Construction of World’s Longest Subsea Electricity Cable Complete

• 15 June 2021
• Construction Focus
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Construction of the world’s longest subsea electricity cable connecting 720km between the UK and Norway has been completed and is set for testing this week, reported FT on Tuesday 15 June..

This interconnector project is a joint venture between the UK’s National Grid and Norway’s Statnett. The cable can carry as much as 1.4GW of power — about the capacity of a nuclear reactor.

The main function of this interconnector cable is to promote the exchange of renewable energy between the two nations, aimed at further cutting greenhouse gas emission.

According to the Construction Director of the North Sea Link Nigel Williams, UK’s Blyth town is known for it is offshore wind power, which can be transferred to Norway when they have excess power on windy days.

Meanwhile, in calmer days, the UK can import electricity from Norway’s Kvilldal city, which is home to large hydropower plants.

Testing will begin with low-voltage settings before increasing to high voltage in the coming weeks.

Williams added the cable was buried under the sea with specialised cable-laying boats that can carry as much as 10,000 tonnes of the heavy cable. The team also built a specialised barge to lay cable across a remote Norwegian lake.

The cable is expected to last for at least 50 years.

Besides this project, the next interconnector project will be the Viking Link connecting the UK and Denmark in 2024. Meanwhile, there is also another one called ElecLink connecting France and the UK, which will be completed next year.

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