Sub-sea cable to Europe carrying renewable energy studied by Icelandic power company

A study is being conducted by the Icelandic power company, Landsvirkjun on how realistic it would be to construct the world’s longest sub-sea cable to Europe, to enable the expansion of renewable energy sales.

Landsvirkjun’s study focuses on the potential business models, markets and congestion management, whilst also focusing on the export and import of electricity based on price differences between the European and Icelandic market. The Icelandic power company is also examining the impact on the Icelandic power market, security of supply in the Icelandic power system and resource management in Iceland, with emphasis on the use of the hydropower capacity.

The countries being discussed as potential destinations are Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom. The shortest possible distance of a cable from Iceland to a landing site in Europe is about 1.200 km, more than double the length of the NorNed (Norway-Netherlands) interconnector, and a sub-sea cable to the continent would be around 1.900 km. The transmission capacity examined is between 600 and 1.000 MW.

It is predicted that it will take a further four to five years to study the feasibility and technical and economical aspects of building such a marine cable. If and when a decision has been taken, further four to five years are needed for production and installation of the cable, construction of converter stations and other related tasks. The project could thus commence operation around 2020 at the earliest.

To learn more regarding the potential renewable energy sub-sea cable to Europe and Landsvirkjun, visit www.landsvirkjun.com.