Cometa (HVDC)
Encyclopedia
COMETA is an undersea electric power transmission
system being constructed between mainland Spain
and the island of Majorca. It will connect Morvedre
near Valencia and Santa Ponsa
near Palma de Mallorca
. The project is developed by Red Electrica de España
.
and Prysmian
were signed. On 9 October 2007, a contract with Siemens was signed for supplying two converter stations.
The laying of the first cable started on 13 January 2011 and the laying of the second cable started on 27 January 2011. The first cable was laid by the cable ship Giulio Verne and the second cable was laid by the cable ship Nexans Skagerrak. Trenching was done by waterjet from the MPSV "Edda Fjord",the worlds biggest MPSV when she was built in 2002 and "Argo 1".
(HVDC) cables with a capacity of 200 MW and an operating voltage of 250 kV of each, and a metal return cable. It has a total transmission capacity of 400 MW. The maximum depth of the submarine cable will be 1485 metres (4,872 ft). It is the second longest submarine power cable after NorNed
and the second deepest after SAPEI
. The submarine part of the cable is 240 kilometres (149 mi) long and the land cable is 7 kilometres (4 mi) long. There are converter stations in Morvedre and Santa Ponsa, built by Siemens.
COMETA is scheduled to become operational in 2011. The total cost of the project is €375 million.
Electric power transmission
Electric-power transmission is the bulk transfer of electrical energy, from generating power plants to Electrical substations located near demand centers...
system being constructed between mainland Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
and the island of Majorca. It will connect Morvedre
Morvedre Power Station
Morvedre Power Station is a natural gas-fired combined-cycled power station in Sagunto, Spain. It went into operation in 2007. The power station is owned and operated by Unión Fenosa....
near Valencia and Santa Ponsa
Santa Ponsa
Santa Ponsa is a holiday resort in the south-west of Majorca. Located in the municipality of Calvià, it is 18 kilometres from the capital Palma.- History :...
near Palma de Mallorca
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
. The project is developed by Red Electrica de España
Red Eléctrica de España
Red Eléctrica de España is a Spanish corporation which operates the nation's power transmission system and electricity grid.The company was created in 1985 by the Spanish Government-owned holding company Instituto Nacional de Industria to provide a unified national power grid.The firm was also...
.
History
On 26 September 2007, contracts between Red Electrica de España and the cable manufacturers NexansNexans
Nexans S.A. is a French company which manufactures copper and optical fiber cable products for the infrastructure, industrial and construction markets. It is the world's largest manufacturer of cables. It has an industrial presence in nearly 40 countries, over 23,000 employees and sales of around...
and Prysmian
Prysmian
Prysmian is an Italian-based multinational corporation headquartered in Milan and listed on the Milan Stock Exchange, manufacturing and laying cables for the energy and telecommunications sectors, it's the market leader, also thanks to the acquisition of Draka Holding...
were signed. On 9 October 2007, a contract with Siemens was signed for supplying two converter stations.
The laying of the first cable started on 13 January 2011 and the laying of the second cable started on 27 January 2011. The first cable was laid by the cable ship Giulio Verne and the second cable was laid by the cable ship Nexans Skagerrak. Trenching was done by waterjet from the MPSV "Edda Fjord",the worlds biggest MPSV when she was built in 2002 and "Argo 1".
Technical description
The cable is produced and laid by Prysmian and Nexans. The system consists of two bipolar high-voltage direct currentHigh-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) cables with a capacity of 200 MW and an operating voltage of 250 kV of each, and a metal return cable. It has a total transmission capacity of 400 MW. The maximum depth of the submarine cable will be 1485 metres (4,872 ft). It is the second longest submarine power cable after NorNed
NorNed
NorNed is a long HVDC submarine power cable between Feda in Norway and the seaport of Eemshaven in the Netherlands, which interconnects both countries' electricity grids. It is the longest submarine power cable in the world. Budgeted at €550 million, and completed at a cost of €600m, the...
and the second deepest after SAPEI
Sapei
SAPEI, is a high-voltage direct current power transmission system that connects Sardinia with the Italian mainland. The submarine cable from Fiume Santo to Latina runs at below sea level in the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the deepest submarine cable in the world. The cable is owned and operated by...
. The submarine part of the cable is 240 kilometres (149 mi) long and the land cable is 7 kilometres (4 mi) long. There are converter stations in Morvedre and Santa Ponsa, built by Siemens.
COMETA is scheduled to become operational in 2011. The total cost of the project is €375 million.
External links
- http://www.ree.es/ingles/sala_prensa/web/inc/fichero.aspx?ruta=especiales/archivos&fichero=0ym7r2b97o6r.pdf
- http://www.ostensjo.no/ostensjo/web.nsf/pages/EddaFjord