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Electrical engineering: Interconnection between the French and British networks
20 February 2008
- Conversion centre (photo DR).
- The trench leaving Calais (photo DR).
Unusual technology:
The interconnection between the French and British transport networks is unusual in that it consists of an undersea direct current line, as opposed to the conventional alternating current line. The reason for this is the distance involvedand the high level of power to be carried (2,000 MW, equivalent to the output of two nuclear reactors).
Facilities that convert alternating current to direct current and vice versa have been built on both sides of the English Channel (at Calais in France and at Sellindge in England). The four pairs of cables have been buried underneath the sea-floor to prevent them from being snagged and broken by shipping (for example by anchors and dragnets).
