Greenlink
Submarine HVDC interconnector between the UK and Ireland
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Greenlink is a 190 km long 500 MW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) submarine power cable between County Wexford in Ireland and Pembrokeshire in Wales.[2]
| Greenlink Interconnector[1] | |
|---|---|
 County Wexford, Ireland and Pembrokeshire, Wales | |
| Location | |
| Country | Ireland, United Kingdom |
| General direction | east-west |
| From | Ireland |
| Passes through | St George's Channel |
| To | Wales |
| Construction information | |
| Commissioned | 29 January 2025 |
| Technical information | |
| Type | Submarine cable |
| Type of current | HVDC |
| Total length | 190 km (120 mi) |
| Power rating | 500 MW |
| AC voltage | 400 kV (UK); 220 kV (Ireland) |
| DC voltage | 320 kV |
Route
The cable runs between EirGrid's Great Island substation in County Wexford, and National Grid's Pembroke substation in Pembrokeshire, with the cable making landfall at Baginbun Beach near Fethard-on-Sea in Ireland and at Freshwater West beach near Castlemartin in Wales. The total length is 200 km (120 miles), of which 160 km (100 miles) is under the sea.[3][1][4]
Specification
The HVDC link is configured as a symmetrical monopole, with DC voltages of ±320 kV, and nominal power rating of 500 MW. The project is expected to cost €400 million.[1]
Project history
Subsea surveys were undertaken in 2018, and public consultations in 2019.[3]
In April 2020, the company submitted three planning applications for onshore construction in Wales.[5] The project still required planning permission and marine licences in both the United Kingdom and in Ireland, but the process of procuring construction contracts had started.[6][3]
In March 2021, the project was granted a licence to install the sea cable in UK waters, with a similar licence for Irish waters still pending. As of March 2021[update], commissioning of the interconnector was planned for the end of 2023.[7]
In January 2022, construction work on converter stations started.[8] In March 2022, the company announced that it had reached financial close,[9] and offshore construction commenced in May 2022.[8] Construction and trial operation was completed in August 2024,[10] with testing of the link commencing in December 2024 and operationalizing on 29 January 2025.[11] The link was officially launched in April 2025.[12]
See also
- Energy in Ireland
- Energy in the United Kingdom
- Electricity sector in Ireland
- Electricity sector in the United Kingdom
- Moyle Interconnector and East–West Interconnector, existing 500 MW interconnectors across the Irish Sea
- Celtic Interconnector, 700 MW cable project to connect Ireland and France