The UK energy regulator has OKed plans for Nautilus, a new undersea high-voltage connection between Belgium and the United Kingdom. The news comes from Belgian high-voltage grid operator Elia.
Climate & Environment
Green light for new power cable between Belgium and the UK
Colin Clapson
Published:
Elia plans to build the new interconnector together with its UK counterpart, the National Grid. The green light is a ‘crucial’ step in the further realisation of the project Elia says.
The new interconnector will help to bring the large quantities of power generated by the UK's offshore wind farms to Belgium. The power cable planned is a so-called hybrid interconnector.
It transports power between the two countries but can also bring offshore wind energy ashore. Nautilus will provide a link between the UK coast and Princess Elisabeth Island, the artificial energy island Elia is building off the Flemish coast.
Belgium is already connected to the UK by one undersea power cable: NemoLink, which can exchange up to 1 gigawatt of electricity. Nautilus has a capacity of 1.4 gigawatts.