The German transmission system operator (TSO) Amprion and the Belgian TSO Elia have come together to deliver the Aachen Liège Electricity Grid Overlay (ALEGrO), an infrastructure project which is part of the European electricity highway system.
The interconnector will use 90km long underground cables to link the Belgian and German high-voltage electricity systems.
The converter stations will transform AC to DC and DC back to AC on the other side of the link. It is expectd to start commercial operation in 2020.
Siemens will design, supply, install and commission all the components required for the project.
The company said that it will use HVDC Plus, a highly controllable technology with operational advantages. The project will deliver 1000MW of electricity either between Germany or Belgium and have high degree of controllability, as claimed by the German engineering company.
Amprion managing director Klaus Kleinekorte said: "ALEGrO will make the European electricity network even more secure and powerful.
“We can control the power flow of the cable with a high degree of accuracy and adjust the volume of electricity and flow direction."
Elia Infrastructure chief officer Markus Berger said: "Inteconnections based on innovative convertor technology will allow bottlenecks in the European transmission network to be gradually decreased.
“Allowing for more flow exchanges will improve the working of the market and should lead to lower energy prices."
Siemens Energy Management Division CEO Ralf Christian said: "ALEGrO will feature state-of-the-art converter technology. The HVDC Plus solution from Siemens assures highest reliability and efficiency in transmitting power independent from specific weather or grid conditions.
“HVDC Plus masters the growing challenges from fluctuating renewables."
Image: Officials of Amprion, Elia and Siemens signing the contract. Photo: Courtesy of Siemens AG.
