UK and Denmark’s electricity grids now physically connected through world record power cable

The Viking Link interconnector, a 475-mile power cable, was formed as a joint venture between the National Grid and Energinet to share enough electricity to power up to 1.4 million UK Homes 

The final section of the state-of-art-high voltage subsea cable, which joins Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire with Jutland in Denmark, was completed offshore in the North Sea by Prysmian’s Cable Laying Vessel 'Leonardo da Vinci' and its team. 

The project is totalled at £1.7 billion (€2 billion), through a joint venture between National Grid and Danish system operator Energinet. It will be the world’s longest land and subsea interconnector – stretching for 475 miles between the two countries. Due to be complete by the end of 2023, it will enable the sharing of enough green electricity to power 1.4 million UK homes. 

Once in operation, Viking Link will enable fast and flexible energy to be shared between the two countries, from where it is generated to where it is needed most. Flowing at the flick of a switch, interconnectors can respond quickly to changes in supply and demand, making them an ideal partner to intermittent renewable energy.  

Rebecca Sedler, Managing Director for Interconnectors, said:  

“As countries begin to integrate more offshore wind generation into their energy systems, interconnectors will become critical for transporting clean and green energy and helping to manage the intermittent nature of renewable sources.” 

The National Grid expects that between 2020 and 2030 its interconnectors will have helped the UK to avoid around 100 million tonnes of carbon emissions, and by 2030 90% of the energy imported through the company’s interconnectors will be from zero-carbon energy sources. 

At the beginning of 2023, the National Grid announced its plans for a 1.8GW Offshore Hybrid Asset (OHA) between the UK and the Netherlands, called LionLink. A second OHA called Nautilus is also in the planning phase, with the potential to connect with Belgium and supply enough electricity to meet the needs of 1.4 million UK homes.