Western Link HVDC

Western Link is a £1.2bn publically funded major infrastructure project which is being delivered by a Joint Venture between Scottish Power and National Grid.

Its purpose is to transmit power from areas of low demand to areas of high demand and specifically to facilitate the utilisation of power generated by the wind farms in Scotland which up to now have faced being constrained.

The project comprises a converter station at Connah's Quay (North Wales) and an equivalent converter station at Hunterston (West Scotland), both of which convert network AC current to DC current and back. These converter stations are connected along 388km of marine and 33km of land route by two HVDC cables. When connected, the link will be able to transfer 2.4GW/600kV of power between the two locations (enough to light up Manchester and Liverpool). The link boasts cutting edge technology and the highest rated electrical interconnector in the world at this current time.

G&T was actively involved in the tender review process providing clear and accurate tender analysis and cost advice together with risk analysis and whole life costing. G&T also helped the team prepare for the Ofgen audit by providing the necessary clarifications and reporting to aid the process of approval. Post contract, G&T has provided ongoing risk support as well as Cost Management, Contract Management and Change Management throughout the life of the project.