The Cross-Sound Cable is a 25-mile (40 km) long bipolar
high-voltage direct current (HVDC)
submarine power cable between
New Haven
New Haven is a city of the U.S. state of Connecticut. It is located on New Haven Harbor on the northern shore of Long Island Sound. With a population of 135,081 as determined by the 2020 U.S. census, New Haven is the third largest city in Co ...
,
Connecticut
Connecticut ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York (state), New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. ...
and
Shoreham, on
Long Island
Long Island is a densely populated continental island in southeastern New York (state), New York state, extending into the Atlantic Ocean. It constitutes a significant share of the New York metropolitan area in both population and land are ...
, in
New York, United States.
Description
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
The ampere ( , ; symbol: A), often shortened to amp,SI supports only the use of symbols and deprecates the use of abbreviations for units. is the unit of electric current in the International System of Units (SI). One ampere is equal to 1 c ...
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
An optical fiber, or optical fibre, is a flexible glass or plastic fiber that can transmit light from one end to the other. Such fibers find wide usage in fiber-optic communications, where they permit transmission over longer distances and at ...
cables for phone and
Internet
The Internet (or internet) is the Global network, global system of interconnected computer networks that uses the Internet protocol suite (TCP/IP) to communicate between networks and devices. It is a internetworking, network of networks ...
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
Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
; 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 () is a Canadian Crown corporations of Canada#Quebec, Crown corporation public utility headquartered in Montreal, Quebec. It manages the electricity generation, generation, electric power transmission, transmission and electricity ...
, 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.
See also
*
Y-49 Cable – A transmission cable between
Westchester County and Long Island, via the
Long Island Sound
Long Island Sound is a sound (geography), marine sound and tidal estuary of the Atlantic Ocean. It lies predominantly between the U.S. state of Connecticut to the north and Long Island in New York (state), New York to the south. From west to east, ...
.
References
External links
Descriptionby the ABB Group
*
{{Long Island power
Energy infrastructure completed in 2003
Submarine power cables
HVDC transmission lines
Energy infrastructure in Connecticut
Energy infrastructure in New York (state)
Buildings and structures in New Haven, Connecticut
Hydro-Québec
Energy infrastructure on Long Island, New York