The National Grid is the high-voltage electric power transmission network serving Great Britain, connecting power stations and major substations, and ensuring that electricity generated anywhere on the grid can be used to satisfy demand elsewhere. The network serves the majority of Great Britain and some of the surrounding islands. It does not cover Northern Ireland, which is part of the Irish single electricity market.
The National Electricity Market (NEM) is an arrangement in Australia's electricity sector for the connection of the electricity transmission grids of the eastern and southern Australia states and territories to create a cross-state wholesale electricity market. The Australian Energy Market Commission develops and maintains the Australian National Electricity Rules (NER), which have the force of law in the states and territories participating in NEM. The Rules are enforced by the Australian Energy Regulator. The day-to-day management of NEM is performed by the Australian Energy Market Operator.
Directlink (Terranora)Interconnector is a mixed buried and above ground 59 kilometre (37 mi) High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) electricity transmission cable route from near Lavertys Gap (28°34′15″S153°27′8″E), 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) Southwest of Mullumbimby, New South Wales and Bungalora (28°15′20″S153°28′20″E) & connected via a 3.5 km (2.2 mi) AC Overhead Transmission Line to the NorthEast to the Terranora Electrical Substation (28°14′28.3″S153°30′12.7″E) @ Terranora, New South Wales in Eastern Australia. The DC cables alternate between above ground in a galvanised steel trough and below ground with depths up to 1 metre.
National Grid plc is a British multinational electricity and gas utility company headquartered in London, England. Its principal activities are in the United Kingdom, where it owns and operates electricity and natural gas transmission networks, and in the Northeastern United States, where as well as operating transmission networks, the company produces and supplies electricity and gas, providing both to customers in New York and Massachusetts.
The East–West Interconnector is a 500 MW high-voltage direct current submarine and subsoil power cable from 2012 which connects the Irish and British electricity markets, between Dublin and the Wales/England border. The project was developed by the Irish national grid operator EirGrid.
EirGrid plc is the state-owned electric power transmission operator in Ireland. It is a public limited company registered under the Companies Acts; its shares are held by the Minister for the Environment, Climate and Communications. It is one of a number of Irish state-sponsored bodies and is regulated by the Commission for Regulation of Utilities.
Project EnergyConnect is a new electricity transmission line under construction which will connect the South Australia and New South Wales districts of the National Electricity Market in Australia. Riverlink was a previous working title for the project, drawn from a proposal first raised in 1999. The Australian Energy Market Operator used RiverLink in its proposal for this interconnector, but the transmission companies in South Australia (ElectraNet) and New South Wales (TransGrid) now call it EnergyConnect.
The Electricity Commission of New South Wales, sometimes called Elcom, was a statutory authority responsible for electricity generation and its bulk transmission throughout New South Wales, Australia. The commission was established on 22 May 1950 by the Electricity Commission Act 1950 to take control of power generation in the State. The commission acquired the power stations and main transmission lines of the four major supply authorities: Southern Electricity Supply, Sydney County Council, the Department of Railways and the Electric Light and Power Supply Corporation Ltd, also known as the Balmain Electric Light Company, the owner and operator of Balmain Power Station. The commission was responsible for the centralised co-ordination of electricity generation and transmission in the State, and some local councils continued to be distributors of electricity only.
Transgrid is the manager and operator of the high voltage electricity transmission network in New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory, Australia, and is part of the National Electricity Market (NEM). The company's offices are located in Sydney, Newcastle, Orange, Tamworth, Wagga, and Yass.
The electricity sectors of the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland are integrated and supply 2.5 million customers from a combination of coal, peat, natural gas, wind and hydropower. In 2022, 34 TWh were generated. In 2018 natural gas produced 51.8%, while wind turbines generated 28.1%, coal 7%, and peat 6.8% of Ireland's average electricity demand. In 2020 wind turbines generated 36.3% of Ireland's electrical demand, one of the highest wind power proportions in the world. While the United Kingdom was one of the first countries in the world to deploy commercial nuclear power plants, the island of Ireland has never had a nuclear power plant built on either side of the Irish border. Nuclear power in Ireland was discussed in the 1960s and 1970s but ultimately never phased in, with legislation now in place explicitly forbidding its introduction.
