of electrical networks.

The scale of this undertaking means that when fully operational, Europe will have access to wind energy at all times because the wind will always be blowing somewhere on the grid. The Supergrid provides an opportunity for Member States to improve their security of energy supply, with the power generated being a common European rather than national asset.

Addressing MPs in London last month, Airtricity chief executive Eddie O’Connor said, ‘Supergrid and the 10GW foundation project are practically and symbolically significant proposals to invest in and release to Europe its most abundant primary energy resource. To Britain and to other Member States in Europe the 10GW foundation project represents the first step in achieving Britain and Europe’s goals of energy security, environmental protection and long term price stability.’

MJInformation No: 21945