ABB has completed the Maritime Link, formally handing over the interconnector to Emera, an energy and services company headquartered in eastern Canada. The link made history on 8 December 2017 by conducting the first exchange of electricity between the islands of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia. It went into service on 15 January this year. ABB is continuing to work with Emera and the system operators in each province during initial operation.
The Maritime Link is a 500 MW high voltage direct current connection that will enable the renewable energy generated in Newfoundland and Labrador to be transmitted to the North American grid in Nova Scotia. The stabilising features of ABB’s solution will also allow Nova Scotia to integrate additional renewables such as wind power and contribute to Canada’s emission-reduction efforts.
The HVDC Light technology, used in the design of the Maritime Link, is the first bipolar configuration of its kind. This solution enhances system availability, reduces losses and increases grid reliability, says ABB, as power continues to flow even if one conductor or converter is not in use.
The converter stations are equipped with the ABB Ability based advanced MACH control and protection system which monitors, controls and protects the sophisticated technology in the stations and manages thousands of operations to ensure power reliability. Its advanced fault registration and remote control functions also help protect the link from unexpected disruptions, such as lightning strikes.
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