pwr_june-2024 - 27

HIGH-VOLTAGE POWER SYSTEMS
op projects outside of China, and Brazil
was a country looking for help. In February
2014, SGCC formed a consortium in
which it held a 51% share with Centrais
Elétricas Brasileiras S.A. (Eletrobras),
the leading electricity generation and
transmission company in Brazil, as the
other shareholder. The consortium won
the bid for the Belo Monte Phase I UHV
±800-kV transmission project. It was
SGCC's first UHV transmission project
in the Americas. The project included
an ±800-kV transmission line traveling
2,084 km (1,295 miles) with converter
stations at both ends. The total investment
was estimated to be $2.47 billion,
of which $1.26 billion was from SGCC.
The project was put into operation in
December 2017.
In July 2015, while Phase I was still
in progress, SGCC independently won
the bid for Phase II of the project.
That $3.14 billion deal was ultimately
financed, constructed, and operated
solely by SGCC. The Phase II project
starts at the Belo Monte Hydropower
Plant and extends to Rio de Janeiro in
the southeast, covering a total length of
2,539 km (1,578 miles). SGCC says it is
" the world's longest ±800-kV DC transmission
line project. " The Belo Monte
Phase II project was the first overseas
project using Chinese UHV technologies
and was considered a signature
project under the BRI.
The Belo Monte Phase II UHV transmission
project crosses three regions
with very different topography and climate.
It traverses 81 cities and five Brazilian
states through diverse terrain that
contains rainforests, hills, wetlands,
and grasslands. The line also crosses 13
large rivers. The complex ecological system
and great cultural diversity along
the path made things even more difficult
for a company operating on foreign soil.
Yet, the Chinese and Brazilian workers
involved in the project rose to the task.
They braved high temperatures, strong
winds, violent thunderstorms and other
severe weather events, and still managed
to complete the project 100 days
ahead of schedule in March 2019, with
zero safety accidents reported.
SGCC isn't done constructing projects
in Brazil either. In April, the company announced
it had signed an agreement for
the Graça Aranha-Silvania ±800-kV UHV
DC power transmission project (Northeast
Bipolar I). It called the deal " the
largest transmission concession project "
in Brazil's history.
The 5-GW project involves the conJune
2024 | POWER
projects (Figure 3) will be implemented
as part of a long-term strategic collaboration
between the two companies. Korridor
B V49 will connect approximately
300 km between Wilhelmshaven and
Hamm, and the part of the Rhein-MainLink
project that is included in the deal
spans about 650 km in length. Both projects
will form part of Germany's critical
power transmission infrastructure, designed
specifically to bring renewable
power generated in the North Sea to the
country's major consumer areas.
The 525-kV HVDC cable for these
3. The A-Nord high-voltage direct-current
(HVDC) project is being constructed today.
Korridor B V49 and part of the RheinMain-Link
project are large-scale projects
planned for completion by 2033. Courtesy:
Sumitomo Electric
struction of 1,468 km (912 miles) of
±800-kV UHV DC transmission lines
with converter stations and synchronous
condensers at both ends, as well
as related AC projects. The project will
bring together and transmit clean energy
such as wind power, solar energy,
and hydropower from the northeast
and north of Brazil through the states
of Maranhão, Tocantins, and Goiás, to
meet the electricity needs of about 12
million people, including in the Federal
District of Brazil, where the capital is located.
It is planned to be put into operation
in 2029, with a concession period
of 30 years.
Significant Projects Elsewhere
In June, German transmission system
operator (TSO) Amprion awarded two
major HVDC cable projects-Korridor
B V49 and part of the Rhein-Main-Link
project-to Sumitomo Electric. The
combined deals have a total project
value of more than €3 billion. At the
same time, Sumitomo Electric announced
the acquisition of 90% of the
shares of Südkabel, a well-known German
high-voltage cable manufacturer.
Sumitomo Electric plans to also invest
€90 million in Südkabel's Mannheim,
Germany, facility to increase its cable
production capacity.
Amprion and Sumitomo Electric are
currently proceeding with the A-Nord
HVDC project connecting a 300-km link
in Germany between Emden and Osterath
near Dusseldorf. The two additional
www.powermag.com
new projects, which Sumitomo Electric
said is " the most technologically advanced
transmission cable in the industry, "
will be manufactured in Südkabel's
factory in Mannheim. The projects are
expected to be completed by 2033.
Meanwhile, in May, Hitachi Energy
was selected by Marinus Link Pty. Ltd.
(MLPL) to supply an HVDC project that
will augment the connection between
mainland Australia and Tasmania's grid.
The approximately 345-km (214-mile)
cable route HVDC system will enable
the flow of renewable power in both
directions between the Victorian and
Tasmanian states. The connection will
enable the Tasmanian state to import
excess supply of solar and wind produced
in Victoria, while reserving its
hydro and storing the extra energy.
Clean hydropower can then feed the
mainland grid when it is needed most,
acting as a large battery for the nation.
Moreover, Hitachi Energy said it will
strengthen the security of supply in the
Australian power grid, which is increasingly
being generated by intermittent
renewable resources.
Hitachi Energy will supply its HVDC
Light voltage source converter (VSC)
stations as part of the project. Upon
completion, the Marinus Link will have
a total capacity of 1.5 GW.
In the Netherlands, GE Vernova and
Seatrium Ltd. have been awarded a third
contract by TenneT TSO B.V. for the construction
of a 2-GW HVDC electric transmission
system. The HVDC system will
support TenneT's goal of installing 40
GW of offshore wind energy in the German
and Dutch North Sea. The contract
announced in June will serve the Nederwiek
2 offshore wind farm, located
approximately 95 km (59 miles) off the
coast of the Netherlands. The project is
slated to begin in June 2024, with commissioning
expected by 2031. ■
-Aaron Larson is POWER's
executive editor.
27
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