Five European transmission system operators have signed a memorandum of understanding to boost cooperation on offshore cable infrastructure in the North Sea.
The agreement between Elia, Energinet, 50Hertz and TenneT was signed at WindEurope’s Annual Event in Madrid, the TSOs said.
The parties will collaborate for at least one year to assess joint approaches on repair, spare parts, fault detection and resource availability, they added.
The initiative aims to improve the affordability, efficiency and reliability of the future electricity system as offshore wind volumes grow.
High-voltage subsea cables are becoming increasingly critical to Europe’s power supply as offshore wind expands and interconnection increases.
The cooperation will be structured through four working groups focusing on repair logistics, equipment, fault detection and legal and financial frameworks.
“With the growth of offshore wind, the reliability of our subsea cables is becoming increasingly crucial,” said Frédéric Dunon, chief executive of Elia.
“By joining forces with fellow TSOs, we are both improving the operational robustness of the network and ensuring that we deploy resources more intelligently and can respond faster when it matters.”