By TSA Newsfeed

An undersea cable taking electricity from Shetland

and Orkney to southeast England is viable, according to a new report by the Crown Estate, which said such a project would be economically and technically possible

and may ultimately connect Scottish green energy projects to Europe.

The East Coast Transmission Network Technical Feasibility Study found an offshore east

coast transmission line could take electricity from as far north as Shetland to the southeast of England, with the potential to connect to the rest of

Europe.

The Crown Estate — which owns most of the UK's sea bed — last year began looking into the practicality of a high-capacity off-shore electricity

line in response to the growing demand for sustainable sources of clean fuel and to help overcome difficulties in providing land-based transmission

lines.

The Scottish Government recently identified grid reinforcements to support renewable energy development as a potential national development priority

in the National Planning Framework, which is currently out for consultation.

Alasdair Rankin, head of marine business development, Scotland, at The Crown

Estate, said, “We recognize Scotland's massive natural renewable energy resource, which has the potential to be very valuable for Scotland.

“However,

connection to the national grid is crucial to the long-term viability of the Scottish renewables industry, and improvements to the network are particularly

important for green energy projects in the Highlands and Islands.”

Rob Hastings, The Crown Estate's director of the marine estate, added, “The prospect of

taking green energy right down the east coast to heavily populated areas in the south, and potentially to the rest of Europe, is incredibly exciting.”