Five European TSOs launch joint initiative on North Sea subsea cable infrastructure

Five European transmission system operators (TSOs) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to cooperate on offshore cable infrastructure in the North Sea.

The agreement was signed at WindEurope’s Annual Event in Madrid by Elia (Belgium), Energinet (Denmark), 50Hertz (Germany), and TenneT, which operates in Germany and the Netherlands.

The initiative aims to improve the affordability, efficiency and reliability of the future electricity system as offshore wind capacity and cross-border interconnections continue to grow, according to a press release the TSOs issued on April 23.

The TSOs will, over an initial period of at least one year, assess opportunities to collaborate on strategic and technical aspects of offshore cable systems. This includes sharing knowledge on repair procedures, spare parts, and fault detection, as well as mapping available vessels, materials and technical capabilities.

The cooperation will be organized through four thematic working groups focusing on repair logistics, spare parts and equipment, fault detection, and legal and financial frameworks. The objective is to identify scalable solutions that can reduce downtime, improve repair efficiency and limit system impacts and associated costs.

Subsea high-voltage cables are becoming an increasingly critical component of Europe’s electricity system, enabling the transmission of offshore wind energy and cross-border power flows, the TSOs noted, adding that disruptions to these assets can have both economic and societal consequences.

“With the growth of offshore wind, the reliability of our subsea cables is becoming increasingly crucial. By joining forces with fellow TSOs, we are both improving the operational robustness of the network and ensuring that we deploy resources more intelligently and can respond faster when it matters. This cooperation is in the interest of all of Europe”, said Frédéric Dunon, Elia CEO.

The initiative is open to other members of the Offshore TSO Collaboration (OTC) group, with the potential to evolve into a longer-term structured cooperation if the feasibility phase demonstrates clear benefits.

At the beginning of this year, Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway and the UK signed an investment pact with the offshore wind industry and TSOs that is said to mobilise €1 trillion in economic activity.

Under the agreement, the TSOs will identify cost-effective cooperation projects in the North Sea, including 20 GW of promising cross-border projects by 2027 for deployment in the 2030s.