Statnett submits licence application for new interconnector to Germany
(4/6/2010)
Statnett has submitted a licence application to the Norwegian Water Resources and Energy Directorate (NVE) for permission to build a new DC interconnector, NORD.LINK, between Norway and Germany.
The project will strengthen security of supply in Norway, promote value creation and facilitate development of renewable energy in Norway and Germany. The NORD.LINK interconnector has a planned transmission capacity of 1 400 MW, will be approximately 600 kilometres long and is scheduled for completion in 2016-18.
The subsea cable will run from Øksendal in Sirdal municipality to Diele/Brunsbüttel in northern Germany. Analyses have shown that the project is socio-economically profitable. Profits from the interconnector will go towards upgrading the Norwegian main grid and reduce grid tariffs for private consumers and businesses in Norway.
The German electricity system consists mainly of coal and gas-fired thermal power plants, with wind power becoming increasingly important. Power production in Norway is almost exclusively based on hydropower. The NORD.LINK interconnector will provide closer links between the two markets, resulting in a more reliable electricity supply, the opportunity to balance Norwegian and German power generation and more stable Norwegian electricity prices over time. Norway will also have the option to import wind power from the Continent during certain periods.
A large proportion of Norwegian hydropower is generated from water reservoirs. Reservoir-based hydroelectric power is in high demand on the Continent due to its flexible and rapid regulating capacity. It can therefore be used as a supplement to wind power, which is less stable. The NORD.LINK cable will facilitate more renewable electricity generation through the development of good interaction between wind power on the Continent and Norwegian hydropower. “Furthermore, the interconnector will be of great importance to the further development of renewable energy in Norway, and thus help create jobs and reduce CO2 emissions,” says President and CEO Auke Lont.
NORD.LINK is one of Statnett’s four major cable projects planned for the coming decade. In the period leading up to 2020, interconnectors will be built to the Continent and to the UK with a total transmission capacity of up to 4 200 MW.
