Norwegian government rejects plans for 1.4GW electricity interconnector to the UK

Wednesday, 22 March 2023

(New Civil Engineer) Plans for an electricity interconnector cable between the UK and Norway have hit the buffers after the Norwegian government rejected an application for a licence for the project.

Norway’s ministry of petroleum and energy rejected the application for the 1.4GW interconnector which is a joint venture between Scandinavian firms Lyse, Agder Energi, Hafslund E-Co and Vattenfall.

The proposals, which are known as NorthConnect, had been on hold for three years prior to the Norwegian government resuming its application.

However according to Offshore Energy, the ministry decided that there was no basis to approve the licence. Reasons for rejecting the interconnector application includes fears that the Norwegian power grid could be exposed to the power systems of other countries, as well as an imbalance over grid capacity in the north and south of the country.

Norwegian minister of petroleum and energy Terje Aasland said: “It is important for the government to ensure that we have a power system that meets the basic objectives of power supply at all times.

”We need the output capacity in hydropower and will not expose it to further export. In my opinion, the consequences of establishing a new overseas cable indicate that a licence will not be granted for the project.”

The decision to reject an interconnector between the UK and Norway comes just a week after the UK government’s decision to reject a similar proposal linking the UK and France was overturned by the High Court.

The Aquind Interconnector project involves laying of HVDC cables to carry 2GW of power between the south coast of England and Normandy in France.

Kwasi Kwarteng, who was secretary of state for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy at the time, refused planning permission for the ￡1.2bn connector in January 2022 stating that the “adverse effects” of the scheme “weigh against the proposed development”.

These effects include the possible delay of the North Portsea Island Coastal Defence scheme due to the overlapping of construction compound areas.

However Aquind subsequently challenged the decision in the High Court after being granted a judicial review. Following the verdict, the project is expected to be referred back to the government for a final decision.