Norway’s Statnett partners with 5 TSOs to study hybrid connections

Norwegian transmission system operator (TSO) Statnett is partnering with five TSOs in countries around the North Sea to study potential hybrid grid infrastructure for offshore wind.

Statnett said it will be signing memoranda of understanding with Belgium’s Elia, German operators TenneT and Amprion, Denmark’s Energinet and National Grid Venture in the UK. The company added that, through the collaborations, it is creating a portfolio of possible choices for future political decisions.

Energinet said that a potential new hybrid interconnector between Denmark and Norway will bring power ashore from offshore wind areas near a Danish energy island in the North Sea and from a zone in the Norwegian North Sea called Sorvest F.

Hanne Storm Edlefsen, director of Energy Islands at Energinet, said the cooperation is an important step in the expansion of the future offshore grid. The companies’ examinations are to be completed at the end of 2024.

Statnett is exploring hybrid grid solutions for offshore wind production in the Sorvest F area, which is considered for a tendering round in 2025.

TenneT commented that a hybrid project could be beneficial for both Germany and Norway as their wind profiles complement each other well. “The MoU with Statnett is an important milestone for the cross-border offshore grid in the North Sea. Only by jointly exploiting the potential of the North Sea can we achieve an efficient and robust offshore grid in the future,” said TenneT chief operating officer Tim Meyerjuergens.

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