Submarine Power Cables as a Renewable Solution to Future Energy Crises
Crisis in Europe
Europe experienced a severe energy crisis starting in the last quarter of 2021. The post-pandemic reopening of global economies triggered a steep rise in demand. The lack of sufficient supplies caused by reduced investment in the energy sector due to the pandemic led to exponential growth in the prices of natural gas, coal, electricity, and other forms of energy compared to the same period in 2020. Since then, Europe’s energy problems have continued and highlighted a big weakness in their energy policy. The crisis was not the first of its kind but rather the latest instance in a series of periodic energy crises in the twenty-first century. I propose that submarine power cables run on renewable energy could be an all-encompassing solution to the challenges faced by global energy supply chains. Further, I argue that a global network of such cables could be the key to preventing future energy crises around the world.
The Problem
A key reason contributing to the shortage was Russia's limitation of natural gas supply to Europe in order to meet its domestic demands. This was an indication of Europe’s dependence on Russian natural gas, and this would become a problem for European countries in a situation of geopolitical tensions. The Russian invasion of Ukraine came less than six months later and can be seen as a manifestation of the same. Similarly, another problem was the empty renewable energy stores due to inadequate solar and wind availability during the summer. In the United Kingdom, the crisis was further aggrandised by the shortage of truck drivers, even leading to coal-based electricity companies shutting down due to the increasing costs. Thus, there are three main challenges that Europe needs to counter in order to prevent such an energy crisis in the future: 1) geopolitical uncertainty; 2) climate change; and 3) logistics.
A green solution
This is where submarine power cables could provide an all-encompassing solution. Submarine cables have long been used for communications, including transferring data and internet broadband. Many of these are long intercontinental cables, such as those running across the Atlantic, connecting the Americas with Europe and Africa. On the other hand, submarine power cables have so far only been used over short distances, not more than 2-3 hundred kilometres. Such cables are found mostly in inland North America and Europe. However, there has been a rising trend of completed and proposed submarine power cables spanning large distances. For example, the 700 km North Sea Link between Norway and the UK became operational in 2021, making it the longest submarine power cable in the world. Similarly, the Australia-ASEAN Power Link (AAPL) is a proposed 4500 km undersea cable that would connect Australia and Singapore. Undersea power cables would play a significant role in reducing vulnerability to geopolitical events, especially in the case of Europe and North America as they would reduce Europe’s reliance on Russian oil and natural gas. This would benefit those countries that depend on hostile or unreliable countries for their energy supply as undersea connections with friendly or allied countries would significantly increase their energy security.
Another common trend in energy production is the global shift from the conventional sources of coal, oil and natural gas to greener and renewable sources such as solar, hydro and wind energy. This has been a response to tackle the increasing global warming to which emissions from non-renewable energy contribute significantly. Today, we are witnessing a vicious cycle where the same climate change that has forced countries to move towards renewable sources is hampering the harnessing of renewable energy, as seen in Europe due to inadequate solar and wind availability in the last two summers. Therefore, submarine power cables alone are not enough if they are powered by non-renewable energy rather than green sources, since this will only further contribute to the cycle of increasing climate change and further hinder the harnessing of renewable energy required to counter it.
In this regard, it is important for these undersea cables to be powered by renewable sources, not only preventing further climate change induced by use of non-renewable sources but also preventing obstacles to the production of renewable energy. The use of green-energy submarine cables would also help reduce the variables in terms of logistics. For example, factors such as the closure of land borders, disruptions in transportation due to natural calamities or strikes, a rise in fuel costs, etc. Another problem of logistics seen in the current European energy crisis was that regions received erratic amounts of renewable resources such as sun and wind, often leading to an imbalance of supply and demand. Since renewable energy cannot be stored for long periods of time, a lot of potential is wasted. Submarine power cables would ensure regions receiving excess solar or wind energy could instantly transfer it to countries facing shortages. This would help reduce wastage as well as help regions battle scarcity of these resources.
Is it really viable?
While these cables provide many perceived benefits, they also face certain limitations. There are three types of challenges to the viability of such cables: 1) operational, 2) security and 3) legal. Firstly, the installation of power cables over long distances underwater is an expensive and time-consuming process. They also face problems with energy loss and the difficulty of conducting maintenance. Secondly, these cables, although installed with multiple protective layers, are still vulnerable to damage, causing disruption and waste of energy. Safety risks include damage from natural calamities such as cyclones or tornadoes as well as from fishing or naval activities. Similarly, while cables might eliminate risks emanating from geopolitical tensions, they remain greatly vulnerable to intentional sabotage from other states. This problem is further exacerbated in international waters due to the loss of wartime protection for undersea cables under international maritime law, including the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
Conclusion
There have been multiple studies assessing the feasibility of long-distance submarine power cables powered by green energy from both an operational and legal angle, increasingly so since 2010. Many of these believed such ventures would not only be operationally feasible but also economically beneficial. Cables between North America and Europe, Europe and Africa, as well as Asia and Oceania, are some of the most widely discussed options. There has also been policy action to realise such projects. The most recent example includes India’s hypothesised undersea power cables to Saudi Arabia as well as a trilateral cable with France and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). These cables have empirically been effective over short distances, yet their performance over longer ranges and longer periods of time remains to be seen. However, it is certain that policy action amongst most governments has increased significantly, triggered by the combined effect of the pandemic, the energy crisis and the war in Ukraine, as countries strive for energy security.
References
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