The order has been secured from Nemo Link, a joint venture between the UK’s National Grid and Belgium’s Elia Group.
The deal includes eight 365 megavolt amperes (MWA) transformers, which, fully assembled and installed, weigh 448 tonnes each.
Siemens said the transformers measure 17 metres by 4.1 metres by 10.6 metres, not including their cooling systems.
The company will manufacture the transformers in its Nuremberg transformer facility.
The transformers will then be transported to the project sites in Herdersburg, Belgium and Richborough, England by ship and specialized trucks.
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 about 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 2015 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.
