OSLO: Power-grid operators in the U.K. and Norway agreed to build a €2 billion ($2.2 billion) power cable that will connect the countries’ electricity markets in 2021 enabling the U.K. to import Norwegian hydro power when the wind isn’t blowing, and potentially cutting electricity bills.
Norway’s grid operator Statnett SF and the U.K.’s National Grid said that the power cable will be the world’s longest, stretching 730 kilometers (450 miles) across the North Sea. The operators will share the investment.
Britain will benefit from Norwegian green hydropower, at the flick of a switch, providing green backup power when the wind’s not blowing, and this will actually save people money,” said U.K. Energy Secretary Ed Davey.