A consortium of Agder Energi, E-CO, Lyse and Vattenfall, has secured approval from the Aberdeenshire Council for the onshore infrastructure of the 1.4GW Northconnect interconnector between UK and Norway.

The council has approved the application for a converter station and associated onshore, underground cabling.

Power networks in the UK and Scandinavia are planned to be connected through a 650km underwater power cable between north east Scotland and Norway, while the converter station and onshore cables will link the interconnector cable to the national grid.

The consortium will commence construction of converter station and the underground cables construction following final investment decisions and securing the required approvals.

The project partners will now submit plans for the sea-based part of the interconnector.

NorthConnect project UK project manager Richard Blanchfield said: "This major investment is an opportunity for the north east economy, it will help keep the lights on in Scotland, press down on household electricity bills and allow the green powerhouses of Scotland and Scandinavia to deliver their low carbon potential."

Estimated to cost £1.3bn, the NorthConnect project is scheduled to be commissioned in 2022.

The NorthConnect project, which will have an operational life of more than 60 years, is expected to create around 200 jobs during construction phase.