BritNed link between Great Britain and The Netherlands

Powering Europe's Energy

British energy company National Grid and NLink - a subsidiary of Dutch transmission system operator, TenneT - have been developing an subsea electricity link between Great Britain and The Netherlands. In the summer of 2008 the construction activities have started and in 2011 the interconnector will be operational. 

This €600 million joint venture will support security of electricity supply in both markets and will allow BritNed's customers to participate in European markets and create 100% open access for all market participants. 

BritNed will have a capacity of 1000MW and will be 260km long. The link will laid beneath the North Sea and will run between the Isle of Grain in Kent and Maasvlakte, near Rotterdam, in The Netherlands. BritNed will transmit power in both directions, driven by price differentials and demand patterns between the two power markets. The link will facilitate competition and will contribute to the European Commission's desire for greater interconnection. It has been identified as a 'priority project' in the European power market.

BritNed will be a commercial, or 'non-socialised' interconnector, funded and operated independently from National Grid and TenneT's regulated businesses. Customers will have open access to the capacity via a combination of 'implicit' auctions facilitated by APX, and short term 'explicit' auctions. This approach gives customers real choice about how they bid for capacity and ensures that BritNed supports the ambitions for greater transparency in the European energy markets.

Visit www.britned.com for more information or watch the video BritNed Internconnection Construction

BritNed route