Viking Link reaches key project milestone as two 225 tonne transformers arrive in Lincolnshire

Two 225 tonne transformers for National Grid’s new Viking Link interconnector have arrived in Lincolnshire.

The second of two transformers made its way through the region on 16th October winding its way past the historic Lincoln cathedral on a specialist heavy duty lorry restricted to a speed of just 10mph

The transformer began its six-hour UK journey at the port of Immingham before finishing at the Viking Link converter site in Bicker Fen – where energy brought into the UK will join the UK’s transmission network.

Once complete, Viking Link will stretch for 765km under land and sea to join Lincolnshire with Revsing in Denmark and allow power sharing between the two countries.

The project is a joint venture between National Grid and Danish system operator Energinet.
Once live, it will have the ability to bring in 1,400 MW of green energy – enough to power up to 1.4 million UK homes.
The project will also allow the UK to share surplus wind and solar energy with Denmark on days playing a key role in security of supply for both countries.

This was the second of a total of seven transformers which will be on site in Lincolnshire. The first arrived on 9th October with others expected over the coming months.

The transformers each weigh as much as 54 elephants have been developed and expertly moved by project partner Siemens Energy.

Viking Link Project Director Phil Sandy said: “This is a key moment in the project. It is always amazing to see such huge pieces of equipment arrive on site, moving us one step further towards completion.
Once live, Viking Link will be the longest land and sub-sea interconnector and be able to provide enough power for up to 1.4 million homes.”

Hauke Jürgensen, Senior Vice President of High Voltage Grids at Siemens Energy said: "We strongly believe that the future of the European power grid is highly dependent on global partnerships in order to provide the best skills and technical solutions for our common good. Only with a cross-border expansion of the power grid, as enabled by Viking Link, can we make optimal use of renewable energies. The arrival of the transformers is a major project milestone and another step towards fulfilling our commitment to decarbonization together."

Viking Link is due to be complete by the end of 2023 and will play a vital role in decarbonisation – bringing in excess wind power from Denmark.
It will also enable the UK to share excess wind power on days when we have surplus wind and solar on the system, helping to manage the intermittent nature of renewables.