The UK’s network operator National Grid and Denmark’s Energinet.dk yesterday announced the start of a study to assess the possibility of a new electricity connection between the two countries.
The ‘pre-feasibility’ study will look at the options for an undersea cable between the UK and Denmark, giving the option for interconnector trading between the two.
“This study is an important first step in looking at developing a link between Denmark and UK,” says National Grid’s head of European business development, Terry McCormick. “More interconnection with Europe supports the integration of renewable energy and gives us more options to balance our network in UK.”
The study will assess different technical solutions, possible routes and landing points, the cable capacity and potential commissioning timetable.
Torben Glar Nielsen of Energinet.dk’s electricity division adds that both the UK and Denmark are expecting to integrate very high levels of wind power in future and the study will look at how interconnection could support that change.
A connection between the UK and Denmark could also be linked into any future North Sea ‘super grid’, which has been on the cards for some time to link up offshore wind farms.
The UK already has cable interconnectors with Ireland, France and the Netherlands and is looking into the options with Norway and Belgium, as well as increasing existing capacity.
Denmark, meanwhile, has links to Sweden, Germany and Norway, with which it is currently building a new interconnector, and is investigating an interconnection with the Netherlands.
For further information:
www.nationalgrid.com/uk/
energinet.dk
Related stories:
UK energy regulator launches smart grid framework (23-Apr)
Ofgem earmarks £7 billion to rewire Scotland’s electricity grid (24-Jan)
European ‘supergrid’ could be costly but boost renewables, says report (22-Sept 2011)
UK Prime Minister backs European supergrid plan (21-Jan 2011)
Article source: http://www.energyefficiencynews.com/i/5065/
