Cross Sound Cable
Encyclopedia
The Cross Sound Cable is a 40 kilometres (24.9 mi) long bipolar high-voltage direct current
(HVDC) submarine power cable
between New Haven, Connecticut
, USA and Shoreham
, Long Island
New York
, USA. The Cross Sound Cable can transmit a maximum power of 330 MW at a voltage of +/- 150 kV DC. The maximum current for Cross Sound Cable is 1175 ampere
s. The Cross-Sound Cable is not simply a pair of underwater HVDC cables, rather it is a bundle of cables that includes the HVDC transmission lines and fiber-optic cables for phone and Internet
data transfer.
Construction of the Cross Sound Cable was started in 2002 from the former site of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
. The cable was first laid on the floor of Long Island Sound
; then a machine known as a jet plow tool used high-pressure water to fluidize the sea bed directly under the cable. The cable then fell into the liquidized trench.
Concern over possible environmental impact of the buried underwater cables caused significant delay in operation. Commercial operation of the cable was delayed until after the August 14, 2003 blackout of much of the eastern North American power system. Immediately after the blackout, emergency permission was secured to operate the cable. The cable has since been operating and, generally, sells electricity from the New England power grid to the New York power grid.
The builders and first operators of the project, TransÉnergie HQ, a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec
, and the United Illuminating Company, sold their interests in the cable to Babcock & Brown for approximately US$213 million in February 2006.
The converters of Cross Sound Cable are examples of HVDC light technology. Power can flow in either direction between New Haven and Shoreham terminals.
High-voltage direct current
A high-voltage, direct current electric power transmission system uses direct current for the bulk transmission of electrical power, in contrast with the more common alternating current systems. For long-distance transmission, HVDC systems may be less expensive and suffer lower electrical losses...
(HVDC) submarine power cable
Submarine power cable
Submarine power cables are major transmission cables for carrying electric power below the surface of the water. These are called "submarine" because they usually carry electric power beneath salt water but it is also possible to use submarine power cables beneath fresh water...
between New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven, Connecticut
New Haven is the second-largest city in Connecticut and the sixth-largest in New England. According to the 2010 Census, New Haven's population increased by 5.0% between 2000 and 2010, a rate higher than that of the State of Connecticut, and higher than that of the state's five largest cities, and...
, USA and Shoreham
Shoreham, New York
Shoreham is an incorporated village in Suffolk County, New York, United States. The population was 417 at the 2000 census.The Incorporated Village of Shoreham is inside the Town of Brookhaven.-Geography:Shoreham is located at ....
, Long Island
Long Island
Long Island is an island located in the southeast part of the U.S. state of New York, just east of Manhattan. Stretching northeast into the Atlantic Ocean, Long Island contains four counties, two of which are boroughs of New York City , and two of which are mainly suburban...
New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, USA. The Cross Sound Cable can transmit a maximum power of 330 MW at a voltage of +/- 150 kV DC. The maximum current for Cross Sound Cable is 1175 ampere
Ampere
The ampere , often shortened to amp, is the SI unit of electric current and is one of the seven SI base units. It is named after André-Marie Ampère , French mathematician and physicist, considered the father of electrodynamics...
s. The Cross-Sound Cable is not simply a pair of underwater HVDC cables, rather it is a bundle of cables that includes the HVDC transmission lines and fiber-optic cables for phone and Internet
Internet
The Internet is a global system of interconnected computer networks that use the standard Internet protocol suite to serve billions of users worldwide...
data transfer.
Construction of the Cross Sound Cable was started in 2002 from the former site of the Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant
The Shoreham Nuclear Power Plant was a completed General Electric nuclear boiling water reactor located adjacent to the Wading River in East Shoreham, New York...
. The cable was first laid on the floor of Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is an estuary of the Atlantic Ocean, located in the United States between Connecticut to the north and Long Island, New York to the south. The mouth of the Connecticut River at Old Saybrook, Connecticut, empties into the sound. On its western end the sound is bounded by the Bronx...
; then a machine known as a jet plow tool used high-pressure water to fluidize the sea bed directly under the cable. The cable then fell into the liquidized trench.
Concern over possible environmental impact of the buried underwater cables caused significant delay in operation. Commercial operation of the cable was delayed until after the August 14, 2003 blackout of much of the eastern North American power system. Immediately after the blackout, emergency permission was secured to operate the cable. The cable has since been operating and, generally, sells electricity from the New England power grid to the New York power grid.
The builders and first operators of the project, TransÉnergie HQ, a subsidiary of Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec
Hydro-Québec is a government-owned public utility established in 1944 by the Government of Quebec. Based in Montreal, the company is in charge of the generation, transmission and distribution of electricity across Quebec....
, and the United Illuminating Company, sold their interests in the cable to Babcock & Brown for approximately US$213 million in February 2006.
The converters of Cross Sound Cable are examples of HVDC light technology. Power can flow in either direction between New Haven and Shoreham terminals.
External links
- Description by the ABB Group
- Official website