Fault found at first UK-Norway interconnector

A fault has been found on the 1,400 MW North Sea Link (NSL) that connects the UK and Norway causing the interconnector to operate at half capacity.

Norway’s Statnett reported yesterday, 8 June, that a fault caused the unavailability of the NSL interconnector in the afternoon and the project will be operated at 700 MW capacity until repairs are done.

The fault occurred in the onshore facility on the Norwegian side, resulting in the need to replace a component.

At the time, the flow was going from Norway towards the UK, and the fault resulted in a drop in frequency.

According to Statnett, the capacity cut was handled routinely by regulating power generation and it is not yet confirmed when repairs will be done.

North Sea Link runs between the Suldal municipality in Norway and the Newcastle area in England.

The 720-kilometer interconnector was completed in early June 2021 and on 18 June transmission between Norway and the UK was tested for the first time. The €1.6 billion project was commisioned on 1 October 2021.

A few months ago, Statnett decided to reduce the maximum capacity on the 1,400 MW interconnector in order to make a balance for import and export.

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