Siemens starts construction of converter station for 1.4 GW Viking Link interconnector between Denmark and the UK

National Grid’s Viking Link has started construction on its UK converter station at Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire with Siemens Energy.

Siemens Energy, the lead contractor for the 1400 megawatt interconnector, will supply the technology that will enable the direct sharing of clean electricity between Britain and Denmark for the very first time.

A converter station converts electricity between Alternating Current (AC) and Direct Current (DC). AC is used in each country’s transmission system, while DC is used for sending electricity long distances along with the subsea cables. An identical converter station will be constructed at the other end of the interconnector, in Denmark. The converter station will be 300m2, the equivalent of around 12 football pitches.

Viking Link project is a joint venture between National Grid Ventures, part of National Grid, and the Danish electricity system owner and operator, Energinet. The 1.4 GW high voltage electricity interconnector will be the longest in the world when completed, stretching 765 km subsea and onshore connecting from Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire, UK and Revsing in South Jutland, Denmark to enable clean energy to be shared.