Funding secured for development of new electricity network technology to enable scale-up of offshore wind in the UK

SSEN Transmission, supported by Mott MacDonald, has been awarded £6m by UK Research and Innovation to enable the use of DC Circuit Breakers (DCCBs) in onshore high voltage direct current (HVDC) hubs.

“Without DCCBs, the large-scale roll-out of offshore wind may be at risk,” said Martin Wilcox, Mott MacDonald’s project principal on the programme. “This is a vital step towards net zero.”

Offshore wind is set to play a leading role in the transition to net zero, with as much as 100GW required to deliver 2050 net zero targets in the UK.

“With the increasing size of wind turbine generators, and offshore wind projects going further from shore, HVDC grid is a viable techno-economic solution to connect and transport offshore wind from source to areas of demand,” said Jason Rowan, energy networks general manager at Mott MacDonald.

Crucially, electricity networks require circuit breakers to operate effectively and to direct power to where the need is greatest, but there are currently no circuit breakers for direct current in commercial operation worldwide.

Due to their compact sizing, DCCBs will reduce the amount of infrastructure required to deliver net-zero, which in turn will reduce environmental impact, and deliver a more flexible and cost-effective network.

The Network-DC project will help to de-risk the implementation of DCCBs by further developing industry knowledge and understanding of the opportunities, challenges and timelines from a technical, regulatory and commercial perspective.

“The completion of the demonstration project will provide a pathway for making DCCBs a viable option for implementation in HVDC network development projects in the UK,” said Jason.

Mott MacDonald has been supporting SSEN Transmission since March 2022 through all stages of the project. The scope of work has included developing HVDC concepts, drafting tender documentation and providing cost-benefit analysis.

The Network-DC project will run from September 2023 to December 2026. Partners include Mott MacDonald, SSEN Transmission, The University of Edinburgh, The Carbon Trust, National Grid ESO, SuperGrid Institute, and The National HVDC Centre