Darling Downs Power Station is in Kogan, Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It is 40 kilometres (25 mi) west of Dalby and owned by Origin Energy. The Darling Downs Power Station is adjacent to the QLD-NSW high voltage transmission Interconnector and the Powerlink Queensland R2 Braemar 330/275 kV Substation.
Braemar Power Station is a complex of natural gas and coal seam gas fired combined-cycle power stations in Kogan, Western Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It is near Dalby in the Darling Downs region.
The North Sea Link is a 1,400 MW high-voltage direct current submarine power cable between Norway and the United Kingdom.
The provision of electricity in Queensland required a considerable degree of pioneering, innovation, and commitment. Queensland proved to be a pioneer in the supply of electricity in Australia, with the first public demonstration in Australia, the first recorded use for public purposes in the country, the first Parliament House in Australia and the first commercial operations in Australia all occurring in Brisbane.
Tasmanian Networks Pty Limited, trading as TasNetworks, is a Tasmanian Government State owned company that is responsible for electricity transmission and distribution throughout Tasmania. It also owns and operates a telecommunications network throughout the state.
The electricity sector in Australia has been historically dominated by coal-fired power stations, but renewables are forming a rapidly growing fraction of supply. In 2021, Australia's electricity production reached 265 TWh, with coal accounting for 52.9% and natural gas for 18.8%. Renewable sources, comprising solar, wind, hydro, and bioenergy with waste, collectively made up 26.7% of the total electricity generation mix.
The Queensland – New South Wales Interconnector (QNI) is a 330 kV AC interconnection between New South Wales and Queensland, Australia.
The link was commissioned in 2001. It consisted of double-circuit 330 kV lines between Armidale, Dumaresq, Bulli Creek and Braemar and a double-circuit 275 kV line between Braemar and Tarong.
There is an additional 330 kV Dual Circuit to complement the QNI from Bulli Ck Switching Station via Millmerran Power Station & Switching Stations to Middle Ridge Switching Station & 330/275/110 kV Sub, South of Toowoomba .
The original maximum transfer capacity was 300 to 350 MW in both directions. This has been progressively increased to 700 MW from New South Wales to Queensland and 1,200 MW from Queensland to New South Wales.
The interconnector is operated by TransGrid and Powerlink Queensland.
Viking Link is a 1,400 MW HVDC submarine power cable between the United Kingdom and Denmark, which was completed in 2023. As of 2024, it is the longest land and subsea HVDC interconnector in the world. The project is a cooperation between British National Grid and Danish Energinet.
The South Australian blackout of 2016 was a widespread power outage in South Australia that occurred as a result of storm damage to electricity transmission infrastructure on 28 September 2016. The cascading failure of the electricity transmission network resulted in almost the entire state losing its electricity supply, affecting 850,000 SA customers. Kangaroo Island did not lose its supply, as the Kangaroo Island power station had been built to supply the island for the contingency of a failure in the power cable under the Backstairs Passage.
Marinus Link is a proposed 750 megawatt capacity high voltage direct current (HVDC) electricity interconnector, to strengthen the connection between the Australian states of Tasmania and Victoria, on Australia's National Electricity Market. Due to inflation, Marinus link was scaled back from an initial plan of 1500 MW via two cables, down to 750 MW via one cable. It involves approximately 250 km of subsea cables and approximately 90 km of underground land cables. Marinus Link will also incorporate significant optical fibre capacity for system control, with the remaining capacity available to strengthen telecommunications and data connectivity between the regions. Marinus Link will be supported by approximately 220 km of high voltage alternating current (HVAC) of proposed transmission developments in North West Tasmania, known as the North West Transmission Developments (NWTD). Collectively, Marinus Link and the North West Transmission Developments are known as Project Marinus. In October 2022, authorities pledged loans for the project, as well as supporting facilities such as pumped hydro in Tasmania.
