While Westminster attempts to deliver Brexit within months, the UK’s energy system is set to become dramatically more dependent on the EU just as Britain leaves. Today, four cables – known as interconnectors – between the UK and Ireland, France and the Netherlands have a capacity of 4GW, providing around 6% of Britain’s power supplies. However, with 11 new connections linking the UK and other European countries either under construction or mooted by developers, imports could provide more than a fifth of the country’s electricity needs by 2025, the government expects. As the UK’s Brexit white paper said in understated fashion: “There has been a trend towards greater interconnectivity that has brought mutual benefits to trading partners.”
Guardian 18th Aug 2018 read more »
