Power from Europe

Renewable energy and energy security are in the pipeline, reports Robert Williams.

What is the most effective way of increasing the UK’s energy security and use of renewable power? Building new capacity, and new nuclear power stations or wind farms is a slow process. The answer may be to import it, by using interconnectors. And the role of interconnectors in improving security of electricity supply is also becoming increasingly important across Europe.

Interconnectors have been a long-established and successful technology in continental Europe. In the UK, by contrast, there is a relatively low level of interconnection. Building more interconnectors could bring real benefits to British electricity consumers. Analysis undertaken by National Grid suggests that each one GW of new interconnector capacity could help to reduce the UK’s wholesale power prices by up to 1-2 per cent. Constructing 4-5 GW of new interconnector links with mainland Europe could unlock up to £1 billion of benefits to energy consumers.

As well as providing access to cheaper power, interconnection will also help us secure our energy supply. Consumers throughout Europe use electricity in various ways at different times of the day, and interconnection allows electricity to be moved to where it is needed. This is particularly important at times of ‘system stress’, such as a when there is cold weather and power stations are closed for maintenance or even shut down unexpectedly.

There are further benefits from interconnection that can reduce our impact on the environment. Renewable energy sources such as wind and wave are an increasingly important part of the energy mix. Increasing interconnection allows us to import energy from renewable sources.

Britain’s interconnector capacity is set to double in the next decade as a number of significant projects come on stream. Our links with Europe may be uncertain, but the European Commission is seeking a more ‘joined up’ approach that links transmission networks beyond borders from which the UK will benefit.

Enhancing sustainability

Interconnectors are connections between the electricity transmission systems of two different countries allowing electricity to flow in and out.

For the UK the links are via subsea cables, in others it can be through overhead lines.

Interconnectors already play an important role in giving the UK secure supplies of energy and this influence is increasing. Secondly, greater use of interconnectors can certainly make a key contribution to ensure that energy is more affordable and sustainable now and in the future.

Interconnectors could reduce the cost of reducing carbon emissions and make it easier for the UK to meet binding EU renewables targets. Large amounts of low carbon electricity could, for instance, be imported into the UK from hydropower in Norway, wind power in Ireland and Denmark, nuclear in France and hydropower and geothermal energy in Iceland.

Interconnectors could also deliver security of supply benefits, by providing back-up capacity to cover the UK renewables projects that provide intermittent power. Most notably, National Grid envisages interconnectors to Norway and Iceland that would provide access to pumped hydro power plants that would allow for renewable power from the UK’s offshore wind farms to be stored.

UK interconnector capacity currently stands at 4GW, with 2GW to France, 1GW to the Netherlands and 1GW to Ireland, representing about 5 per cent of the country’s total electricity generation capacity. In its recent Future Energy Scenarios report, the National Grid suggested that UK interconnector capacity could more than double to reach 10.8GW by 2020 and triple to reach 17.7GW by 2030. Current and planned connections

The UK currently has four operational interconnectors. The first is Interconnexion France-Angleterre (IFA): a 2GW high voltage direct current interconnector running between Folkestone and Calais. It is the largest of our existing interconnectors, and it has been operational for more than 25 years. BritNed is a 1GW, 260km interconnector running from the Isle of Grain in Kent to Maasvlakte near Rotterdam in the Netherlands. Moyle: a 0.5GW link between the GB and Northern Ireland transmission systems that began operation in 2001 runs between Auchencrosh in South Ayrshire and Ballycronan More in County Antrim, and is operated by Mutual Energy. Finally, the 0.5GW EastWest interconnector entered service in 2012

and connects the British and Irish electricity markets. It runs between Deeside in North Wales and Woodland, County Meath in the Republic of Ireland. These interconnectors provide 4GW of capacity.

In recent months National Grid have taken final investment decisions that gave the green light to two ambitious interconnector projects. The NSN project will see the construction of the world’s longest subsea interconnector, a 1.4GW link stretching some 730km under the North Sea. The project is a joint venture between National Grid and Statnett, Norway’s national electricity system operator. The project has been in development for more than ten years. Construction will start in 2017 and the interconnector will be operational in 2021.

There will be some important benefits to both countries, with increased sharing of renewable energy and more efficient trading of electricity. Britain will be able to tap into excess hydroelectric power generated in Norway that can be used when appropriate to improve our own supply position.

The Nemo Link that is being developed with Elia, the Belgium Transmission System Operator, will give both countries improved reliability and access to electricity, as well as more sustainable generation via a 140km subsea connection between Richborough in Kent and Zeebrugge. It will deliver the 1000MW subsea link between the two countries, enough electricity to power half a million homes.

These projects are indicative of the growing investment in interconnectors across Europe as governments wrestle with how to manage the increasing proportion of generation coming from renewable energy and how to strengthen security of supply.

The European Commission wants countries to achieve 10 per cent of installed capacity available through interconnection by 2020 – a figure rising to 15 per cent by 2030. To put that into context, here in the UK we currently stand at about 5 per cent of installed capacity or roughly 4GW of generation, so there’s a long way to go.

Together with our partner in Denmark, Energinet, we are in the feasibility stage of a project called the Viking Link that would involve the construction of a 600–700km subsea cable to carry a high voltage direct current of between 1GW and 1.4GW. The interconnector is targeted to reach first power by the end of 2020 and the exact route is still to be determined.

Finally, there is a second connection planned between the UK and France in the shape of the IFA2 interconnector that will link Hampshire with Normandy. The high voltage direct current (HVDC) project would be the second interconnector to France and would be capable of transferring 1000MW of electricity between Britain and France, enough to power a million homes, according to the National Grid. More than 120 miles (200km) of undersea cables would be laid between the two countries as part of the project. Altogether, the onshore and offshore cable route will be about 240km long. Looking even further ahead, National Grid is also examining a potential interconnector link between the UK and Iceland, to tap into Iceland’s geothermal power.

With £1 billion in energy cost savings and access to more affordable clean energy the potential prize, business leaders and environmental groups alike will be hoping that those building blocks end up providing the foundations for a new wave of clean energy infrastructure investment. n