Each cable carries more than electricity. The country at the other end shapes what GB pays,
how much carbon comes with the import, and what risks exist if the link goes down.
🇫🇷
France
IFA · IFA2 · ElecLink · 4 GW total
Three cables, more capacity than any other partner. Primarily carries French nuclear
power — very low carbon, but politically complex post-Brexit. IFA was damaged by fire
in 2021, contributing to the energy crisis. Exports to GB in 86% of half-hours.
IFA dates to 1986: the world's first cross-channel power link.
🇳🇴
Norway
NSL (NorthSea Link) · 1.4 GW
Norway's grid is 90%+ hydropower — effectively a giant battery that can ramp up or
down within hours. NSL makes Norwegian reservoir levels a live concern for GB energy
security. In 2022/23, low reservoirs prompted Norway to consider export caps,
sending British wholesale prices higher.
🇩🇰
Denmark
Viking Link · 1.4 GW
The world's longest land and sea power cable at 765 km, opened December 2023.
At £1.7 billion, it links Lincolnshire to southern Jutland. Denmark has the highest
wind penetration per capita in Europe — Viking routes surplus Danish wind into GB
and helps both grids balance variable renewable output.
🇳🇱
Netherlands
BritNed · 1 GW
More fossil fuel-heavy than the Norwegian or Danish connections — Dutch imports
carry more carbon. But BritNed is a price-sensitive market: it imports when Dutch
prices are above GB prices and exports when they're below. It plays an important role
in arbitraging GB wind surplus into continental markets overnight.
🇧🇪
Belgium
NEMO Link · 1 GW
NEMO connects Kent to Herdersbrug, Belgium. Belgium's mix is nuclear-heavy like
France, but also strongly interconnected with Germany and the Netherlands. NEMO
plays the same intraday cycling role as BritNed — importing during continental
solar hours, exporting British wind surplus overnight.
🇮🇪
Ireland
Moyle · East-West · 1 GW total
Uniquely, GB is a net exporter to Ireland — the relationship runs the
other way. Ireland operates a Single Electricity Market with Northern Ireland,
and GB's surplus wind and nuclear frequently flows west. The two cables make GB
a key backstop for Irish grid stability. GreenLink, a new cable, is under construction.
The Brexit effect
Britain left the EU Internal Energy Market in January 2021. Before Brexit, electricity
traded seamlessly across borders using the EU's common market coupling mechanism.
After, GB became a "third country" — trades still happen, but through a slower,
less efficient process. Ofgem estimates this costs GB consumers around £100m a year
in lost efficiency. The cables still work. The market around them got harder.