NorthConnect

NorthConnect
NorthConnect
Location
Country	Norway; Scotland
From	Samnanger, Norway
Passes through	North Sea
To	Peterhead, Aberdeenshire, Scotland (preliminary)
Ownership information
Owner	NorthConnect
Partners	Agder Energi, Norway; E-CO, Norway; Lyse Energi, Norway; Vattenfall, Sweden
Operator	NorthConnect
Construction information
Construction started	2019
Expected	2022
Construction cost	£1.3bn[1]
Technical information
Type	submarine cable
Type of current	HVDC
Total length	650 km (400 mi)
Power rating	1,400 MW[2]

The NorthConnect (also known as Scotland–Norway interconnector) is a proposed 650-kilometre (400 mi) 1,400 MW HVDC interconnector over the floor of the North Sea.

Interconnection

If built, it would be the first HVDC route to connect Scotland's electricity network directly to that of mainland Europe (though there are existing connections from England to mainland Europe), whereas Norway already has interconnectors to Denmark and the Netherlands, with an interconnector to Germany at the planning stage (see NORD.LINK and NorGer).[3]

Project partners

The £1.75 billion project is being developed by NorthConnect, a Norwegian company specially set up by five electricity companies (Agder Energi, E-CO, Lyse, SSE plc and Vattenfall) to advance the scheme, with 2020 as the target start date. It is hoped that the connector will assist the growth of the Norwegian and Scottish renewable energy industries.[4]

Route

The Scottish landfall is planned to be at Peterhead in Aberdeenshire, where the connector will join the National Grid. The Norwegian landfall will be Simalden at the head of the Hardangerfjord in Norway.[5]

Specification

The HVDC cable will be approximately 665km long, and have a capacity of 1400MW.[5] It is expected to cost 1.7bn Euros.[6]

Current status

On 25 March 2020, NorthConnect received a letter from the Norwegian Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, informing them that NorthConnect's license applications would not be processed at the present time,[7] making the future of the project unclear.

Project history

On 5 March 2013 it was announced that SSE has left the project.[8] The Norwegian government ruled that only Statnett could own export cables.[9] In 2016, Norway debates rules for export cables.[10][11]

In June 2016, Ofgem approved NorthConnect. Other approvals are still needed.[12]

The European Union put NorthConnect on the "Projects of Common Interest" list and supported its development with €10m.[1][13][14]

A 2019 analysis by the Norwegian water department indicates that the connection would be economically viable despite an increase of less than half a eurocent per kWh for Norwegian consumers.[15][16]

By 2019, the project had received all the most important marine and planning consents in the UK. Following detailed design work, it was hoped that the link will be constructed between 2019 and 2022.[17] The consortium hopes to make a final investment decision in 2020.[6]

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