Project outline

Working in partnership with Siemens, Murphy was contracted to develop the Nemo Link Ltd converter station and compound buildings in Richborough, Kent. The appointed works were carried out on behalf of a joint venture scheme between National Grid and Belgian energy provider Elias.

The site for the converter station and electricity substation in the UK is an eight hectare site, formerly occupied by the Richborough Power Station, which now forms part of the Richborough Energy Park proposals. A similar converter station and substation is proposed in Zeebrugge, Belgium.

Nemo Link’s 140km high voltage direct current (HVDC) electrical interconnector has an approximate capacity of 1,000 megawatts (MW). This allows the Nemo Link to transfer electrical power via subsea cables, between the UK and Belgium.

Scope of works

• 11,000 Cu metres concrete poured
• Eight hundred and eleven 15 metre driven piles
• 1,800 tonnes of steel reinforcing fixed in situ
• Primary converter frame – 130 metres in length, 40 metres wide, and 23 metres high
• 800 tonnes of structural steel manufactured, installed, and commissioned by Murphy International Limited
• 8,000 metres of duct
• 2,000 metres of drainage
• 15,700 Sq metres of cladding
• 80,000 meters of cable installation

Project delivery and innovations

• Our completion of the NEMO Converter Station was shortlisted for a Construction News award, for its excellent health and safety performance
• Over one million man hours of zero harm recorded on the project