Testing constraints and opportunities for offshore renewable energy: strategic development of offshore networks for interconnection and market access

SUMMARY The North-West of Europe has particularly rich renewable energy resources, not least in respect of wind, wave and tidal energy around the British Isles. The respective governments have set targets for the realisation of much of the renewable energy potential. However, the transmission networks in those areas are already at or near to their transfer limits in respect of exports of power from the most attractive locations for renewables. Moreover, much of the potential lies offshore and would require considerable investment to be accessed, not only in terms of generation capacity but also in terms of networks. This paper describes the ‘Irish-Scottish Links on Energy Study’ (ISLES): a collaborative project between the Scottish Government, the Northern Ireland Executive and the Government of Ireland. The project was funded by the three sponsoring executives and the EU's INTERREG IVA Programme under the Special EU Programmes Body (SEUPB). It has assessed the offshore renewables potential off the west coast of Scotland and in the Irish Sea, and reviewed the extent to which differences in the environment and planning frameworks between the three jurisdictions might serve to delay offshore developments. Most particularly, it has considered the feasibility of creating an interconnected offshore transmission network to facilitate access to the renewable energy sources. The network was then analysed to determine the extent to which such an interconnected network, which includes capacity for transfer of energy between the Great Britain (GB) electricity market and the Single Electricity Market (SEM) on the island of Ireland, might enhance the commercial viability of the generation developments. In so doing, a number of important regulatory issues are highlighted that are not particular to ISLES but must be addressed more broadly if European aspirations for offshore grids are to be realised.