Nelson River DC Transmission System

This article uses bare URLs, which are uninformative and vulnerable to link rot. Please consider converting them to full citations to ensure the article remains verifiable and maintains a consistent citation style. Several templates and tools are available to assist in formatting, such as reFill (documentation) and Citation bot (documentation). (August 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

NR HVDC Transmission Bipole 1
Nelson River Bipoles 1 and 2 terminate at Dorsey Converter Station near Rosser, Manitoba. The station takes HVDC current and converts it to HVAC current for re-distribution to consumers
Map of Bipoles 1 and 2
Location
Country	Canada
Province	Manitoba
From	Radisson Converter Station near Gillam at 56°21′39″N 94°36′47″W / 56.36083°N 94.61306°W / 56.36083; -94.61306
To	Dorsey Converter Station at Rosser located 26 kilometres (16 mi) north west of Winnipeg at 49°59′39″N 97°25′38″W / 49.99417°N 97.42722°W / 49.99417; -97.42722)
Ownership information
Owner	Manitoba Hydro
Operator	Manitoba Hydro
Construction information
Manufacturer of substations	English Electric (original); Alstom, Siemens (replacement)
Construction started	1966
Commissioned	June 17, 1972
Technical information
Type	overhead transmission line
Type of current	HVDC
Total length	895 km (556 mi)
Power rating	1,620 megawatts 1,800 Amperes
DC voltage	±450 kilovolts
No. of poles	2
No. of circuits	1

The Nelson River DC Transmission System, also known as the Manitoba Bipole, is an electric power transmission system of three high voltage, direct current lines in Manitoba, Canada, operated by Manitoba Hydro as part of the Nelson River Hydroelectric Project. It is now recorded on the list of IEEE Milestones^[1] in electrical engineering. Several records have been broken by successive phases of the project, including the largest (and last) mercury-arc valves, the highest DC transmission voltage and the first use of water-cooled thyristor valves in HVDC.

The system transfers electric power generated by several hydroelectric power stations along the Nelson River in Northern Manitoba across the wilderness to the populated areas in the south.

It includes two rectifier stations, Radisson Converter Station near Gillam at 56°21′41″N 94°36′48″W / 56.36139°N 94.61333°W / 56.36139; -94.61333 (Radisson Converter Station) and Henday Converter Station near Sundance at 56°30′14″N 94°08′24″W / 56.50389°N 94.14000°W / 56.50389; -94.14000 (Henday Converter Station), one inverter station, Dorsey Converter Station at Rosser located 26 kilometres (16 mi) north west of Winnipeg at 49°59′34″N 97°25′42″W / 49.99278°N 97.42833°W / 49.99278; -97.42833 (Dorsey Converter Station)), and two sets of high-voltage direct current transmission lines. Each HVDC transmission line has two parallel overhead conductors to carry the positive and negative feeds.

A third line, Bipole 3, was completed in 2018, running from the new Keewatinoow Converter Station along the west side of Lake Manitoba to the new Riel Converter station on the east side of Winnipeg.

There are no intermediate switching stations or taps. All three bipolar systems have extensive ground return electrodes to allow use in monopolar mode.