Operators extend Norway-Netherlands power cable outage to August for repairs

OSLO (Reuters) – The NorNed subsea power cable connecting Norway and the Netherlands will remain offline for “complex” repairs until Aug. 1, Norwegian grid operator Statnett said late on Tuesday.

The cable with a capacity of 723 megawatt between the two countries has been offline since May 6.

“Investigations have shown that a part of the cable has to be exchanged,” Statnett said in a message to market participants.

The fault has been detected in a section just 30 metres from land running in the shallow Wadden Sea off the Dutch coast, which made the repairs “complex”, as the location rules out the use of offshore vessels or equipment, the company added.

Statnett has warned the south of Norway faced a “pressed” market situation this autumn due to low hydro reservoir levels and might have to rely more heavily on electricity imports.

The cable is jointly operated by Statnett and its Dutch counterpart Tennet.

(Reporting by Nora Buli, editing by Terje Solsvik)