Released December 08, 2014 | GALWAY, IRELAND
en
Written by Martin Lynch, European News Editor for Industrial Info (Galway, Ireland)--Two significant electricity interconnector projects between the U.K., Norway and Belgium have advanced.
The U.K.'s Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has announced that it has approved works associated with the laying of the undersea electricity cable between the U.K. and Norway. The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable will be the first of its kind between the two countries and will enable the cross-border trading of electricity. Power may flow through the cable in either direction at different times, depending on the supply and demand in each country.
North Sea Network (NSN) is a joint venture between grid operators Statnett (Oslo) and National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) (London). The project will consist of two 714-kilometer, HVDC marine cables linking southwest Norway to the Northumberland coast, in northeast England. They will have a capacity of up to 1,400-megawatts (MW).
In October, Norway's government gave the green light for the construction of the interconnector. For additional information, see October 16, 2014, article - Norway Green Lights U.K. Grid Link .
Interconnector projects will play a key role in keeping the lights on in the U.K. in the coming years as the country is forced to close many older nuclear and coal-fired plants. Just this week, the government announced that interconnectors will be able to compete directly with energy companies for government payments for supplying back-up electricity.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey announced: "We're working tirelessly to get the best possible deal for British bill payers, and that includes linking us to other countries so that energy companies can buy low-carbon electricity from wherever it's cheapest. Including interconnectors in the Capacity Market from next year shows the strongest signal yet to potential investors -- building on the recent announcement of funding for interconnectors that will create new links to Norway, Belgium and France to almost double the power we can source from overseas, particularly from low-carbon energy sources such as hydro, wind and nuclear."
In related news, U.K. energy regulator Ofgem gave the green light to Project Nemo, a transmission cable that will run between Zeebrugge in Belgium and Richborough in Kent. It will have a capacity of around 1,000 MW and be operational in 2019.
Davey said: "This is a major landmark in our ambition to greatly increase interconnection with our neighbours, to improve our energy security and lower bills. By linking us to Belgium, Project Nemo will enable enough electricity to flow between our countries to power up to three million homes. The new cap and floor regime will unlock billions of pounds of investment in interconnectors, and I expect more projects to come forward next year."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
The U.K.'s Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has announced that it has approved works associated with the laying of the undersea electricity cable between the U.K. and Norway. The high-voltage direct current (HVDC) cable will be the first of its kind between the two countries and will enable the cross-border trading of electricity. Power may flow through the cable in either direction at different times, depending on the supply and demand in each country.
North Sea Network (NSN) is a joint venture between grid operators Statnett (Oslo) and National Grid plc (NYSE:NGG) (London). The project will consist of two 714-kilometer, HVDC marine cables linking southwest Norway to the Northumberland coast, in northeast England. They will have a capacity of up to 1,400-megawatts (MW).
In October, Norway's government gave the green light for the construction of the interconnector. For additional information, see October 16, 2014, article - Norway Green Lights U.K. Grid Link .
Interconnector projects will play a key role in keeping the lights on in the U.K. in the coming years as the country is forced to close many older nuclear and coal-fired plants. Just this week, the government announced that interconnectors will be able to compete directly with energy companies for government payments for supplying back-up electricity.
Energy and Climate Change Secretary Ed Davey announced: "We're working tirelessly to get the best possible deal for British bill payers, and that includes linking us to other countries so that energy companies can buy low-carbon electricity from wherever it's cheapest. Including interconnectors in the Capacity Market from next year shows the strongest signal yet to potential investors -- building on the recent announcement of funding for interconnectors that will create new links to Norway, Belgium and France to almost double the power we can source from overseas, particularly from low-carbon energy sources such as hydro, wind and nuclear."
In related news, U.K. energy regulator Ofgem gave the green light to Project Nemo, a transmission cable that will run between Zeebrugge in Belgium and Richborough in Kent. It will have a capacity of around 1,000 MW and be operational in 2019.
Davey said: "This is a major landmark in our ambition to greatly increase interconnection with our neighbours, to improve our energy security and lower bills. By linking us to Belgium, Project Nemo will enable enough electricity to flow between our countries to power up to three million homes. The new cap and floor regime will unlock billions of pounds of investment in interconnectors, and I expect more projects to come forward next year."
Industrial Info Resources (IIR), with global headquarters in Sugar Land, Texas, three offices in North America and 10 international offices, is the leading provider of global market intelligence specializing in the industrial process, heavy manufacturing and energy markets. Industrial Info's quality-assurance philosophy, the Living Forward Reporting Principle, provides up-to-the-minute intelligence on what's happening now, while constantly keeping track of future opportunities.
