What’s billed as the world’s longest power interconnector over land and sea – the 764km Viking Link between renewables-rich Denmark and the UK – is now complete, said British network operator National Grid.
Final work on the 1.4GW high-voltage direct current (HVDC) interconnection was completed offshore in the North Sea by the Leonardo da Vinci vessel operated by cable supplier Prysmian.
The £1.7bn ($2.2bn) Viking Link – which started construction in 2019 – will when fully commissioned by the end of the year allow sharing of enough renewable power for 1.4 million UK homes, National Grid said.
Rebecca Sedler, Managing Director for Interconnectors said: “As countries begin to integrate more offshore wind generation into their energy systems, interconnectors will become critical for transporting clean and green energy and helping to manage the intermittent nature of renewable sources.”
The addition of Viking Link continues a trend that has seen Britain’s power market ever more interconnected with Europe, despite the political separation from the EU after Brexit.
National Grid is now planning to advance so-called hybrid interconnectors between the UK and the Netherlands and Belgium, linking not just the nations’ power systems but offshore wind assets in their waters.
