UK and Denmark Hold Early Talks on Subsea Power Connection

23 November 2012

UK energy minister Ed Davey yesterday discussed a future subsea cable between Denmark and the UK with his Danish counterpart Martin Lidegaard, as part of a future project with vast significance for renewables.

"We are definitely in the initial phase," noted Davey, according to the Berlingske newspaper. "The check has not been signed yet. But this kind of energy infrastructure is enormously important, not least due to security of supply."

A number of other north European ministers were in attendance to discuss an integrated energy infrastructure linking the UK, Scandinavia, Germany, Poland, the Netherlands and the Baltic countries – a nearly $200bn project that would require heavy buy-in from pension funds and insurance companies.

But the UK-Denmark link would be seen as a central piece to the network, facilitating the transfer of excess wind energy from large offshore wind projects along the UK's east coast and Jutland, Denmark.

A 700MW subsea link between the UK and Denmark may cost around DKr8bn ($1.4bn), according to estimates.

"There are many reasons while we should work towards this,” Lidegaard says.

"We have a vision that Danish consumers in 10 years can go on the Internet and buy electricity from a supplier in Great Britain," he says. "A much bigger energy market, where one can buy and sell across countries, will benefit all European consumers."