Council Lead Partner Alstom will play a key role in a new energy transmission line that connects France and Italy. The line will run through the Alps. When completed, it will be the longest line of its type in the world, but perhaps more importantly, will be another key step in connecting Europe’s electrical grids.
Alstom’s role in the project is to build two High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) converter stations, one at each end of the new link. It will design, manufacture and commission the stations using its VSC MaxSine Voltage Source Converter technology. The transmission line uses direct current; each station will convert to and from the alternating current used in each country’s electrical grid.
The underground transmission line will actually run through the Alps, connecting the two conversion stations that are about 120 miles apart. Alstom is helping build a nearly 1,500-mile transmission line in Brazil, which will be the world’s longest, but this will set a record for the longest line that connects two electrical grids.
The France-Italy line is scheduled to begin operating in 2019 and it’s the latest in a series of projects to connect electrical grids throughout Europe. A transmission line that connects France and Spain is going online this year. Another between Germany and Norway is under construction. Lines like these could play a key role in improving overall electrical grid stability throughout Europe.
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