TenneT unveils Wind Connector to link European offshore wind

Dutch transmission system operator (TSO) TenneT has unveiled its vision of a future utility-scale electricity network in Europe, based around a giant converter station on an artificial island channeling some 30GW of generation from arrays of offshore wind plants into countries bordering the North Sea.

The six-square-kilometre offshore hub – dubbed the Wind Connector – would be built in a shallow-water, high-wind location such as Dogger Bank, with alternating current (AC) flowing in along spur lines, being stepped-up into high voltage direct current (HVDC), and then sent ashore and into national grids in the Netherlands, the UK, Belgium, Norway, Germany and Denmark.

"In Germany and more recently in the Netherlands, TenneT has the role of developer and operator of the offshore grid.