Neither the prime minister nor the minister of transport agree with the idea of the former president of Iceland to lay a submarine electric cable to Europe. The use of energy in the country is a priority.
Ólafur Ragnar GrímssonArctic Circle representative and former Icelandic president said Icelanders should consider laying a submarine cable to Europe and selling electricity. Prime Minister, Katrín Jakobsdóttirbelieves that energy should be used differently.
“There was no strong will in the Icelandic parliament to start such a project and sell energy transmitted over the submarine cable, but on the other hand I think there is support for us to use domestic energy sources and launch an energy exchange in Iceland. I believe that we Icelanders have a great chance to be at the forefront of the international community when it comes to domestic energy exchange ”.
Should we think about the domestic market in terms of energy efficiency? “I would consider it a priority,” says the transport minister. He also adds that the Progress Party did not support laying a submarine electric cable to Europe. But each solution has its pros and cons – for example, Iceland may run out of energy due to natural disasters.
“On the other hand, we want, first and foremost, to create jobs in the country. Over the past few months, and possibly in the near future, we are considering starting the production of energy fuels such as hydrogen and thus energy exports. I think it is now a more interesting way to start a project like this “ – says Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson.
Source: Yle