The UK electricity regulator, Ofgem, has approved five new undersea energy links to connect the United Kingdom with several European countries through the North Sea.
The five projects are set for completion by the end of 2032. Three of the links will be traditional interconnectors, while the other two are offshore hybrid assets (OHA), combining interconnection with electricity transmission from offshore wind farms.
“The cost to consumers of all five projects will be between GBP 2 ($2.56) to GBP 5 a year on individual consumer electricity bills over the years 2030 to 2055,” the regulator said. “However Ofgem considers that the new interconnectors also provide other consumer benefits such as increased security of supply and by providing routes to export we also support our offshore wind industry which makes us less reliant on importing hydrocarbons, which are subject to global price volatility.”
The approval documents state that the LionLink offshore hybrid asset (OHA) project will link Dutch offshore wind farms to the UK grid via an onshore landing in Suffolk, providing up to 1.8 GW of power to each country. The second OHA project, Nautilus, will connect Belgium to the UK grid with a connection point at the Isle of Grain in Kent, delivering up to 1.4 GW of capacity to both nations.
Among the traditional interconnectors, the longest is the 610 km Tarchon Energy Interconnector, linking East Anglia and Niederlangen, Germany, with a total capacity of 1.4 GW. The Mares Connect, a 190 km cable, will run from Bodelwyddan, North Wales, to the Republic of Ireland, adding 0.75 GW of capacity. Lastly, the 142 km LirIC cable will connect Kilroot in Northern Ireland to Hunterston in Ayrshire, Scotland, delivering an additional 0.7 GW.
“With Britain expected to become a net energy exporter in the 2030s, these connections will equip us with world-leading technology to export more of our surplus clean power overseas,” said Ofgem Director General for Infrastructure Akshay Kaul. “They will also provide greater access to energy imports, which together with domestic low carbon energy sources such as nuclear and biomass, will provide vital back-up energy sources when renewable generation is more limited here.”
