ABB won orders worth around $900 million to supply on-shore HVDC converter stations and the cable system in the German sector that will facilitate the first ever interconnection between the Norwegian and German power grids. The link will be 623 km long, making it the longest HVDC connection in Europe. It is scheduled to go into commercial operation in 2020. The contract also includes a five-year service agreement. ABB will design, engineer, supply and commission two 525-kV, 1,400-MW converter stations, using its voltage sourced converter (VSC) technology, called HVDC Light. One station will be situated near Tonstad in southern Norway and the other near Wilster in northern Germany. As part of the project, ABB will also design, manufacture and install a 525-kV mass impregnated cable system in the German sector, which will include 154-km of subsea and 54-km of underground cable.
