Britain and the Netherlands Agree on a North Sea Power Link

Officials from Britain and the Netherlands said on Monday that they had agreed to build a giant undersea electric cable for sharing the power generated from offshore wind farms.

The deal, which is preliminary, would be an early building block in a plan that is gradually taking shape for a makeover of the North Sea, which for decades has been Europe’s main source of domestically produced oil and natural gas. The new vision is to make the sea a key location for renewable energy shared among nearby nations.

“Close collaboration on offshore wind energy and interconnection among North Sea countries is imperative,” said Rob Jetten, Dutch minister for climate and energy.

The idea of the cable, called LionLink, is to share surplus electric power with places that are temporarily short of it, Mr. Jetten said. Such ties foster a more resilient and efficient system, analysts say. Having numerous markets for the energy is also attractive to investors.

Already a network of so-called interconnectors links Britain to other countries in Europe. But this one, which would take several years to…