Construction work begins on €2bn Viking Link subsea power cable
Construction work on the world’s longest subsea power cable, the Viking Link, has today begun, the National Grid has announced.
Running between Bicker Fen in Lincolnshire and South Jutland in Denmark, the 764km power line will be able to provide renewable power to 1.4m households upon completion in 2023.
Today, Siemens Energy, which will build the power converter stations at each end of the cable, broke ground on a 2.4km access road to the Bicker Fen site, the first part of the project.
The permanent road will take nine months to complete and will enable access for the major construction equipment to the converter station and for operational vehicles to access the site once it is finished.
The €2bn (£1.8bn), 1.4 gigawatt cable is a joint venture between the National Grid and Danish power network Energinet.
Energy minister Kwasi Kwarteng said: “This major construction project will put Lincolnshire firmly at the heart of our economic recovery.
“Not only will this scheme create local green-collar jobs across the county, but it will also bolster our energy security, reduce bills for consumers, and give our home-grown renewable generators a greater chance to export zero-carbon electricity around the world”.
According to the network, by 2030 over 90 per cent of the energy imported via its interconnectors will come from zero carbon sources.
Last month the National Grid secured a £580m loan in order to finance the building of the cable, which has been designated one of the European Union’s projects of common interest.
The multi-export credit agency covered loan is made up of $488m from SACE Export Credit and $255m from Euler Hermes Export Credit, National Grid said.
The loan is the first time that multiple credit agencies have come together to finance a green project of this size.