“Iceland’s volcanoes may power UK” reads a recent headline in The Guardian, referring to British Energy Minister Charles Hendry’s visit to Iceland in May to discuss sale of electricity produced with geothermal energy to the UK via high-voltage cables across the ocean floor.
A geothermal borehole in Iceland. Photo by Páll Stefánsson.
“We are in active discussions with the Icelandic government and they are very keen,” Hendry, who has already met CEO of the national power company Landsvirkjun Hörður Arnarson about the plan, told The Guardian.
The cable would have to be 1,000 to 1,500 kilometers long and would thus be the longest of its kind in the world.
Electricity sale to Europe will be the main topic of Landsvirkjun’s general meeting tomorrow, at which Hörður will discuss the UK project. Other European governments are also interested in buying renewable energy from Iceland, ruv.is reports.
Landsvirkjun has been looking into the option of establishing a sea cable to the European mainland for some time, which is technically possible but hasn’t been financially viable until now.
Now there are indications that such a project might pay off in a relatively short period, among other reasons due to the increased value of green energy in Europe.
ESA
