Energy regulator Ofgem approved five new subsea power links from Great Britain to the continent and Ireland as the country seeks to profit from a boom in wind capacity and become a net electricity exporter by the end of the decade.
The plans include as much as 4.6 gigawatts of new connections to Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany under the North Sea and about 1.5 gigawatts of connections to Ireland and Northern Ireland, the watchdog said in a statement. The nation is currently importing power from France on most days to help meet demand.
Along with a significant increase in offshore wind capacity, interconnectors are a key piece of Britain’s plans to reach a clean power grid by 2030. To meet that goal, UK’s grid operator has forecast that capacity on such cables would need to increase by 50% by the end of the decade.
“As we shift to a clean power system more reliant on intermittent wind and solar energy, these new connections will help harness the vast potential of the North Sea and play a key role in making our energy supply cheaper and less reliant on volatile foreign gas markets,” said Akshay Kaul, director general for infrastructure at Ofgem.
Among the five projects are two that are known as offshore hybrid assets, which link a wind farm at sea directly into an interconnector. That would allow the park to send power to the market with the highest price, rather than first sending it to the country’s grid only to be exported later.
The two hybrid projects are being developed by National Grid Plc together with operators in Belgium and the Netherlands, where the projects will link.
“Consumer demand for electricity is set to double in the next 25 years, and if built these interconnectors would provide the invaluable flexibility we need in the system for both now and in 2050,” said Ben Wilson, president of National Grid Ventures.
Approved interconnectors
Capacity (GW)
Connection
Tarchon Energy Interconnector
1.4
East Anglia to Niederlangen, Germany
Mares Connect
0.75
Bodelwyddan, North Wales, to the Republic of Ireland
LirIC
0.7
Kilroot in Northern Ireland to Hunterston in Ayrshire, Scotland
Hurricane Rafael may have fizzled out, but its lingering impact on Gulf oil and gas production continues. After Hurricane Rafael roared through the Gulf of Mexico last week, more than...
The Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM) has announced the completion of the final Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) for the proposed SouthCoast Wind Project, marking a crucial step towards the...
HOUSTON, Nov 9 (Reuters) – More than a quarter of crude oil production and nearly 17% of natural gas output in the U.S. Gulf of Mexico was offline in the aftermath of...
November 9, 2024
Total Views: 1517
Why Join the gCaptain Club?
Access exclusive insights, engage in vibrant discussions, and gain perspectives from our CEO.
This website uses cookies to improve your experience while you navigate through the website. Out of these, the cookies that are categorized as necessary are stored on your browser as they are essential for the working of basic functionalities of the website. We also use third-party cookies that help us analyze and understand how you use this website. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience.
Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. This category only includes cookies that ensures basic functionalities and security features of the website. These cookies do not store any personal information.
Any cookies that may not be particularly necessary for the website to function and is used specifically to collect user personal data via analytics, ads, other embedded contents are termed as non-necessary cookies. It is mandatory to procure user consent prior to running these cookies on your website.