Page 42 - Energize March 2021

TECHNICAL

What does this mean, in practice, except for a short period in the middle. Our target is to be commissioned toward the end of
for an HVDC link like the Moyle September 2022.”
Interconnector? He adds: “I think we have been through it in a very systematic way with Siemens Energy
Cox adds: “As the onshore TSOs with a view to managing risk at all times. The contract we’ve agreed with Siemens Energy
find their generation mix evolving, puts a lot of recognition on meeting outage windows. It has been drafted with performance as
the market for ancillary services has well as reliability and availability in mind.
been keeping up with that evolution. We’ve got good teams on both our side and Siemens Energy’s side that are working very
So, we find that there is demand from positively together; working very closely on issues with an openness to problem solving.”
our partners, the onshore system
operators, to use the interconnector Upgrade to facilitate new business models
and other assets for the delivery of Much of the work can happen off-site, in Siemens Energy’s workshop in Erlangen. As Laura
frequency support and other services Stolle, Technical Sales HVDC at Siemens Energy, explains, the preparation and pre-assembly
to the grid. That was not at the forefront ensure minimal disruption to daily operations on-site: “We will be engineering the whole
of our mind when Moyle was built.” system, testing and commissioning the setup off-site in Erlangen. The software will be
As a result, the upgrade is crucial implemented in the hardware, then everything will go on-site; we’ll implement the new control
to support TSO partners and capitalise cubicles; valve-based electronics (VBE) and some changes to the measurement systems.”
on the opportunities provided to Mutual Tim Cox says the refurbishment will facilitate new opportunities for the company and
Energy. “Having a modern control allow it to fully support ambitious efforts to decarbonise electricity generation by partners
system that is flexible and can adapt across the United Kingdom and Ireland. To do so, the HVDC’s control system needs to be
to changes in the networks and the capable of helping it react fast to market dynamics.
onshore systems really is important for Explaining Mutual Energy’s ability to participate in capacity markets, he says: “In Great
us, to be able to support the onshore Britain, for example, we receive a derating from our headline capacity, and we will receive a
system operators,” says Cox. capacity payment based on that derated capacity. In return, there is an expectation that we
will deliver energy at times of system stress.” On the Irish single market side, the principle
The refurbishment project: a careful, is similar, but in practice, the company also receives payments for the availability of the
clearly drafted collaboration interconnector. “However, there’s recognition that the flows on the interconnector will be
HVDC refurbishments are complex determined by the market. Both of those are important obligations and they come with some
projects. Mutual Energy and Siemens potential downsides in terms of penalties if they are not met,” he notes.
Energy have defined the scope of
their work as the detailed design, Preparing for 75% renewables
manufacturing, factory testing, The refurbishment comes as renewables penetration continues to grow. “Northern Ireland’s
installation, and commissioning of transmission system operators SONI and EirGrid have the aim of getting penetration of
the control and protection system nonsynchronous generation – wind and solar and HVDC – up to 75% probably by next year,”
(including the replacement of auxiliary says Cox. “They have calculated what kinds of support the network would need. It turns out,
supplies, valve base electronics, and the the biggest support is frequency response. And the major advantage of interconnectors is
measurement system), and the supply of that they are quite good at delivering frequency response in large quantities.”
a control training simulator. As the UK’s businesses and policy-makers continue their efforts to decarbonise, this
As operations manager Sam Gibson 20-year-old system looks set to have a new lease of life. With overload capability, the
explains, disruption will be kept to a upgraded Moyle Interconnector will have greater operational flexibility and, critically, the ability
minimum: “We’ll do one pole at a time, to provide ancillary services that help underpin an ever-cleaner UK and Irish market. n
which means that we will have 250 MW
of capacity right through the project, Contact Sarita Gouws, Siemens Energy, Tel 082 469-9160, sarita.gouws@siemens.com

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