Plans for an electricity cable between the UK and Norway have stalled after the Norwegian government denied a license application for the project.

The Norwegian ministry of petroleum and energy denied the application for the 1.4 GW interconnector proposed by Scandinavian firms Lyse, Agder Energi, Hafslund E-Co, and Vattenfall.

The NorthConnect proposals were put on hold for three years before the Norwegian government resumed their application.

According to Offshore Energy, the ministry determined no justification for approving the license. The application for the interconnector was denied due to concerns that the Norwegian power grid could be exposed to the power systems of other nations, as well as a capacity imbalance between the north and south of the country.

Norwegian minister, Terje Aasland, stated, “The government must ensure that our power system consistently meets the fundamental objectives of power supply.

“We require the hydropower output capacity and will not expose it to export further.” The consequences of getting a new overseas cable could mean the project will not be granted a license. The decision to reject an interconnector between the UK and Norway comes just one week after the High Court reversed the UK government‘s rejection of a similar proposal linking the UK and France.

The Aquind Interconnector project entails the installation of HVDC cables to transmit 2 GW of electricity between the south of England and France. Kwasi Kwarteng denied planning permission for the £1.2bn connector in January 2022, citing the scheme’s “adverse effects” as a reason.

Due to the overlap of construction compound areas, there may be a delay in the North Portsea Island Coastal Defence scheme.

After being granted a judicial review, Aquind ultimately challenged the decision in the High Court. The project is anticipated to be returned to the government for a final decision following the verdict.