The first Belgian HVDC Link – NEMO – technical choices, obstacles and future developments

A major focus of the Western European Transmission System Operators (TSO's) is reinforcing their crossborder transfer capacity for mutual support in case of emergencies and also as an beneficial good that can be traded on specialised energy markets. The Belgian TSO, Elia, is studying the use of new and emerging technologies, together with their advantages and disadvantages, for further development of the interconnections with the neighbouring countries. High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) technology, and especially the promising Multilevel Modular Converters (MMC) for the Voltage Sources Converters (VSC) opened a wide range of new opportunities.