Iceland’s volcanoes could be set to provide the UK with low-carbon electricity if government plans become a reality.

Energy minister Charles Hendry will visit the country in May to discuss connecting the UK to its abundant geothermal energy. "We are in active discussions with the Icelandic government and they are very keen," Hendry told the Guardian.

The plan would involve running high voltage electric cables along the seabed. To reach Iceland, which sits over a mid-ocean split in the earth's crust, the cable would have to be 1,000 to 1,500km long and by far the longest in the world.

A number of sea-floor cables – called interconnectors – are planned for the next decade. These will link the UK to a Europe-wide supergrid, a plan backed by the prime minister.

The supergrid would combine the wind and wave power of northern Europe with solar projects such as Desertec in southern Europe and northern Africa to deliver reliable, clean energy to meet climate change targets and reduce dependence on fossil fuel imports.

The UK has been dependent on fossil fuels for almost its entire history but with North Sea oil and gas failing and coal banned as too polluting finding an alternative is vital. Hendry is frank about the future: "We will be dependent on imported energy." The cables "are an absolutely critical part of energy security and for low carbon energy."

(H)