Korda expects Iceland-Scotland cable to be ready in three years

Korda expects its planned submarine cable between Iceland and Scotland to enter service around the turn of 2029-30, Morgunblaðið reports. The project is estimated to cost about 10 billion Icelandic kronur, and landing points have been selected in both countries.

Seabed surveys are due to begin this summer. Korda chief executive Þorvarður Sveinsson said the company is also considering linking Iceland to Tusass Connect, a proposed cable from Greenland to Denmark via the Faroe Islands. He said the connection could bring positive synergies, but its economic case needs careful assessment.

Greenlandic and Danish authorities are also examining a cable to Tasiilaq on Greenland’s east coast, which would probably run to Iceland. In addition to carrying data, it could monitor ship and submarine movements through the Greenland Strait.

Sveinsson said he was opposed to using data cables for surveillance. “We want to keep the cables simple and for civilian use only, because anything else risks crossing a line we should be careful not to cross,” he said.

The Far North cable project, which was intended to connect Europe and Japan via Iceland, appears to have been put on hold. Sveinsson said the reasons included financing difficulties and engineering challenges.