The world’s longest subsea electricity interconnector recently opened. The UK and Norway are now able to share renewable energy for the first time.

The $2 billion North Sea Link (NSL), a joint venture of National Grid and the Norwegian operator Statnett, has started commercial operations, marking a major milestone in Europe’s journey to be net zero. They estimate that by transmitting electricity from renewable sources from Norway to the UK, NSL will cause avoidance of 23 million metric tons of CO_2e emissions by 2030.

The 450-mile cable, which connects the Norwegian area near Stavanger with Blyth in the Northumberland region of the UK, started with a maximum capacity of 700 MW and will gradually increase to a full capacity of 1,400 MW. At full capacity, NSL will provide enough clean electricity to power 1.4 million homes. It is a two-way connection, transporting hydropower from several Norwegian reservoirs and power from Northumberland wind farms. In the summer, when demand is highest and winds are low in the UK, they will get needed power form Norway. In the winter, when some reservoirs freeze and movement is minimized, power will be brought to Norway from the UK wind farms.

NSL is the 5^th interconnector for National Grid, which also operates links to Belgium, France and the Netherlands. By 2030, 90% of electricity imported via National Grid’s interconnectors will be from zero carbon sources saving 100 million metric tons of CO_2e, equivalent to taking two million cars off the road.

Can this be replicated in the US? Can electricity from hydro, wind, or solar farms be sent subsea between countries or regions in the Western Hemisphere? NSL took 6 years to build, using over 4 million labor-hours and 5,880 labor-days at sea.

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