EU Gives Thumbs Up for NordLink and NSN Grant

The EU Commission has welcomed the announcement made today by the Norwegian government to licence the construction of two subsea cables linking Norway to Germany and UK. The two 1400 MW subsea cables will enable the three countries to exchange electricity and use the Norwegian hydropower potential.

Vice-President of the EU Commission, responsible for Energy, Günther H. Oettinger, said: “This will help enormously to integrate renewable energy in North-West Europe. Germany and UK can sell renewable energy to Norway when weather conditions are such that they produce a lot and Norway can sell electricity from hydropower. This will benefit both sides and balance the system.”

The licence granted today is a further step towards building the two subsea cables. The NORD.LINK interconnector will run between Norway and Germany and the North Sea Network (NSN) will run between Norway and UK with a goal to be operational by 2020 at the latest.

The integration of the Norwegian, German and UK electricity markets, which at the moment are not connected directly, will ensure improved security of supply in the two countries, increase market efficiency and further integrate renewables.

In June 2012, UK Prime Minister David Cameron, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg agreed a partnership between the three countries to secure sustainable long term energy security through interconnectors connecting Norway to Germany and UK.

Press Release, October 13, 2014